Gained over a pound but only ate an extra 85 calories

StaceySaysRelax
StaceySaysRelax Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Yesterday, I went over my calorie allotment by 85 calories. I didn't eat anything that was particularly high in sodium nor did I drink any alcohol. Yet, when I weighed myself this morning, I weighed 1.2 pounds more than yesterday. I weighed myself on the same scale and at the same time of day. What could have caused this type of gain?

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Water, poop.
  • HPLW0705
    HPLW0705 Posts: 102
    Your weight naturally fluctuates, that's why it's not recommended to weight yourself daily.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Your weight naturally fluctuates, that's why it's not recommended to weight yourself daily.

    Weighing once per week doesn't avoid fluctuations. Just reduces data points. More likely to provide a confusing picture of weight loss at 1/week than daily, especially if losing slowly. That said, if any gain triggers a freak out, weighing less frequently will reduce freak outs.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I weigh myself daily - it's a habit. Plus I find it fascinating to see how my weight fluctuates from day to day. I can go up and down 4-5 lbs in one week due to hormones, sodium, not enough water, a new workout, etc. Totally normal. I weigh daily, but I track the trend over time, as well as taking photos and measurements for a better gauge of progress.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    It's probably nothing. I dropped four pounds from the time I went to bed until the time I got up this morning. A couple of days ago, I put on two pounds after a heavy workout. Worry about the overall trend, not each specific weigh in.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Water, poop.

    yup.
    I weigh myself daily - it's a habit. Plus I find it fascinating to see how my weight fluctuates from day to day. I can go up and down 4-5 lbs in one week due to hormones, sodium, not enough water, a new workout, etc. Totally normal. I weight daily, but I track the trend over time, as well as taking photos and measurements for a better gauge of progress.
    more yup.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Your weight naturally fluctuates, that's why it's not recommended to weight yourself daily.

    Weighing once per week doesn't avoid fluctuations. Just reduces data points. More likely to provide a confusing picture of weight loss at 1/week than daily, especially if losing slowly. That said, if any gain triggers a freak out, weighing less frequently will reduce freak outs.

    Correct. I weigh myself every day, which has in turn made me aware of the huge fluctuations that happen constantly and therefore they don't bother me.
  • delaniecastillo
    delaniecastillo Posts: 284
    I weigh myself daily - it's a habit. Plus I find it fascinating to see how my weight fluctuates from day to day. I can go up and down 4-5 lbs in one week due to hormones, sodium, not enough water, a new workout, etc. Totally normal. I weigh daily, but I track the trend over time, as well as taking photos and measurements for a better gauge of progress.

    Exactly, plus following my diary I can find out who the culprit was on why the scale moved up (certain exercise, upped sodium) and be able to counteract it for the rest of the week.
  • mamacita721
    mamacita721 Posts: 194 Member
    Chill. Stop weighing yourself every day. Buy a tape measure.
  • legreene515
    legreene515 Posts: 276 Member
    I weigh myself once per week, at the same time. So I weighed myself on Tuesday this week at 5:30 AM. I'll weigh myself next Tuesday at 5:30 AM. Weight does fluctuate though DAILY. The other day I weighed myself in the AM and then again at night, and I had gained 5 lbs by the PM, but weighed myself the next morning and I had lost 7 lbs overnight. Water and poop as someone else said! LOL.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    weighing less frequently will reduce freak outs.
    Don't freak out. Accept that weight fluctuations are part of the process. If you put on 30lbs in a month then go ahead and freak out.

    A pound? Seriously? Why are we talking about this?
  • SRB8710
    SRB8710 Posts: 90
    Yeah, I weigh myself every morning too. But, I only record it once a week so it could easily be water weight. Don't worry!
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Your weight naturally fluctuates, that's why it's not recommended to weight yourself daily.

    Weighing once per week doesn't avoid fluctuations. Just reduces data points. More likely to provide a confusing picture of weight loss at 1/week than daily, especially if losing slowly. That said, if any gain triggers a freak out, weighing less frequently will reduce freak outs.

    Precisely. Unless weighing daily is a psychological problem for you, it's very informative. It teaches you that your weight is a range, and that the scale is inaccurate. For example, I sometimes weigh more in the morning than in the evening, without having eaten or drunk anything. Overnight, you sweat out some water, so you should, if anything, weigh less. The only way to explain what's going on is that the scale is off--either because of its inherent margin of error or because it is affected by ambient air temperature. But I also can easily gain or lose 2 to 4 lb in food and water.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Your weight naturally fluctuates, that's why it's not recommended to weight yourself daily.

    Weighing once per week doesn't avoid fluctuations. Just reduces data points. More likely to provide a confusing picture of weight loss at 1/week than daily, especially if losing slowly. That said, if any gain triggers a freak out, weighing less frequently will reduce freak outs.

    ^this...

    ...oh hallelujah this.

    In that past two years, my weight has frequently fluctuated +/-3 pounds and has occasionally been +/-5. Scale weight is very volatile.

    #WeighingWeeklyIsn'tTheAnswerForEveryScaleProblem
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Water, poop.

    yup.
    I weigh myself daily - it's a habit. Plus I find it fascinating to see how my weight fluctuates from day to day. I can go up and down 4-5 lbs in one week due to hormones, sodium, not enough water, a new workout, etc. Totally normal. I weight daily, but I track the trend over time, as well as taking photos and measurements for a better gauge of progress.
    more yup.

    triple yup
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Do this, weigh yourself every night before you go to bed and write that number down. Then, when you wake up and do your morning stuff...weigh yourself again, and write that number down. Do this for about 2 months, every day, and every night. Keep up with your normal eating and exercise regardless of what the scale says. Don't try to change anything about your diet or your exercise based on what the scale says....just keep doing what you do.

    At the end of the 2 months, compare the first morning weight with the last morning weight and see if there is a drop, which, if you are eating at a deficit and accurately tracking, there should be.

    This will give you an idea of how much your weight can fluctuate from day to day and not have any bearing on your overall goals. Just make sure that you are sticking with your normal diet and activities and not trying to sway the numbers.

    Also, if you don't see any reduction after 2 months, then you may need to start adjusting your calorie intake or take a closer look at how accurately you're tracking your calories.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    Ohhhhh... I could weigh 7 pounds heavier and in a few days be back to normal. Please stop weighing so frequently. :)
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Your allotment is already at a deficit, unless you're set to maintain. If you're set at a pound a week loss, you're still 415 calories UNDER maintenance. It's not real.
  • Hotdawgnothotdog
    Hotdawgnothotdog Posts: 179 Member
    Don't weigh yourself every day, weight fluctuates.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Ohhhhh... I could weigh 7 pounds heavier and in a few days be back to normal. Please stop weighing so frequently. :)

    But frequency of weighing isn't the real problem here. That same potential +7 will be in the weekly numbers too, and with fewer data points, would just take seven times longer to see the true average. I have some ranges of several months in my weight log where weekly weighing would have completely obscured the true trend.

    Realizing and understanding the volatility inherent in scale weight is the "real" solution here...and consistent daily weighing is the easiest/quickest way to do that.

    I've always thought a solution to this problem is one of the wifi connected scales but where you cover up the display. Weigh yourself daily under the same conditions every morning but don't look at the number...and after a month or two of this, *then* look. What you will almost certainly see is a number that bounces around all over, but when averaged, trends to a nice declining line (assuming you're eating at a deficit). Maybe you could also solicit the assistance of a spouse to record the number for you without divulging it.

    (And that's another interesting observation. For whatever reason, when I'm eating at a deficit, my weight is *far* more volatile than when I'm eating at maintenance or a surplus.)
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You are a girl. Nuff said.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Many things could cause it. Weight is not just fat.
  • delgadodelgado1120
    delgadodelgado1120 Posts: 102 Member
    It's either water weight, extra poopies, or a baby alien....the baby alien happened to me...lol
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Yesterday, I went over my calorie allotment by 85 calories. I didn't eat anything that was particularly high in sodium nor did I drink any alcohol. Yet, when I weighed myself this morning, I weighed 1.2 pounds more than yesterday. I weighed myself on the same scale and at the same time of day. What could have caused this type of gain?
    It's the pseudomonas syringae in the water. Totally legit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • divemunkey
    divemunkey Posts: 288 Member
    oh, yes. My scale is up 7 pounds from last week, simply because I was eating more carbohydrates than usual, which make the body retain water to process them, plus consuming extra sodium ( also holds water), and also did a few extra lifts. I do weigh every day , just because I like to watch my body do its thing. Don't freak, it causes stress, which makes your scale weight go up ;)
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    I weigh myself daily - it's a habit. Plus I find it fascinating to see how my weight fluctuates from day to day. I can go up and down 4-5 lbs in one week due to hormones, sodium, not enough water, a new workout, etc. Totally normal. I weigh daily, but I track the trend over time, as well as taking photos and measurements for a better gauge of progress.

    I LIKE weighing myself every single day. I've been at/near my goal weight for years, but seeing a number lower than 130lbs on the scale each morning never gets old, ever! So if you like to weigh every day, go ahead, but do get used to the ups and downs - and take a weekly average to measure your progress.

    Wednesday, I weighed 127.5lbs. Yesterday, I weighed 126.5lbs. Today, 128lbs on the nose. Tomorrow, who knows.

    Your progress chart will have peaks and valleys, but as long as the overall trend is downwards - you're winning. So, when you have a heavy day - look at your progress chart again to reassure yourself.
  • bio01979
    bio01979 Posts: 313
    It's either water weight, extra poopies, or a baby alien....the baby alien happened to me...lol

    lol my aunt had a 13lb benign tumor and she looked pregnant lol she joked that it was an alien baby and that she had to get her alien baby removed
  • Amerielle
    Amerielle Posts: 153 Member
    /very short threadjack

    I love your ticker!!! LOL

    /end threadjack
  • coreysarahsmoot
    coreysarahsmoot Posts: 21
    I weight myself first thing in the AM with nothing on...but I agree with everyone else, water weight and if you have not used the bathroom in a few day's can add on a few extra. I would not worrie.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    Yesterday, I went over my calorie allotment by 85 calories. I didn't eat anything that was particularly high in sodium nor did I drink any alcohol. Yet, when I weighed myself this morning, I weighed 1.2 pounds more than yesterday. I weighed myself on the same scale and at the same time of day. What could have caused this type of gain?

    Hi Stacey, worry if that happens everytime you go over by 85 calories, otherwise, ignore it. Weight fluctuates all the time, your strength of character is shown by how you now handle this situation.

    Continue with your eating plan and exercise, ignore the 1.2lbs increase, I bet that comes straight back off within the next few days, and some more.

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