Rising weight gain over 4 days?

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Hi everyone- first- I'm not freaking out over the scale, I'm just surprised by what I'm seeing, and trying to understand it.

On the 18th, my weight hit a new low, 134.6; I usually have stops and stalls where I will lose between .4-1.2 pounds in ine day, and then smaller amounts daily for the next few days. Then around TOM I will gain 1-2 pounds, which are all lost plus more after TOM. This has been the cycle for the last 3 months.

Right now, I'm no where near my TOM, but every day since the 18th, I have gained a little weight. I'm now at 136.4. Bathroom habits and time of day of weighing are the same. Amount of water the same. Level of activity the same. Macro averages for 7 day period the same. Calories over 7 day period, the same.

Some of you will be eager to tell me I need to weigh my foods. Skip it. I'm not, and I won't, unless I see weight gain or stall last over 4 weeks. I've lost all of my weight so far measuring, not weighing and it's working for me. Yes, I know it's not accurate. But I also know that the number you are using for your BMR is not accurate either, so trying to be precise isn't really possible.

Would love to know if anyone else has experienced this. I was, only 4 pounds away from my weit goal of 130. To back track to 136.4 is frustrating- I was so close to reaching my goal!

Thanks for any observations.

Replies

  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
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    It's just normal fluctuations. If it goes on for a couple of weeks then it may be real weight. I find it weird that you accept that all the measurements we use are basically estimates but you have trouble excepting slight variations in weight which in reality is also not absolute as it will differ due to time of day, atmospheric pressure, food and just plain hormones. Relax and weigh less often because at what time of day will you think you've reached your goal? Because one day you may weigh 130pounds but in all likelihood if you weighed an hour later or the following day you wouldn't. You're better off just have a goal region of a few pounds than some absolute number
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    I do have a goal region 125-130; I understand and accept weight fluctuations, my concern is because this isn't 'normal' for my pattern. I have never gained weight every day for several days straight when it was not during TOM.

    Not sure I understand your question about what time of day I will have reached my goal? Has nothing to do with time of day unless I'm not understanding you?

    Telling me to weigh less often is really not helpful. I weigh daily- I like to see where my body is at. I am relaxed- because I knew that's one of the 'easy' answers in lazy responses, i made sure to say up front I'm not freqking out about the number, I'm just trying to figure out what's up, because this is outside of the pattern I've been in.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
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    Sometimes patterns can change. I wouldn't fret over a couple of pounds that probably isn't a fat gain anyhow.
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    anyone else have any experiences or ideas?
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Not sure what you are looking for, Ellaskat - however, my experience and idea is that weight is not a linear thing. If you continue to gain weight then look at your calorie intake. If you don't want to weigh/measure, that's up to you - but it's a simple way of checking your data.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I gained about a half a pound a day recently for several days. I was up ultimately about two pounds. That's not a lot, but seeing the number go up every day, even a little, was scary (somewhat) to me even knowing the body fluctuates, because to me fluctuation means up and down, and there was no down, LOL.

    After that it went down, down, down each day in small increments just as it had previously gone up, up, up and I ultimately was a pound down than before the "ups" started.

    I'm assuming it was water, since water is the one thing that seems to be able to come on fast and leave fast. (That and just the physical weight of the food if you've binged.)

    If you know you're being accurate, then I'd say just ride it out and don't worry or do anything drastic just yet. Of course, if you do continue to go up and it's getting out of hand, then at that point you can probably know something is incorrect about your measuring of your food, your assessment of your expenditure, or both. Or as a third option, that you are simply calculating what you need for a deficit incorrectly and are eating at maintenance or a little bit above it.

    It's helpful to know your "water weight signs," if you have any. Most people will say they feel and see water weight in the belly, but the first place I notice it, weirdly, is in my wrists, hands and fingers.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Ellaskat wrote: »

    Telling me to weigh less often is really not helpful. I weigh daily- I like to see where my body is at.

    I think those of us who weigh daily just have to understand that we will tend to see frequent fluctuations that sometimes can't be explained. Bodies are weird.
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I gained about a half a pound a day recently for several days. I was up ultimately about two pounds. That's not a lot, but seeing the number go up every day, even a little, was scary (somewhat) to me even knowing the body fluctuates, because me fluctuation means up and down, and there was no down, LOL.

    After that it went down, down, down each day in small increments just as it had previously gone up, up, up and I ultimately was a pound down than before the "ups" started.

    I'm assuming it was water, since water is the one thing that seems to be able to come on fast and leave fast. (That and just the physical weight of the food if you've binged.)

    If you know you're being accurate, then I'd say just ride it out and don't worry or do anything drastic just yet. Of course, if you do continue to go up and it's getting out of hand, then at that point you can probably know something is incorrect about your measuring of your food, your assessment of your expenditure, or both. Or as a third option, that you are simply calculating what you need for a deficit incorrectly and are eating at maintenance or a little bit above it.

    It's helpful to know your "water weight signs," if you have any. Most people will say they feel and see water weight in the belly, but the first place I notice it, weirdly, is in my wrists, hands and fingers.

  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    This was helpful. Never thought about water weight signs other than just feeling bloated and kind of gross. I don't feel that way, but do feel like my belly looks bigger and fingers and wrists too.... Hmmm I've tried to be aware of my sodium, but maybe I added more salt when cooking than I thought...
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    Ellaskat wrote: »
    This was helpful. Never thought about water weight signs other than just feeling bloated and kind of gross. I don't feel that way, but do feel like my belly looks bigger and fingers and wrists too.... Hmmm I've tried to be aware of my sodium, but maybe I added more salt when cooking than I thought...

    Right, you may have, or your body could just be keeping a bit more water around for other reasons. Sometimes we can relate water gain to something specific but other times it's just a mystery, LOL. (At least for me.)

    Hang in there. And by the way, I too weigh daily. As someone above said, just expect fluctuations if you do that.

  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    Ugh. Up another .4 pounds a day. This is just getting weird, and increasingly frustrating. I'll stay the course... Hopefully this works it's way out soon.