4000 over weekend - 4lb gain

runningbunny24

Hi, so during the weekend i messed up. Was very sick with a stomach upset, then really overdid it the next few days (just craving crap) 4000 calories over TDEE. Anyways my weight after was up by about 2lbs, have been eating under TDEE all week eating 1100 calories on monday, 1300, tuesday, 1600 wednesday and healthy today. Now im up 4lbs on my pre-weekend weight. What is going on? Please help as i am freaking out. My stomach and ribs are painful/sore and my legs ache. I am still hungry. Why am I not dropping the weight, and why is it still increasing if im eating under. (unlikely a logging issue as i have been logging and loosing fine up till the mess up).

LPflaum

it could be water weight leftover from the excess sodium intake that will come with 4000 calories of excess eating. The body tends to hoard water for a number of reasons- extra sodium, muscle repair after weight training, etc.

DrifterBear

This is normal, don't overreact and don't under eat to balance out. You were only 4k total over your maintenance? That's just over a pound at most that you could have gained. The rest is just water weight. It will balance out. Get back to your routine, it will normalize in a few days.

freechewy

I agree with everyone else here. I also suggest drinking iced lemon water, it helps to get rid of bloat.

blackaheep4288

I was sick for about 6 days. I then went been back to my normal eating habits for the next week however I never lost a single lb. I actually gained 1lb. Although my calorie intake was average for me(1800-2200 daily) I consumed a massive amount of salt(2 cans of soup or broth, crackers, and gatorade) everyday while sick. 8 days later I finally started dropping.I dropped 2.8lbs one day, and 3lbs more the next. It will all even out. I know it's hard to do but if you notice something like this stay off the scale for a few days. Your body just needs time to flush the salt that you've taken in.

I_amnr

measuring your waist will help you know if you lost weight as well
one week I lost 0.8 kg and and 0.7cm of waist
the next week I lost 0.2 kg and 0.83 cm off my waist
that week an old leg injury flared up and couldn't do any cardio so I just pushed heavy weights

even though the scale said I lost less weight my waist told me I had done a better job with losing fat

gcaracciolo2

Happens to all of us. It sucks for a week then your weight drops back to reality. The mirror is a better indicator than the scale.

faidwen

NEVER EVER trust the scale to be the TRUE indicator of weight loss. Things like water weight, muscle, and a million other things contribute to your __ACTUAL__ weight.

They say that 3500 calories can equal 1 lb. I've over eaten (binged) on a LOT in moments of weakness and gained 10 lbs overnight. Obviously I didn't actually eat 35,000 calories worth of "STUFF", but things like SODIUM (salt) and other contributing factors can cause it to LOOK like I did.

Rest assured, once you return to your regular routine, and perhaps after a few weeks, everything will even out.

This is why they recommend weighing programs like trend weight, as it will sometimes smooth out the little blips.

Don't be scared, carry on!!!

JeromeBarry1

It takes 8 days for the sodium I take in on a day like that to finally all leave with its water. I just stay on my regular plan and note that 8 days of higher than normal weight loss are followed by normal days of weight loss.