Water Weight or Actual Weight Gain Question

fuchsias

I am really depressed right now,
I stepped on the scale this morning and saw that I gained 4 pounds within 5 or 6 day's time.
Is this water gain or actual weight?
I feel horrible. And am back to square 1.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

RAinWA

Did you eat enough above your maintenance calories to gain 4 pounds? That would be an extra 15,000 calories over and above your maintenance calories in the last 5 or 6 days.

More likely, you ate something with a lot of sodium, or are in the part of your menstrual cycle where you retain water and/or both.

I also assume sudden spikes on the scale are due to water weight. Drink a lot of water and carry on. For me it will go away in a few days.

livingleanlivingclean

Have you eaten excessively for that time? It would be impossible to determine what percentage, if any, of your gain was something other than water weight.

fuchsias

I have eaten more than usual, maybe 200 to 300 calories above limit. This has occurred within the last week or so.
Weight and food issues are my Achilles heel. I feel like I will never get a handle on this but will keep going - no choice.
Thank you for the advice I will drink a lot of water and move on.

rheddmobile

Any chance you are approaching that time of the month? That could account for it. Hormone based weight changes are very common. Other possibilities are high sodium, constipation, or even a change in sleep habits. It's normal for weight to fluctuate several pounds over the course of a day due to water intake, and if you weigh yourself once after a full night's sleep and the next time after hardly any sleep, you may see a huge scale difference.

It's extremely unlikely you have gained 4 lbs of fat in 5 days. You would have to eat about 3000 calories per day over your maintenance calories, and if you did that you would know it. It's almost certainly water weight.

Log all your calories after weighing your food accurately, meet your calorie goals, and try to trust the process.

fuchsias

Thank you!!! - I think you are right, it's a combo of hormones and sodium. Wow, I was on the verge of a panic attack - I appreciate the advice and feel better, more encouraged.

This just reminds me that if I want to lose weight i have to follow the process.

MossiO

Last month I gained 5 pounds in 4 days while still staying in my calorie range. I kept at it and it finally went away after a couple weeks. Keep at it!

fuchsias

Thank you for the insight! It gives me hope!

HeidiCooksSupper

I find one meal of Chinese take out is three to four pounds of water gain ... overnight! It might take 48 hours for it to crest and then 3 or 4 days to go back down. Why is this? Sodium, pure and simple. It's water. That's why it's important to understand that weight loss is not linear. A chart of daily weight while you're losing looks like an unbalanced ball bouncing down uneven steps.

MegaMooseEsq

I usually gain 1-2 pounds the day after eating even just a couple of slices of pizza well within my calorie goals. Water weight is a PITA, but it's completely normal. Don't let it derail you!

Nony_Mouse

fuchsias wrote: »

I have eaten more than usual, maybe 200 to 300 calories above limit. This has occurred within the last week or so.
Weight and food issues are my Achilles heel. I feel like I will never get a handle on this but will keep going - no choice.
Thank you for the advice I will drink a lot of water and move on.

If it's 200-300 above your deficit, assuming your deficit is set at 500, then it's water weight.

I'm currently on a diet break, and am up 1 kg (2.2 lb) since starting. I know full well I haven't eaten above maintenance. I also know that this is my ovulation bloat week...(and maybe a little glycogen replenishment and extra food in my system). Ovulation should conveniently coincide with end of diet break, and I'll drop back to where I was.

fuchsias

Thank you - I feel less defeated. It is a struggle to keep going when the scale goes in the wrong direction!

xvolution

What I would do is start taking measurements of how many inches are around the waist and thighs, especially if you're at a surplus and are on a routine exercise program. Sometimes the weight gain is muscle that's getting stronger from the extra calories and exercise.

Ever since I've started a supervised gym class three days a week, my weight hasn't budged much but my inches have slowly been going down (down to 42" at last measurement), which shows my body's recomping from fat to muscle a bit.

Tacklewasher

HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »

I find one meal of Chinese take out is three to four pounds of water gain ... overnight! It might take 48 hours for it to crest and then 3 or 4 days to go back down. Why is this? Sodium, pure and simple. It's water. That's why it's important to understand that weight loss is not linear. A chart of daily weight while you're losing looks like an unbalanced ball bouncing down uneven steps.

Hah. I can do that with a sashimi lunch. Way too much soy sauce involved and boom, 3 lbs the next morning.

Perfectly normal and why I like tracking my weight daily.

Jenn3452

Tacklewasher wrote: »

HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »

I find one meal of Chinese take out is three to four pounds of water gain ... overnight! It might take 48 hours for it to crest and then 3 or 4 days to go back down. Why is this? Sodium, pure and simple. It's water. That's why it's important to understand that weight loss is not linear. A chart of daily weight while you're losing looks like an unbalanced ball bouncing down uneven steps.

Hah. I can do that with a sashimi lunch. Way too much soy sauce involved and boom, 3 lbs the next morning.

Perfectly normal and why I like tracking my weight daily.

This makes me feel so much better I had chinese the other night and even measured the house fried rice lol and i gained 2 & 1/2lbs! It's crazy how much sodium affects the body