Why You Shouldn't Rely on the Scale For Results
A client emailed:
"I am trying to lose 15 lbs. I do some running/walking and some exercise most days just because it makes me feel better, but my weight is creeping up! Could the exercise be a factor?"
It's hard to say much without knowing your stats, and seeing a precise food journal. I'm sorta shooting blind here ;)
What I can say is: Numbers on a scale aren't terribly helpful if that's how you are measuring -- especially if you are exercising, because you could be putting on muscle, which will make the scale go up, but it's muscle, not fat, so you're not *really* gaining. Similarly, you could be retaining "water weight" if there is any sort of inflammation from exercise.
More reading: What Weighs More: A Pound of Fat or Pound of Muscle? (& Why the Scale is a Frenemy!)
That said, exercise *can* inhibit weight-loss efforts (there are just so many ways it can go wrong). I generally advise my clients to lose weight through diet on the meal plans, and then when they reach their goal, to start incorporating more exercise, though it wouldn't cause a gain per se, except in the case of added muscle, as discussed above. Light walking and gentle yoga is fine, however.
More reading: Why Exercise Doesn't Help With Weight Loss
More reading: Why you can't lose weight from exercise combined with caloric restriction
How clothes fit is typically the best indicator, though that can be problematic for women who are lifting weights or doing activities that power up big muscle groups, like, say, training for a marathon or triathalon. Although uncommon, I did have a few clients who worked out against my suggestion to lose weight first, and they came back complaining that while they felt better, their legs/stomach/etc got bigger. Measurements explained the phenomenon: They increased muscle under the curtain of fat which explained the larger physical appearance. (Once they shed the fat through diet, the problem resolved itself and they had very shapely, fit bodies). Though these were isolated instances and as I mentioned, typically only happen with weight lifting or endurance activities.
In nearly every instance of every person I've worked with -- it all came down to diet. Diet was the problem and the solution with weight-gain and weight-loss.
More reading: How the Plant-Based Diet Made Me an Overeater {REVISITED with more honesty}
Good luck!