Gained 3 lbs. Did Not Gone Off Diet.

ponyvillalobos

I have been on a 1200--1400 calorie a day diet for the last month.
I had lost 3lbs at the 3-week mark (last Thursday).
I weighed myself today and gained all 3 lbs back.
I have not gone off diet once and hitting the gym 5 days a week.
What the f-ing f? I am so pissed & depressed about this.
So much for the theory of "creating a deficit to lose weight"

TR0berts

By any chance, are you coming up on your TOM?

And/or have you eaten extra carbs and/or sodium in the past couple of days?

And/or have you changed or increased your exercise in the past few days?

diannethegeek

One bad weigh in which is likely a natural water weight fluctuation and you're ready to throw out the entire science of weight management?

jemhh

Create a deficit to lose fat. Weight and fat are not the same thing. Weight is affected by calories eaten, food in your intestinal tract, carb/sodium levels, hormones, etc. Unless you ate 10,500 calories over maintenance you did not gain 3 lbs of fat.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

ponyvillalobos

Haven't increased my exercise. My diet is pretty low carb. I have one piece of bread in the morning with an egg on it. After that, my carbs come from veggies. Is TOM an acronym for my period?

singingflutelady

Yes time of month

ponyvillalobos

@diannethegeek It's so frustrating and doesn't make sense if in fact, it's a science- create a deficit and you will lose weight.

ponyvillalobos

@singingflutelady a little over a week away.

leajas1

jemhh wrote: »

Create a deficit to lose fat. Weight and fat are not the same thing. Weight is affected by calories eaten, food in your intestinal tract, carb/sodium levels, hormones, etc. Unless you ate 10,500 calories over maintenance you did not gain 3 lbs of fat.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

Yes - you probably didn't gain fat. Check this out re: why the scale lies.
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

diannethegeek

ponyvillalobos wrote: »

@diannethegeek It's so frustrating and doesn't make sense if in fact, it's a science- create a deficit and you will lose weight.

Create a deficit and your weight will go down, sure. But your body isn't one static weight that goes down in a linear manner. You exist within a range of weights that fluctuate up and down depending on the time of day, hormones, water retention, waste, etc. You weighed in on a day when you're at the higher end of your weight range but that doesn't mean you've gained fat.

Did you even glance at the link posted above?

diannethegeek

Or this one: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1

LeanButNotMean44

ponyvillalobos wrote: »

@singingflutelady a little over a week away.

Do you mean to tell me that in your 46 years of life you didn't know that women retain water (and bloat) prior to their period? It is very likely that the 3lb gain is due to water weight. I realize this sounds harsh, it is always surprising to me that women either don't know/never learned about this stuff.

leejoyce31

ponyvillalobos wrote: »

@singingflutelady a little over a week away.

Many women start retaining fluid a week or so before their TOM. I would venture to say it's fluid retention.

ponyvillalobos

@diannethegeek yeah. read it after i replied to you. makes sense.

ponyvillalobos

@LeanButNotMean44 Yes, I know abut water gain before period!! I am well over a week away from my period!! Actually closer to 2 weeks. 12 days to be exact!!!

ponyvillalobos

I'm just gonna keep chugging along.

jemhh

ponyvillalobos wrote: »

@LeanButNotMean44 Yes, I know abut water gain before period!! I am well over a week away from my period!! Actually closer to 2 weeks. 12 days to be exact!!!

In that case it could be due to ovulation. Water weight gain at ovulation is common.

leajas1

...and then there's that water weight gain right after your period from all the high carb foods you binged on during your period.

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ponyvillalobos

@Noel_57 I log everything and yes, i have a beer here and there!!! but it's all logged!

LeanButNotMean44

ponyvillalobos wrote: »

@LeanButNotMean44 Yes, I know abut water gain before period!! I am well over a week away from my period!! Actually closer to 2 weeks. 12 days to be exact!!!

Your original post said you are a little over a week away. There's an entire thread devoted to this topic, and it amazes me how many women don't know the basics about how their bodies work. I'm relieved that isn't your case.

stm712015

It's very frustrating, I know. You're working hard and you want to see that reflected at every single weigh in. But it's very normal for your body to fluctuate, especially for woman, and you can't let that derail you. The progress you see is going to be over time. I tend to have two week, short little plateaus, and then 'swish' down the scale goes... then another short stall... then swish... During the little stalls, my weight my fluctuate a bit. But over the long run, it's going steadily down. So I try not to get frustrated. If you're sure your logging accurately and honestly (weigh and measure), and you're eating within your calories goals, it will come off! You got this.

ponyvillalobos

@LeanButNotMean44 it was a response to somebody asking me if my "TOM" was soon. I had glanced at my period tracker app when responding. My period isn't happening next week but the Monday after. Visually it looked like a little over a week...but it's actually 12 days!

ponyvillalobos

@stm712015 Thanks! Yep, I am being super diligent with my logging. I am just gonna stick it out.

JeromeBarry1

Just be aware that ovulation and menstruation cause your weight to swing up and down by water alone every two weeks. Take pictures of yourself and let the fit of your clothes tell you if you are losing fat. Also a high salt food late in the day before can lead to a surprisingly large gain the next morning.

ponyvillalobos

At least my jeans feel looser.