Fluctuation

BrandonDavies2

Hi all, I understand water fluctuation and the changes it may have on your weight etc. However, what is everyone's experiences of weight gain the first four weeks while in a deficit? Can being in too much of a deficit cause the body to slow metabolism or even hold on to the weight for a while?

CJYogii

I'm guessing that you are weighing yourself weekly and noticing some fluctuations. Happens to me too. You can weigh yourself every morning after you you use the toilet or before the meal wich minimizes the fluctuations (weigh your self at the same time and day) or you can weigh yourself everyday and at the end of the week gather the information and find the middle point.

And not really. This topic has alot of contreversy with the metabolism but it is a fact that too much of a deficit for an extended period makes your body stay with the fat insted of burning it and insted burns muscle. The body goes on the"Starvation Mode" thing, it sucks

Hope it helps.

malibu927

CJYogii wrote: »

I'm guessing that you are weighing yourself weekly and noticing some fluctuations. Happens to me too. You can weigh yourself every morning after you you use the toilet or before the meal wich minimizes the fluctuations (weigh your self at the same time and day) or you can weigh yourself everyday and at the end of the week gather the information and find the middle point.

And not really. This topic has alot of contreversy with the metabolism but it is a fact that too much of a deficit for an extended period makes your body stay with the fat insted of burning it and insted burns muscle. The body goes on the"Starvation Mode" thing, it sucks

Hope it helps.

Four weeks is not even close to when adaptive thermogenesis ("starvation mode") kicks in.

OP, if you've been gaining over the entire month it's probably more attributed to fat gain than water weight. How are you measuring your calorie intake?

AnnPT77

The first few weeks of weight loss can be a little whacky. Some people see a bigger loss at first, while others gain some water weight that temporarily masks fat loss, especially if there's a new exercise routine involved.

Another factor is that the calorie goal calculators are only estimates, and not every individual is average. The calculator gives you an estimate, but after a month or so, you may need to adjust calories based in your last couple of weeks' experience (assume the first two weeks are whacky).

There's also a tendency for people to underestimate what they eat (especially if they're not weighing/measuring food), and for the calculators to overestimate calorie burn. So, if a person lowballs their calories consumed, and eats back all of overestimated exercise, they can wipe out their calorie deficit.

Finally, sometimes people build in unlogged "cheat days". Those muddy the waters and can wipe out deficits too.

But: Starvation mode is not real. Weight loss doesn't stop if you eat too little (if it did, no one would ever starve; sadly, people worldwide starve daily). Your body is also too good at keeping you alive to prioritize burning muscle before any fat. (Even if did, you'd see loses on the scale from the muscle, right?)

What is real is that if your goal is too aggressive (you cut calories too much), your body may down-regulate your daily activity in subtle ways, not very noticeable, so that you lose a little more slowly than expected. You might also turn in lackluster exercise sessions on too-low calories. This phenomenon isn't as likely at the start of weight loss as it is later.

It's also the case that we tend to lose a little lean mass as we lose weight, and that losing too fast may cause relatively more lean tissue loss, not because your body prefers burning muscle, but because research suggests that there may be a limit to how much fat it's possible to burn per day (per pound of fat you have, so a lesser worry if you have lots to lose). Once that limit is reached, your body might burn more lean tissue (such as muscle) to get energy. But if you're losing too slowly, this is not happening to you.

BrandonDavies2

AnnPT77 wrote: »

The first few weeks of weight loss can be a little whacky. Some people see a bigger loss at first, while others gain some water weight that temporarily masks fat loss, especially if there's a new exercise routine involved.

Another factor is that the calorie goal calculators are only estimates, and not every individual is average. The calculator gives you an estimate, but after a month or so, you may need to adjust calories based in your last couple of weeks' experience (assume the first two weeks are whacky).

There's also a tendency for people to underestimate what they eat (especially if they're not weighing/measuring food), and for the calculators to overestimate calorie burn. So, if a person lowballs their calories consumed, and eats back all of overestimated exercise, they can wipe out their calorie deficit.

Finally, sometimes people build in unlogged "cheat days". Those muddy the waters and can wipe out deficits too.

But: Starvation mode is not real. Weight loss doesn't stop if you eat too little (if it did, no one would ever starve; sadly, people worldwide starve daily). Your body is also too good at keeping you alive to prioritize burning muscle before any fat. (Even if did, you'd see loses on the scale from the muscle, right?)

What is real is that if your goal is too aggressive (you cut calories too much), your body may down-regulate your daily activity in subtle ways, not very noticeable, so that you lose a little more slowly than expected. You might also turn in lackluster exercise sessions on too-low calories. This phenomenon isn't as likely at the start of weight loss as it is later.

It's also the case that we tend to lose a little lean mass as we lose weight, and that losing too fast may cause relatively more lean tissue loss, not because your body prefers burning muscle, but because research suggests that there may be a limit to how much fat it's possible to burn per day (per pound of fat you have, so a lesser worry if you have lots to lose). Once that limit is reached, your body might burn more lean tissue (such as muscle) to get energy. But if you're losing too slowly, this is not happening to you.

Thank you so much honestly, what a great help!

AnnPT77

BrandonDavies2 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

The first few weeks of weight loss can be a little whacky. Some people see a bigger loss at first, while others gain some water weight that temporarily masks fat loss, especially if there's a new exercise routine involved.

Another factor is that the calorie goal calculators are only estimates, and not every individual is average. The calculator gives you an estimate, but after a month or so, you may need to adjust calories based in your last couple of weeks' experience (assume the first two weeks are whacky).

There's also a tendency for people to underestimate what they eat (especially if they're not weighing/measuring food), and for the calculators to overestimate calorie burn. So, if a person lowballs their calories consumed, and eats back all of overestimated exercise, they can wipe out their calorie deficit.

Finally, sometimes people build in unlogged "cheat days". Those muddy the waters and can wipe out deficits too.

But: Starvation mode is not real. Weight loss doesn't stop if you eat too little (if it did, no one would ever starve; sadly, people worldwide starve daily). Your body is also too good at keeping you alive to prioritize burning muscle before any fat. (Even if did, you'd see loses on the scale from the muscle, right?)

What is real is that if your goal is too aggressive (you cut calories too much), your body may down-regulate your daily activity in subtle ways, not very noticeable, so that you lose a little more slowly than expected. You might also turn in lackluster exercise sessions on too-low calories. This phenomenon isn't as likely at the start of weight loss as it is later.

It's also the case that we tend to lose a little lean mass as we lose weight, and that losing too fast may cause relatively more lean tissue loss, not because your body prefers burning muscle, but because research suggests that there may be a limit to how much fat it's possible to burn per day (per pound of fat you have, so a lesser worry if you have lots to lose). Once that limit is reached, your body might burn more lean tissue (such as muscle) to get energy. But if you're losing too slowly, this is not happening to you.

Thank you so much honestly, what a great help!

So glad you found it helpful!