My weight went up that much in 24 hours???????

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tlwshaw
tlwshaw Posts: 32 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Well, I had a freak out moment this morning. I have finally decided that I am ready for maintenance. I had originally set my goal weight at 125 (I am 5'5" female, medium build). Anyway, I have been hovering around 130, and like the way I look and how my clothes fit (down to size 4), so I decided that for now at least, my weight range will be 130 - 135 which is what my doctor told me it should be a couple of months ago. I am slowly increasing my calorie intake, as I couldn't eat that many more calories which I tried to do to begin with. According to MFP, my maintenance calories should be 1500 before eating my exercise calories back. I have been doing well, with no real fluctuation on the scales. This morning, I got on the scale, and my weight went from 130.4 yesterday to 133.4 this morning. I couldn't believe it. But after the initial shock, my rational mind did kick in and reminded me that this would not be a real weight increase. Water, salt intake, etc. would account for it. But what a shock at 5:30am, when I am not yet fully awake.

Ok, now that I have seen this in writing, I feel better and can go on with my day.
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Replies

  • looney9708
    looney9708 Posts: 174 Member
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    I have had the same thing. It's a horrible shock to the half awake brain! It's just water weight but why! Hang in there and drink extra water and move today. It will come off in the next couple days
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    I always can tell when my TOM is coming when the scale jumps 3-4 lbs for no reason pretty much overnight. I just skip weighing in that week :P
  • tlwshaw
    tlwshaw Posts: 32 Member
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    Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) TOM is not an issue for me.
  • rtp_slg52181
    rtp_slg52181 Posts: 73 Member
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    Your true weight will be close to ~5 lbs more than your end low weight. This is all the water and glycogen weight your healthy fueled body naturally keeps around.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
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    tlwshaw wrote: »
    Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) TOM is not an issue for me.

    I don't get a period anymore, but I still have some TOM issues.
  • prettyleelee
    prettyleelee Posts: 236 Member
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    Yeah I jump around like that like crazy. I found a great website that helps me with the fluctuations more so I know what my actual weight is. If I hadn't found it I would have gone nuts by now.
  • tlwshaw
    tlwshaw Posts: 32 Member
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    prettyleelee wrote: »
    Yeah I jump around like that like crazy. I found a great website that helps me with the fluctuations more so I know what my actual weight is. If I hadn't found it I would have gone nuts by now.

    Can you post the link? Thanks!
  • radiosilents
    radiosilents Posts: 223 Member
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    Yep. I have gained six pounds since Monday for no good reason, three pounds at a time. It happens. Just keep doing what you're doing. I plan to! I am certainly frustrated, but I know that this kind of thing happens, so... *shrug* :)
  • ggeise14
    ggeise14 Posts: 386 Member
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    Congratulations on reaching maintenance! I am hopeful that is where I can be in a couple of months.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I can easily 'gain' 5lbs during the day compared to the weight the scale showed that morning, even leaving TOM out of the picture.
    I've just eaten a whole small Domino's pizza, wedges, 2 pieces of spicy chicken and garlic dip, so I reckon today it might even be 6.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    tlwshaw wrote: »
    prettyleelee wrote: »
    Yeah I jump around like that like crazy. I found a great website that helps me with the fluctuations more so I know what my actual weight is. If I hadn't found it I would have gone nuts by now.

    Can you post the link? Thanks!

    Trendweight.com is a great one. There is also an app called Happy Scale. I prefer Trend Weight over happy scale.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    Your true weight will be close to ~5 lbs more than your end low weight. This is all the water and glycogen weight your healthy fueled body naturally keeps around.

    And to OP, the good news for this effect described is your LBM goes up and your metabolism goes up dealing with extra stored water - so both plusses.

    And it is spread out through all your muscles that you use, so measurements show nothing.

    Now - if the extra food you ate caused more sodium intake also - not the same benefits, but still not going to be visible except on the scale.

    So just don't invite people over to watch you weigh naked in the morning! ;-)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    yeah, your weight isn't a static number...i bounce around between 178-182 any given day with my average being about 180 which is what i consider to be my weight. i can easily be at 178 one morning and 182 the next.
  • Uncle_Eddie
    Uncle_Eddie Posts: 19 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    yeah, your weight isn't a static number...i bounce around between 178-182 any given day with my average being about 180 which is what i consider to be my weight. i can easily be at 178 one morning and 182 the next.

    ^^^ditto^^^

  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
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    I don't know if this has been mentioned, but my understanding is that if you have been restricting your carbohydrate intake, but then have a day where your carbohydrate intake balloons up higher than normal, then you are going to immediately experience a weight gain as your body restores its glycogen reserves. Glycogen is bound up with a lot of water so your scale weight can increase dramatically following an increase in consumption of carbohydrates above and beyond what you would normally eat.
  • BLifts38
    BLifts38 Posts: 248 Member
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    did you have a lot of salt the previous day? I find that my body puffs out when I eat a lot of salt...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,838 Member
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    I've tracked my weight daily for *years*, even when not losing. I've gained as much as 5 pounds in one day (and I'll guarantee I didn't eat 17,500 calories!). It's not at all unusual to gain 2-3 from one day to the next.

    I've been menopausal the whole time, so TOM isn't one of my reasons, but it can be (based on subjective experience) an unusually high level of carbs consumed (even without excess calories); extra salt; a new workout or other activity that causes the need for muscle repair; post-surgical issues; and probably some other things I'm not remembering.

    If whatever caused it doesn't recur, it usually drops off in a day or two (though the post-surgical thing took longer).

    I gather people often have a one-time gain when they go to maintenance after losing, and that that may not drop off - I can't verify from experience because I'm not at maintenance yet, just very close.
  • BikeTourer
    BikeTourer Posts: 191 Member
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    tlwshaw wrote: »
    Well, I had a freak out moment this morning. I have finally decided that I am ready for maintenance. I had originally set my goal weight at 125 (I am 5'5" female, medium build). Anyway, I have been hovering around 130, and like the way I look and how my clothes fit (down to size 4), so I decided that for now at least, my weight range will be 130 - 135 which is what my doctor told me it should be a couple of months ago. I am slowly increasing my calorie intake, as I couldn't eat that many more calories which I tried to do to begin with. According to MFP, my maintenance calories should be 1500 before eating my exercise calories back. I have been doing well, with no real fluctuation on the scales. This morning, I got on the scale, and my weight went from 130.4 yesterday to 133.4 this morning. I couldn't believe it. But after the initial shock, my rational mind did kick in and reminded me that this would not be a real weight increase. Water, salt intake, etc. would account for it. But what a shock at 5:30am, when I am not yet fully awake.

    Ok, now that I have seen this in writing, I feel better and can go on with my day.

    My first thought was lucky you, most of us have seen this many times before we hit maintenance. I really think it is less common not have this happen occasionally rather than have it happen.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    We have similar stats. I'm 5'4" and when I was maintaining I was 130 on a low day, 135 on a bad day, and 133 on an average day. You just have to get used to seeing those fluctuations.
  • Shouliveshappy
    Shouliveshappy Posts: 161 Member
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    I came out from a deficit, in 3 weeks i gained 5 - 8 lbs. and now i've been maintaing at the same weight for the past 2 weeks.

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