Weight gain normal?

cgendebien5

Good morning MFP'ers!

I was wondering if you fall off track or just have a cheat meal do you put a lot of weight back on? For me If I eat a cheat meal I put on 1.5 pounds on average and I am almost 100% positive it's not water weight. I also just fell off track for 3 days and I put on 7 pounds! To me this seems like an insane amount of weight. I work so hard all week to lose about 2-3 pounds (average) and then if I slip up once it completes cancels it all out. Does this seem to be similar to yourself? Please help?! I'm 22 5'7 and currently weigh in at 201.

maasha81

If I eat Chinese food, I can gain up to 3lbs due to all that sodium bloat, that time of the month I gain up to 5 lbs. Weight loss is not linear. How much are you exceeding your daily intake with those cheat meals?

snowflakesav

The fluctuations are likely glycogen stores not fat. I assume you are eating low carb when you aren't having a cheat day and likely don't average a calorie deficit when cheat day calories are added in. In addition your monthly cycle may be making your progress and work hard to track.

You may want to carefully consider the value of a cheat day for you and allow yourself to fit in foods you like everyday.

redfiona99

That strikes me as a bit much. I had a cheat two months and only put on 5 pounds. Did one of the meals have a lot of salt?

Commander_Keen

Body fluctuate all the time. Keep calm, and continue with your journey.

JMC3Terp

It depends. When you diet (depending on your diet) you do lose a fair amount of water weight. So when you cheat or have several cheat days, you gain some of that back. Also when you eat less, there is less waste in your body and less in your stomach. So when you eat more, you gain that "waste" weight. 3 to 4 lbs would sound about right for me. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

jennifer_417

I have the kind of fluctuations when I go over, too.It feels pretty unfair, and it usually takes a crazy long time just to get back to where I was. But it's all part of the game, I guess. *shrug*

cgendebien5

I didn't log it I fell way off track but on of my cheat meals I had ribs and Mac n cheese and some reisling.

bpetrosky

Unless you actually ate 24,500 calories over your maintenance, you did not gain that much body mass in 3 days.

When you are at a deficit for several days, especially with low carb diets, you lose a lot of water weight. A day or two with higher carbs and sodium and you'll show a bump up due to water weight coming back on.

Remember 1 pint of water ~ 1 pound, so you don't have to lose or gain much to show a difference on the scale.

BTW: almost every fad diet relies on that water weight effect for their marketing because it is so easy to manipulate.