I cycle with a club, walk and run trails and have found that the last 3 lbs that I wanted to lose have been really stubborn. I'm in target range som would expect the loss to slow up, but I can definitely notice that my clothes are looser, trousers and shirts. I have carbo loaded before for marathons and understand the theory behind it about fuelling up the body ; I found this Q and A , it gives an idea of what might be going on with our bodies when we exercise.
Q: My husband and I have both noticed that on weeks when we exercise more, we tend to lose less weight on the scale than if we don't exercise as much. Why is this?
A: Stop the presses! Exercise is still your friend!
First off, the scale only gives you a limited picture of what's happening in your body. It only tells you total body weight, but nothing about body composition.
You need to understand that exercise induces a series of normal biological changes. Habitual exercise promotes an increase in muscle enzymes that allows you to store carbohydrate more efficiently. This is a desirable effect since this muscle carbohydrate (called glycogen) allows you to exercise longer and harder without running out of fuel. Carbohydrate is very "hydrophilic," meaning it attracts water. So a little extra scale weight is a result of water binding to your muscle glycogen. Also, an exercise bout stimulates a slight increase in volume of plasma (the fluid portion of your blood) so this too may add a bit of weight.
Don't let this minor change in scale weight discourage you from exercise. Carry on with your fitness regimen and focus on your long-term goals. Over time, you will see a drop in body fat that will eventually be reflected on your bathroom scale.
In this Q&A series, William Sukala, MS, CSCS, answers questions about fitness and exercise. Read more articles from our personal trainer.