How long does overeating take to show up on the scale?

Options
mimimunchery
mimimunchery Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so I had a slightly indulgent Memorial Day weekend. I went out to dinner twice, I had pizza, I went to movies and had some popcorn and m&ms. I had a few drinks. No big binges, nothing out of control. I basically I ate like I used to eat, and not even on a bad day.

So anyways...I was hoping it would just result in no weight loss, but BAM today I am 1.4 kgs heavier. And heavier than I have been seeing IN A MONTH. So not just normal weight fluctuations. Surely a few indulgences can’t show up on the scale this quickly right ????

(Also, tmi but I got my period two days ago - isn’t that supposed to result in weight loss)?

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    Options
    The sudden gain after eating like that is due to water. The rapid loss afterward is due to water.

  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
    Options
    could be water retention from extra salt and extra quantity of food in your system.

    even with indulgences you won't gain FAT unless you killed your entire week's loss (ate over the week's maintenance level) by a significant amount. Depends on the math (total calories eaten VS maintenance value) at best it'll likely stall the loss (or reduce) for that week.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,961 Member
    Options
    So, stay on track for the next week and note the changes. Only way to know.

    I mean, I've been in maintenance for years and I do what you did on the regular. If I get back at it and stay the course for a few days it drops back off.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Okay so I had a slightly indulgent Memorial Day weekend. I went out to dinner twice, I had pizza, I went to movies and had some popcorn and m&ms. I had a few drinks. No big binges, nothing out of control. I basically I ate like I used to eat, and not even on a bad day.

    So anyways...I was hoping it would just result in no weight loss, but BAM today I am 1.4 kgs heavier. And heavier than I have been seeing IN A MONTH. So not just normal weight fluctuations. Surely a few indulgences can’t show up on the scale this quickly right ????

    (Also, tmi but I got my period two days ago - isn’t that supposed to result in weight loss)?

    Usually your menstrual cycle will result in water retention and bloating and that will show up on the scale. You could also be retaining more water if your carb intake was higher than usual as well as sodium. Nobody is gaining 1.4kg of fat in a few days.
  • smoofinator
    smoofinator Posts: 635 Member
    Options
    This is a great thread that addresses "overfeed" days. There's also a video on the second page that puts things into perspective: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope/p1
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Options
    For most large shifts in weight over 24 hours fat is the least responsible element. In your case it is unlikely that it was a factor at all.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
    edited May 2019
    Options
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Okay so I had a slightly indulgent Memorial Day weekend. I went out to dinner twice, I had pizza, I went to movies and had some popcorn and m&ms. I had a few drinks. No big binges, nothing out of control. I basically I ate like I used to eat, and not even on a bad day.

    So anyways...I was hoping it would just result in no weight loss, but BAM today I am 1.4 kgs heavier. And heavier than I have been seeing IN A MONTH. So not just normal weight fluctuations.

    1.4 kgs is completely within the range of normal weight fluctuations for most people.
    Surely a few indulgences can’t show up on the scale this quickly right ????

    When would you expect them to show up on the scale? Days and weeks later, like the fat is sitting in a waiting room? Your body is constantly storing fat and taking it out of storage. However much of your gain is due to fat (likely less than half a kilo) is going to take place very quickly, but it's a constant rebalancing. Plus, the food itself has weight, and until you finish processing it, using or storing the energy, expelling the waste, and dealing with the water in the food, that's going to increase the weight on the scales
    (Also, tmi but I got my period two days ago - isn’t that supposed to result in weight loss)?

    Everyone is different as to how quickly period-related bloating goes away (that's generally more of a factor in period-related weight gain than the weight of the menstrual blood itself). If you haven't been tracking and noticing the effect of your own cycle on your scale long enough to know how your body works, the rest of us can't tell you.

    TL;DR: Calm down.


    Edited to fix quote embedding.

Categories