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Stop hating the scale and beating yourself up! Stave off potentially permanent weight gain with these expert tips from Shape Magazine!

Although you know a number is just a number, it's hard not to worry when you see the scale jump a pound or two overnight or‚ worse, during the same day. But take a deep breath: most weight fluctuations are normal.

Since most of us can't eat enough in a day or two to actually gain five or 10 pounds, if you notice a dramatic increase on the scale, chances are it's due to water, says Anita Petruzzelli, MD, doctor for BodyLogicMD.

"Eating, drinking, urinating, having a bowel movement, and exercise can all impact your body's water composition and therefore weight," she says. For example, high-carb and high-salt foods can cause water retention and a boost in poundage, while exercise can lead to temporary water and weight loss.

So don't get too excited‚ or freaked‚ if you weigh yourself after a meal or workout. "Weight gain due to water fluctuation should normalize in a day or two when you resume exercising and eating a healthy diet that's low in salt, refined carbs, and simple sugars," Petruzzelli says.

However, if those extra pounds keep showing up on the scale after you've returned to your regular routine for about a week, it may be time to make some adjustments to your lifestyle. Five is the magic number, according to Joseph Colella, MD, a bariatric surgeon at Magee Women's Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Most people can recover five pounds rather quickly with minor tweaks to their calorie intake and physical activity.

And if the scale shows a seven-pound jump for longer than a day or two, more aggressive measures may be called for, such as eliminating alcohol. "Alcohol stimulates your appetite and wrecks your self-control regarding the amount of food that you consume," Colella explains.

Learn the best way to weigh yourself after the break!

Talk about great timing. Birds meet buildings in a whole different way in this photo that Instagram user lfsphotos submitted with the tag #coolcapture.

Have you been testing out your photography skills and snapped a shot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram with the #coolcapture hashtag, and your pic might be featured on the POPSUGAR Tech homepage. And don't forget to follow @popsugartech on Instagram!

Community member euphoriasroom styled her leather skirt perfectly, thanks to a Summer staple: the lace top. Her cute cream top complements her skirt's orange hue, while keeping her outfit's overall feeling light and seasonal. Knowing that these late Spring days are filled with fickle weather, a cream sweater around her shoulders provided extra warmth (just in case). Her beige flats and neutral-toned necklaces finished off the lace and leather look with subtle polish.

Congrats, euphoriasroom!

Everyone else, submit your looks, and we just might feature you on POPSUGAR Fashion!

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our community. Add your advice in the comments!

Hello. So a little background on us: we are both 27, have been dating for a little over two years, and have been friends for nine. We have a great relationship, and I really think he is the one. 

The problem? He does not want to get engaged. Anytime soon. Unlike him, I want to start moving forward with my life. I don't want to get engaged, get married a month later, and start to have kids a month after that. I want a nice long engagement, a few years of married life, and then to start thinking about kids.

I tried to explain to him that women have a clock, and he doesn't seem to understand. I don't want to be having babies when I'm almost 40. He said he's "just not ready" to get engaged. I understand — I am not ready right this moment either, but I think that we should put some type of time frame on the table. He said he will not do that. That it needs to happen "organically" whatever the f*ck that means. He said also that some of his friends didn't get married until they were 30ish, so he's "doing OK." I really don't care what anyone else is doing, to be completely honest, especially 'cause I don't really consider those friends any type of role models for anything. 

I am very upset. He told me the usual things — he loved me, he wants to be with me, he thinks I'll be an excellent wife and mother, blah, blah, blah, but won't give me any type of time frame for anything. It's driving me crazy. I am totally invested in this relationship, but I need to know that it's going to happen. He won't even look at engagement rings and freaks out if I even mention anything. I asked what his mother said, and she said he should "take his time." To be honest, I don't believe that for five minutes because I know she's ready to be a grandma when we are ready. 

Anyways, I was thinking of distancing myself from him. I don't know if this will get him to see what he is missing or what, but I am getting anxious and don't want to keep waiting around. If he likes it, he should put a ring on it, right? Two years seems like enough time — we are not teenagers. I think that he takes me and our relationship for granted sometimes. Not like he cheats on me or anything, but just that he doesn't have to make that commitment to me, and I will still be around. I think this is very selfish of him to not respect me and talk about the future and such, so I am thinking that I may just take some time for myself to be selfish and do whatever I want and not worry about what he's doing. I'm not asking for a magical spell that I can cast on him to propose — I'm just asking for some advice on what to do so that I can keep my sanity in this relationship, or if I should just end it, move on, and find someone that wants the same thing as me. Thanks. 

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously in Group Therapy for advice.

If you elevate them with Asian pantry staples, sloppy joes can be classy too. Just ask dmash.

It turns out that when you mix together green onions, a little soy sauce, ginger, tomato paste, brown sugar, and ground beef, you’re in for the tastiest Asian-inspired sandwich ever.

For more — and the recipe — visit her blog and then be sure to share your food photos via Savory Sights on POPSUGAR Social or by starting your own blog. If you're on Instagram, then chime in on the conversation with the hashtag #savorysight.

Negotiating is tough, especially when you're inexperienced. It seems like most of us are afraid to try simply because we don't know the ins and outs. Lucky for us, our partner site DailyWorth has some tricks that could help you land an excellent deal!

My husband was on the phone with a nursing home he and his siblings had chosen for their parents, when I heard him ask, “Can you do anything for me on the price?”

My jaw dropped. My husband — who’s a nice guy, by the way — has a mantra: everything’s negotiable. But really, a nursing home? I was shocked that he took on a big company like that — but I can’t quibble with the five percent discount he got on the room rate.

Many women (like me) recoil from negotiating, whether it’s big-ticket items [i.e., $200 and up, from necklaces and cameras to couches (and nursing-home rooms)] or their own salaries. You’re either afraid of looking like a tightwad or haggling seems too mysteriously hard to do. Right?

Read on for more.

Have you been throwing around pillows lately? Styling out bookcases? Generally decorating like it's your job? Well, sharing is caring, so come on and show us what you're working with!

Show us all the home-design mischief you've been up to via Instagram by tagging your images #casasnap. If we see a photo we like, we'll feature it on POPSUGAR Home! Pretty sweet, right? What are you waiting for? Start #casasnap-ping right now!

We're happy to present this post from our partner site Yahoo! Shine:

According to an American Express survey of 1,518 people, guests will spend an average of $539 per wedding this year — and that's just to attend the event, not to be a member of the wedding party. The wallet-busting figure is up $200 from 2012, when guests reported shelling out an average of $329 on clothes, hotel rooms, and gifts.

The real cost is probably even higher given the estimates for some of the costs. The credit card company says that guests will budget just $57 for new clothes, $27 for a babysitter or pet sitter, and $95 for a hotel room—all of which seems astoundingly low, even for a local event. Members of the bridal party can count on spending a little bit more, thanks to slightly higher clothing costs: about $577 per wedding, according to American Express.

Attending a wedding soon? Learn a few money-saving tips after the jump.