Hi Allie,
Dont get phased by the scale - it is just that you are not used to it.
We all see day to day fluctuations. Dont let them panic you into over-indulging because that is when the real damage gets done. Learn how they go.
I suggested that you monitor your sodium because if we have too much sodium it makes us retain water and that means that the scale goes up. You want to keep your sodium intake at less than 2500mg if possible - in fact the current American Heart Association recommendation is for it to be less than 2300mg a day. You would be surprised how quickly it adds up - without ever sprinkling any on your food or when cooking.
Chinese food can often contain quite a lot of sodium as can various marinades. Processed food is often high.
I am very sodium sensitive - so I had to stop eating cheese and bread. Many things are high in sodium.
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/club-challenges/19105-bls-challenge-week-6-bonus.html
Sodium
Low-Sodium Guidelines for Heart Failure
Drinking water helps reduce the retained water too - 1 fluid ounce for every 2 pounds of your weight. At my current weight that means me drinking 2.5 litres of water a day. The bigger you are the more water you are supposed to be drinking.
Most women find that they retain water around the time of a period. It literally removes half my month from weightloss. I start retaining water about a week before my period starts and keep on being heavier until about a week after my period when I finally return to my pre-TOM low.
For example - my weight over the past week goes as follows:
Saturday... 03/05/2008 10st5.6
Sunday..... 04/05/2008 10st5.2
Monday..... 05/05/2008 10st5.0
Tuesday.... 06/05/2008 10st4.8
Wednesday 07/05/2008 10st6.2
Thursday... 08/05/2008 10st6.6
Friday....... 09/05/2008 10st8.0
Saturday... 10/05/2008 10st7.6
You can see that I have gone into this water retention phase. I still get day to day fluctuations - but sitting at a higher level.
I know that nothing that I have done has caused this gain - simply it is the way that things are. No-one's weight is stable and we have to get used to the idea that even when we are at goal we shall actually be seeing our weight fluctuating by several pounds as the days go by. That is something that people on the forum that have recently got to goal (e.g. Allyphoe, Wulsk) find that they have to learn to accept as they see themselves gain slightly.
Even though my weight is up I can still be burning fat if I am good so I keep on being good with my food and doing my walking - even though my weight is at the higher level. The scales do not reflect it until the water drops away but it means that my weightloss is ok for my stage in the project over the month as a whole. I was in a challenge that lasted 8 weeks that ended last weekend. I lost 12 pounds over that 8 week period. That is pretty much spot on 1% of bodyweight per week which is pretty good going (surprisingly so) this deep into a long term project.
On top of that there is a weight associated with food and drink - so if you havent been going to the toilet enough you will see the scales go upwards. Some food passes more sluggishly through the system.
Stay focused. The scale does catch up eventually.
Take care
Love
Margaret