For Weight Loss Braniacs

mgibbons22

Here's the question: I weigh myself every morning, fully hydrated, for five straight days, while eating exactly at maintenance. My weight remains exactly the same. On that fifth day, I eat 2000 calories over maintenance. On the sixth morning, fully hydrated, I still weigh the same.

Am I out of danger from gaining weight from the extra 2000 calories, or will they sneak up on me in the next few days? Yeah, yeah, I know weight loss/gain is not linear. And I know it's all about calories in/calories out.

Tilran

I'm not sure if this is a real world example, or if this is just hypothetical. The reason it is really difficult to answer this, is that calorie counting is not a science, it is an estimation that if done as best as possible, will yield reliable results. When trying to figure out a question like this, it isn't linear. The weight of your food in your belly may fluctuate depending on how big of a bowel movement you've had and therefore throw your weight off and food from a day prior may have not been moved to fat storage yet. Again, it isn't something you can track on a day to day basis unless you are in a controlled lab experiment. It is much easier to look at it based on week to week, month to month.

mgibbons22

It is real world. Today is the sixth day....

Liftng4Lis

Tilran wrote: »

I'm not sure if this is a real world example, or if this is just hypothetical. The reason it is really difficult to answer this, is that calorie counting is not a science, it is an estimation that if done as best as possible, will yield reliable results. When trying to figure out a question like this, it isn't linear. The weight of your food in your belly may fluctuate depending on how big of a bowel movement you've had and therefore throw your weight off and food from a day prior may have not been moved to fat storage yet. Again, it isn't something you can track on a day to day basis unless you are in a controlled lab experiment. It is much easier to look at it based on week to week, month to month.

^ well put
Plus there's water retention to contend with.

mgibbons22

i was fully hydrated at the time of all weigh-ins, and we're dealing with a non-gain, not a gain of weight. So I don't think it regards water retention. Not trying to be a smart alec, but this is a real world occurrence and I find it kind of interesting.

RodaRose

A one time shot of 2000 would not change much of the overall picture.

mustgetmuscles1

Eating "exactly" at maintenance and weighing "exactly" the same everyday is not possible. If you did this same scenario for a few weeks you would see an increase in weight. Normal weight fluctuations would mask the very small gain in mass even if it was possible to know "exact" maintenance and calories intake.

Liftng4Lis

mgibbons22 wrote: »

i was fully hydrated at the time of all weigh-ins, and we're dealing with a non-gain, not a gain of weight. So I don't think it regards water retention. Not trying to be a smart alec, but this is a real world occurrence and I find it kind of interesting.

Okay you can be well hydrated and still have normal weight fluctuations and water retention. You have no idea how your body is holding on to waste at any given time.

GaleHawkins

mgibbons22 wrote: »

Here's the question: I weigh myself every morning, fully hydrated, for five straight days, while eating exactly at maintenance. My weight remains exactly the same. On that fifth day, I eat 2000 calories over maintenance. On the sixth morning, fully hydrated, I still weigh the same.

Am I out of danger from gaining weight from the extra 2000 calories, or will they sneak up on me in the next few days? Yeah, yeah, I know weight loss/gain is not linear. And I know it's all about calories in/calories out.

I have seen the same thing but over time the weight number would climb.

There some that think a healthy body will self regulate ones weight. I guess I do not have a healthy body.

LeonCX

ONE day makes little difference if you go off - and that applies to losing or maintenance. I guarantee you if you went over 2000 every day for a whole week, your scale would show it though.

cwolfman13

Weight loss or gain doesn't happen immediately following an "event". The human body is very good and and capable of balancing out energy...the body's natural tendency is maintenance...you have to consistently over-eat to gain fat and you have to consistently under-eat (diet) to lose fat. The only difference you would see in RE to a singular day is going to be water and waste fluctuations.

If you were to do this consistently over the coming days and weeks though, you would gain weight...but not one day...one day is pretty insignificant in the big picture.

Cherimoose

mgibbons22 wrote: »

Am I out of danger from gaining weight from the extra 2000 calories, or will they sneak up on me in the next few days?

You gained a little over a half pound of body fat (a lb. is 3500 calories). If your scale weight is the same, it means you lost some non-fat weight (lean body mass). Or your scale is broken.

yoovie

New scale battery.

(not entirely serious) not trying to be gross, but do you weigh before or after first restroom break?

jgnatca

I always give my weight as "give or take five pounds" because there is no saying what my body is doing one day to the next. Having a little extra salt in the diet will increase your water weight. As a woman, I also have a "monthly" fluctuation. So I'll be doing everything "right" for two weeks with no apparent weight loss and then POOM, lose five pounds.

I also don't bother with daily weight measurements because of these fluctuations. Once a week max, and call it an average.

mgibbons22

OP here. One day after the binge, I ate at maintenance and weighed exactly the same. I guess the lesson is, you can't make predictions over the short term -- too many variables out of your control and knowledge.