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The TRUTH about fast weightloss

June 17, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Burn Fat-Feed Muscle, Kimkins Diet, Reviews 10 Comments →

I’m really disappointed today… people just DO NOT LEARN!!! A friend of mine announced yesterday that she is going to start doing the Kimkins Diet to get undo the damage done in her weekend weight gain. :?

The Kimkins diet is based on the theory of Ketosis. She has an induction period that puts your body into Ketosis. When in Ketosis you lose your appetite, thus the low calorie intake. It is somewhat like Dr. Stillman’s induction minus the cheese and she allows a little oil for cooking. Then Phase 2 is Kimkins which is with the 2 cups of salad and .5 of veggies but only those on the list, or 3 cups of salad greens. She does not allow net carb counting and no processed Low Carb foods. She recommends no exercise & does not promote drinking water either. :o

READ MY REVIEW HERE
How to Spread the Truth About the Kimkins Diet Controversy
Kimkins Business Partnership Case Study
Kimkins Investigation Petition

I understand that my friend wants a drastic change, but come on!!!!!!!!!!!! Less than 1000 calories a day (view the creator’s fitday eating plan) !!! I can’t believe the “advice” that this girl Kimmers is giving…

================

Ask Kimmer: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=431338&pp=30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrsevans

Kimmer,

A question about my calories? Do you think 900 calories a day is ok if I am not hungry for anymore then that? Will my body go in starvation mode do you think? Even if im not hungry?

Not at all. Look at people with gastric bypass surgery (400-500 calories), Stillmans (600-750 calories) or the water fasters (0 calories) … all lose 1 pound a day or more.

Your carbs are very, very low (and calories too), so you’re do for a “whoosh” by tomorrow morning. Once it starts, it’s like a domino effect and gets bigger, faster … you’ll see.

==================

Uh… yeah… your gonna lose weight, but you should also kiss your lean muscle buh-bye if you’re going to be eating low calories.

What happens after the “diet”? What happens when you reach your goal? Are you going to go back to your conventional way of eating?

Sad, Sad, Sad…

OK, I guess that’s enough.

End of rant.

I also found this interesting article written by Tom Venuto about the consequences of fast weight-loss.

Enjoy the article!

===============

Here is an excerpt:

…The faster you lose weight, the more muscle you will lose right along with the fat, and that can really mess up your metabolism.

An even bigger problem with fast weight loss is that it just won’t last. The faster you lose, the more likely you are to gain it back. It’s the the “yo-yo diet effect” - weight goes down, but always comes back up.

Don’t Be Fooled By Water Weight Losses

One thing you should also know is that it’s very common to lose 3 - 5 pounds in the first week on nearly any diet and exercise program and often even more on low carb diets (because low carb diets deplete glycogen and every gram of glycogen holds 3 grams of water). Just remember, its NOT all fat - WATER LOSS IS NOT FAT LOSS - AND WATER LOSS IS TEMPORARY!

The Truth About FAST Weight Loss - by Tom Venuto NSCA-CPT, CSCS

==============

To your health,

~ Vilma

P.S. Other articles that might be of interest:

FDA: The Facts About Weight Loss Products and Programs

The Biggest Loser, Where are they now?

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ALLI is here… should I try it?

June 16, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Reviews 1 Comment →

Weight loss drug Alli Didn’t really want to post my thoughts on this topic HERE, so I thought I would blog about it…

Alli is here…. so, should I try it???

WebMD gives their report on it:

By now, you have probably seen the commercials or read the direct mail pieces about Alli. They ask if you are ready to commit to a weight loss plan that includes Alli, the over-the-counter version of the FDA-approved fat blocker formerly known as Xenical.

The name has changed — and the over-the-counter version is one-half the strength of Xenical — but it’s the same drug. And it has some of the same problematic side effects that plagued its prescription-strength predecessor — gas with oily discharge, inability to control bowel movements, oily or fatty stools, and oily spotting.

EEEWWWW!!!

No thanks!!!!

The article goes on to say that if you take Alli and follow a sensible low-fat diet and exercise, you will lose 50 percent more weight than you would with diet and exercise alone. Instead of losing 10 pounds, a person who takes Alli will lose 15 pounds.

Good nutrition & exercise habits will give me the same or better results than taking this drug or any other “weight loss pill” for that matter.

Here are other articles on the subject:

To your health,

~ Vilma

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Do detox diets really work?

June 11, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Jay Robb's Diet, Reviews No Comments →

After my 3 Day Fruit Flush Detox experience, in MY honest opinion, I say… yes… BUT not for me at this time.

Read some feed back & answers that i’ve received from different people.

Thank you Crystal from the WAHM.com Fitness message boards for posting this article (more of my thoughts below):

===================

Experts warn of detox diet dangers:

Fasting programs are getting more popular, but watch out for the risks

By Susan Moores, R.D.

Popular detox diets promise to flush poisons from your body, purge pounds of excess fat, clear your complexion and bolster your immune system.

But experts say there’s little evidence that extreme regimens such as the Master Cleanse or Fruit Flush do anything more than lead to unpleasant, unhealthy side effects.

Still, these super-restrictive eating plans are hotter than ever, thanks to being linked to lanky celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Beyonce Knowles attributed her 20-pound weight loss for the movie “Dreamgirls” to the Master Cleanse — a starvation diet whose adherents swallow nothing but a concoction of lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper, as well as salt water and a laxative tea for 10 days.

The idea of detoxifying or purifying the body of harmful substances has been around for centuries and cycles back into popularity now and again. There are no hard numbers on how many people have tried the latest fashionable plans, much less stuck with them, but dozens of new do-it-yourself fasting books are glutting bookstore shelves.

That’s what has nutrition experts sounding the alarm over possible risks from lengthy or repeated fasts. Vitamin deficiencies, muscle breakdown and blood-sugar problems — not to mention frequent liquid bowel movements — are some of the seriously unpleasant drawbacks to these plans, which are skimpy on solid foods and often call for laxatives.

“Long-term fasts lead to muscle breakdown and a shortage of many needed nutrients,” says Lona Sandon, a Dallas dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Depriving the body of the vitamins and minerals we get from food can “actually weaken the body’s ability to fight infections and inflammation,” she says.

Because the crash diets can upset blood sugar, potassium and sodium levels in the body, people with diabetes, heart or kidney disease or women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn’t try them, experts say. Children, teens, older adults or people with certain digestive conditions should also steer clear.

The scores of detox diet books and kits out there each have their own take on how to cleanse the body — one calls for spices and fruit juices, another for only vegetable purees — but most of them boil down to extremely low-calorie, primarily liquid diets.

The idea behind these plans, which can last anywhere from three days to about a month, is to rid the body of toxins absorbed from the environment and the less-than-healthy foods we eat. This cleansing is supposed to leave you feeling energized.

Some plans restrict all solid foods and instruct dieters to survive on only low-calorie beverages for days at a time. The Joshi holistic diet involves an elaborate list of so-called acid-forming foods to avoid for three weeks, including seemingly healthy veggies and grains.

Many intestinal experts say we don’t need an extreme diet to cleanse our insides.

“Your body does a perfectly good job of getting rid of toxins on its own,” says Dr. Nasir Moloo, a gastroenterologist with Capitol Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group in Sacramento, Calif. “There’s no evidence that these types of diets are necessary or helpful.”

While there are medical conditions that interfere with organ function and prevent the body from clearing toxins, healthy people already have a built-in detoxification system — the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin, says Moloo.

And by attempting to flush out the “bad stuff” from our intestines, Sandon warns, you’re also “flushing out the good bacteria that keep the intestines healthy.”

Lots of bathroom time
The side effects from prolonged, severe calorie restriction can include headache, fatigue, irritability, aches and pains. Because many rely on aggressive laxatives, these diets can also get pretty messy. Frequent bathroom visits can lead to irritation and breakdown of skin on your bottom, as well as dehydration.

While believers claim they feel lighter and more energetic, studies on starvation show the longer you fast, the more lethargic and less focused you become. Because most of these diets contain very little protein, it can be difficult for the body to rebuild lost muscle tissue.

Although people can quickly drop pounds on these diets, the majority of people regain all the weight they lose on any diet, especially the highly restrictive varieties, according to recent research published in American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association. While people can lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight in the first few months of a diet, up to two-thirds of people regain even more weight than they lost within four or five years, the researchers found.

Cutting back on high-fat foods, eating in moderation and consuming more vegetables and fruits may not seem as glamorous as starving yourself like a celebrity for days, but it’s healthier for you in the long run and certainly sexier than rushing to the bathroom all day.

Susan Moores, R.D., is a nutrition consultant and spokesperson for The American Dietetic Association.

Video: Do detox diets really work?

Interactive: The Skinny on popular detox diet regimens

==================

So… I must admit that while reading Jay Robbs’ 3 Day Fruit Detox & 14 day Fruit Diet, I was thinking to myself…

“WOW, I can really meet my goal of 160 pounds in 14 days!!”

I thought & contemplated on that for about 5 seconds & then came back to reality. Sure, I could of lost 14-20 lbs in 14 days, but at what cost?

My energy? No.

My health? No.

My muscles? HECK NO!

Putting these quick fix notions aside, I still gave in to my curiosity in believing that I really needed to “detox” my body to get rid of all the “junk” that I had inside & did the 3 Day Fruit Flush Detox . My experience was actually better than I expected. I WAS scared that I would lose too much weight, but glad that I didn’t.

Most people would view a 2.5 pounds weight-loss & couple of inches lost as a success, however, I just viewed it as an experiment.

I gained 5 lbs of scale weight the very next day when I started eating more than just fruit. I also felt HORRIBLE for 2 days after the detox. Bloating, water retention, headaches, & lethargy. What the…

I was suppose to be feeling BETTER not worse!

This was also my fault because I did not slowly ease back into my daily eating patterns & jumped right out the next day and had a high calorie day (to prevent myself from going deeper into starvation mode & making my muscles catabolic). I self diagnosed myself as having a possible wheat/gluten sensitivity so I cut this out for a couple of days & have thankfully felt better.

Anyhow, this was just my personal experience. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not bashing Jay Robb or his fruit detox, I actually learned many practical things about fruit that I will start implementing in my daily life & nutrition, but I feel that there needs to be a balance in everything. I just need to continue to make healthy BALANCED food choices, drinking lots and lots of water & supplementing my body with a daily multivitamin.

The fruit flush detox diet DID NOT do anything postive for me besides learning more about fruit & getting my daily recommended allowances of fruits in for 2 days & letting me find out about my wheat intolerance (THANK YOU Kassandra for pointing this out)

So… I’m taking the good & getting rid of the bad of this experience. I don’t veiw this as a set back either. Just another new learning experience for me. Detox diets DO NOT work- atleast for me anyway! :D

My official weekly weigh-in & measurement was this past saturday - and i’m happy to say that despite my “weight loss & weight gain” during the 3 day detox & 2 days after, I ultimatley still went down in weight (.5 lbs), lost inches (2.25 inches), body fat (under 30%!!!), & I gained 1 lb of muscle!

Clap

~ Vilma

P.S.

Please remember that this was just my experience & I didn’t start feeling lethargic & sick until after I came off of it. This was my fault though.

I just know that I don’t want to feel like that again, and although i’m not blaming the detox program at all, I just think I can can get the same results of feeling good by having balanced & clean eating habits with no junk food or anything processed & still incorporate many of the fruit principles found in his book.

Like Kassandra on the WAHM.com fitness boards said…

“… all I know is that for every expert that says something doesn’t work, there’s another who says it does.”

I’ve come to the realization that Detox plans just don’t work for me.

I’m on a muscle buiding, fat loss journey & unbalanced low calorie plans don’t coincide with my goals.

I will continue to apply alot of what I learned in Jay Robb’s books, and of course, try and stay away from the wheat!!!

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Motivational Quotes

May 25, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Motivation 2 Comments →

Here are a collection of motivation quotes that have helped me in many areas of my life.  I hope they help you too!

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Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made.”

~ Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

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Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Happiness is not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have”

~ Unknown

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Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present. ”

~ Oogway ( the wise turtle from Kung Fu Panda)

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Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

~ Maria Robinson

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Be kinder than necessary, For everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…….And the rest will fall into place.”

~ Charles Swindoll

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When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.”

~Helen Keller

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If your mind can conceive it, your body can acheive it!”

~Unknown

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Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

~Unknown

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There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There’s no such thing as life in-between.

~Pat Riley, basketball coach

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If you focus on results, you”ll never change. If you focus on change, you”ll get results.

~Anonymous

==========

W.I.N.G.S
I Believe that all success begins with spreading
your W.I.N.G.S
–Believing in your WORTH
–Trusting your INSIGHT
–NURTURING yourself
–Having a GOAL
–Devising a personal STRATEGY
And then, even impossible dreams become real.

-Sue Augustine

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No one makes you do anything. YOU are the new sheriff in town. YOU are in charge.
So start acting like it.
And have fun along the way.
You have everything to gain with this process.
You start every workout with a clean slate, every meal with a clean plate.
You make the choices.
There are no victims.

~Trainer to the stars, Gunnar Peterson (from his book, The Workout)

==========

The future comes one day at a time.

~ Dean Acheson

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Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

~Michael Jordan

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Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

~Anonymous

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Just the confidence that comes with chasing a dream and having it come through will make you feel you can do anything.

~Hockey goalie, Sarah Tueting

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You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone.

~Percy Cerutty

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Continuous effort, not superior strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our true potential.

~Winston Churchill

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“Discipline is the whole key to being successful. We all get 24 hours a day. It’s the only fair thing, the only thing that’s equal. It’s up to us as to what we do with those 24 hours.”

~ Sam Huff

==========

“Understand that when keeping your commitment (to yourself) becomes hard, you have two choices: You can change your behavior to match your commitment, or you can lower you values to match your behavior. One choice will strengthen your (self) integrity; the other will deminish it and erode your confidence in your ability to make and keep commitments in the future.”

~ Stephen Covey

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“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

~ Booker T. Washington

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Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

~ Frank Outlaw

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“Forget the past. No one becomes successful in the past.” 

~ Josh Billings

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“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could…” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“Your knowledge is only as valuable as your results.”

==========

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

-Aristotle

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“Nothing worth gaining was ever gained without effort.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

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The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.

- Maureen Dowd

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Failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial.

- H. Ross Perot

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The whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.

- George Sheehan

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“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now. ”

- Zig Ziglar

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“It’s not supposed to be easy. Disciplined people succeed; undisciplined people don’t…Nothing changes by doing what’s fun and EASY.”

- Tom Venuto

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What God has intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.”

-Oprah Winfrey

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Goals that are not written down are just wishes.”

- Anonymous

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The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.

~ Vince Lombardi

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Determine your *IDEAL* weight

May 16, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Burn Fat-Feed Muscle No Comments →

This is an except from the ebook “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle” by Tom Ventuto:

A simple test to determine your true ideal weight.

Now that you understand the importance of body fat versus body weight and you understand that height and weigh charts are worthless, how do you figure out your ideal weight? Well, first of all, it doesn’t matter what you weigh! If you are solid muscle without an ounce of visible fat on your body, do you honestly care how much you weigh?

That said, it’s still wise to have a weight goal in pounds as well as a body fat percentage goal. You can only determine a “true” ideal weight if you know your current body fat and the body fat level you want to reach.

The ideal weight formula:

To find your ideal bodyweight, you need to know your desired body fat percentage your current weight, body fat percentage, and lean mass. Then, to calculate your ideal weight, you simply divide your current lean mass by your percentage of lean mass at your target body fat percentage. The formula is:

Current Lean Mass = (1 - Desired Body Fat %)

Example:

You are male

Your weight: 194

Your body fat: 18%

Your fat weight: 34.9 lbs. (18% of 184 lbs)

Your lean mass: 159.1 lbs. (total weight - lbs. of fat)

Your target body fat percentage: 12% (.12)

Determine your percentage of lean mass at your target body fat by subtracting your

desired body fat from 1: (1 -.12 = .88)

Divide your current lean mass by your percentage of lean mass at your target body fat

percentage to yield your ideal weight: (159.1/.88 = 181)

Thus, your ideal weight at 12% body fat is 181 lbs.

**************************************************

My weight: 193
My body fat: 32.3%
My fat weight: 62.33 lbs. (33% of 175 lbs
My lean mass: 130.67 lbs. (total weight - lbs. of fat
My target body fat percentage: 15% (.15)

Determine your percentage of lean mass at your target body fat by subtracting your desired body fat from 1: (1 -.15 = .85)

Divide your current lean mass by your percentage of lean mass at your target body fat percentage to yield your ideal weight: (130.67/.85 = 153.7)

Thus, your ideal weight at 15% body fat is 153 lbs. :-)

To your health!

~ Vilma

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Weight fluctuations throughout the day

May 16, 2007 By: Vilma Perez Category: **FEATURED Posts**, Health 5 Comments →

This is mostly in response to the thread(s) started on the WAHM.com fitness boards:

http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=342694

http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=345052

I’ve found some interesting articles on the topic of weight fluctuations throughout the day.  I know it happens to me… I’ll be 3-5 pounds heavier during the night time hours & when I wake up the next morning i’m back down 5 pounds less.  So…. why does this happen?

Scales don’t always give you the whole story about your body or your weight loss progress. For that reason, scales (when used alone) are not a good method of tracking weight loss. The problem with body weight scales is that they measure everything–fat, muscle, bones, organs and even that sip of water you just had. The scale can’t tell you what you’ve lost or gained, which is important information if you’re trying to lose weight…and by weight, what we really mean is fat.

Here are just a few things that can increase your weight, causing it to fluctuate as much as 10 lbs in one day:

Water. Because the body is about 60% water, fluctuations in your hydration levels can change the number on a scale. If you’re dehydrated or have eaten too much salt, your body may actually retain water, which can cause scale weight to creep up. Similarly, many women retain water during menstrual cycles, which is another thing that can make that number change.

Food. Weighing yourself after a meal isn’t the best idea simply because food adds weight. When you eat it, your body will add that weight as well. It doesn’t mean you’ve gained weight, it simply means that you’ve added something to your body (something that will be eliminated through digestion over the next several hours).

Muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and it takes up less space, so adding muscle could increase your scale weight, even though you’re slimming down.

That doesn’t mean the scale is useless. In fact, it’s a good tool when you combine it with your body fat percentage. Knowing both of these numbers will tell you whether you’re losing the right kind of weight…fat. Simply multiply your weight by your body fat percentage. For example, ME Tongue, who weighs 193 lbs with a current 32.3% body fat has 31 lbs of fat and 118 lbs of lean tissue (193 x .323 = 62.33 lbs of fat, 150 - 62.33 = 130.67 lean tissue/muscle).

Keeping track of these numbers on a weekly or monthly basis (not daily) will help you see what you’re losing and/or what you’re gaining.

Here are some articles that explain it in greater detail:

Many factors can cause daily weight swings - no matter what you eat

Weight fluctuations: are you losing body fat or water?

Why the scale lies…

Inches, the TRUE measure of how our bodies are changing

To your health,

~ Vilma

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