Started My Calorie Deficit and Gained it Back Overnight, Why?

imtrynagetfithopeitworks
imtrynagetfithopeitworks Posts: 6 Member
edited March 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I started my calorie deficit about a week ago and I lost about 4 pounds. I eat 1400 calories a day as I am 5 foot 8 and weigh about 230 pounds, I am a male. My meal plan only has about 500mg of sodium in it. I switched my dinner up from the usual 8oz of pork loin and a sweet potato with a stew that had about 1500mg of sodium in it. After 2 days I realized I gained 4 pounds overnight. I am still eating under the recommended amount of sodium for a male (2500mg) but I gained water weight. I don't drink a lot of water, maybe 6 - 7 cups a day. Maybe the difference between 500mg and 1500mg was too much and made me put on 4 pounds overnight, I don't know and I would love for someone to help me understand how much sodium and water I should intake to avoid this. Also, when I resolve this water weight issue, will it go away quickly? I feel bad about myself for going through all the work with the calorie deficit just to gain it all back :( Thanks!

Replies

  • imtrynagetfithopeitworks
    imtrynagetfithopeitworks Posts: 6 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    When you increase your sodium intake (even if it's under the total limit), then you can still retain some water realted to that. There's really no point in trying to "hack" your way into never gaining a bit of water weight . . . it happens to all of us from time to time related to food intake, hydration, and activity. Just get on your normal routine, drink a reasonable amount of water, and stay on plan.

    Thanks! Do you know a good amount of sodium to stick to? I don't think 500mg is good for me.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 978 Member
    I was also about to ask why you're under-eating?

    As I'm assuming you haven't, go to My Home - Goals - Guided Set Up and put your details in. The number of calories MFP gives you is how many you should eat each day. It'll definitely be more than 1500 as that's the minimum any male should be eating.

    And note that the number you're given is how many cals a day you should be eating - not less than that - plus any exercise calories. The deficit required to lose weight will be built in, depending on the rate of loss that you select.

    Concentrate on your calories to start with, then gradually adjust anything to ensure you feel sufficiently full on the amount of cals that you're eating. Whilst many will tell you that the default macros that MFP sets is fine for most people, only trial and error will tell you whether it's more protein or more fat or more carbs that make you feel fuller for longer.

    By all means keep an eye on your sodium levels but, unless you are eating vastly over your calories allowance, you have not suddenly put on 4lb of fat. Water weight will fluctuate no matter what you do. As said above, +/- 5lb is normal. Go to the Most Useful posts or whatever they're called, at the top of this forum, and read the wonder about weight fluctuations.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 978 Member
    edited March 2021
    I'll save you looking. Take a read of this.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

    Scroll down and look at some of the charts that people posted too. Weight goes up and down. What you want is an overall trend that's heading down.


    It's also worth reading another post in this forum 'Question on impact of caloric intake' that was asked today. Particularly read Ann's response. You'd need to have eaten 3500 calories above your maintenance figure just to put on a pound of fat.
  • imtrynagetfithopeitworks
    imtrynagetfithopeitworks Posts: 6 Member
    Strudders67 wrote: »
    I was also about to ask why you're under-eating?

    As I'm assuming you haven't, go to My Home - Goals - Guided Set Up and put your details in. The number of calories MFP gives you is how many you should eat each day. It'll definitely be more than 1500 as that's the minimum any male should be eating.

    And note that the number you're given is how many cals a day you should be eating - not less than that - plus any exercise calories. The deficit required to lose weight will be built in, depending on the rate of loss that you select.

    Concentrate on your calories to start with, then gradually adjust anything to ensure you feel sufficiently full on the amount of cals that you're eating. Whilst many will tell you that the default macros that MFP sets is fine for most people, only trial and error will tell you whether it's more protein or more fat or more carbs that make you feel fuller for longer.

    By all means keep an eye on your sodium levels but, unless you are eating vastly over your calories allowance, you have not suddenly put on 4lb of fat. Water weight will fluctuate no matter what you do. As said above, +/- 5lb is normal. Go to the Most Useful posts or whatever they're called, at the top of this forum, and read the wonder about weight fluctuations.

    My daily goal on myfitnesspal is to eat around 1,550 calories, Ill try adding a snack to push 1,400 to 1,550 :) I also took a look at the link you posted and it made me understand it more, thanks.
  • LisaGetsMoving
    LisaGetsMoving Posts: 664 Member
    You did not gain 4 lbs. of fat overnight. I'm 64, female, and started out close to your weight. I am losing 1 to 1.5 lb. per week averaging between 1400 - 1800 calories depending on how much exercise I get. You aren't eating enough and that may backfire on you and make the loss slower. Here's what you should do: eat a couple hundred more calories than the 1400 you've allowed, move your body more, make sure you get good sleep, and only weigh twice per week.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited March 2021
    Don’t worry. Eating high sodium foods will cause water retention. Look at your weight over a longer period of time. Our weight goes up and down due to many factors. A weight trending app will help you see the bigger picture.
  • imtrynagetfithopeitworks
    imtrynagetfithopeitworks Posts: 6 Member
    edited April 2021
    Update: Today I woke up weighing about 236 pounds, 6 pounds more than I was when I started and 10 pounds more than what I was at my lowest during the diet. How do I stop this from happening? I would love for someone to help! :) - Issue resolved, I was wearing my big hoodie :lol:
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,090 Member
    It's really not useful to worry about short term fluctuations:
    - water weight is not fat, no need to worry about it unless you have medical issues perhaps. It can be linked to increased exercise, hormones, salt intake,...
    - the long term trend is what shows you if you are making progress regarding fat loss, that means monitoring your weight over 4 to 8 weeks (and for women, comparing between the same moment of the menstrual cycle can be useful too, since many women experience water weight fluctuations linked to their menstrual cycle)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,525 Member
    edited April 2021
    First of all: read all the above about fluctuations and long term weight trends.

    Then let's get a couple of things off the table: where, when, and how do you weigh?

    What kind of scale do you use? Where is it positioned? What type of floor is it located on? Have you gone to the bathroom before weighting in? Are you wearing any clothes or shoes? Have you consumed any food or drink before your weigh in?

    A few common concerns with the above would be weighing yourself fully clothed without having used the bathroom after your morning coffee and breakfast and while using a scale that is located on carpet given that scales like totally unyielding floors...

    Beyond that, rapidly increasing weight that is not justifiable by what is being consumed becomes a medical issue.... so let's eliminate potential scale issues...
  • imtrynagetfithopeitworks
    imtrynagetfithopeitworks Posts: 6 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    First of all: read all the above about fluctuations and long term weight trends.

    Then let's get a couple of things off the table: where, when, and how do you weigh?

    What kind of scale do you use? Where is it positioned? What type of floor is it located on? Have you gone to the bathroom before weighting in? Are you wearing any clothes or shoes? Have you consumed any food or drink before your weigh in?

    A few common concerns with the above would be weighing yourself fully clothed without having used the bathroom after your morning coffee and breakfast and while using a scale that is located on carpet...

    Actually, I just tried to weigh myself just wearing my boxers and t-shirt and I dropped about 5 pounds :lol: I guess I only gained about 4 pounds in weight from last week due to water weight (226 to 230), Ill delete my other comment now, thanks for helping!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,481 Member
    You're eating too little. Even if you're trying to lose 2lbs a week, I'd have you at at least 1800 calories. Don't try to beat the system. The body is MUCH SMARTER at reacting to how you have it try to lose mass instinctively. When you try to outsmart it, you'll get the wrong end of the stick.
    At 5'7 and 218lbs I dropped 40lbs in 6 months during COVID eating 2400 calories a day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You would not have been happy with the likely stress water weight gains you would have started taking on.

    From the sounds of it - that would have caused more stress, compounding the issue.

    So good job eating more than making it an extreme diet stressing the body out.
    Hate for ya to become part of the 80% that fail to reach goal weight or maintain because you went extreme.
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    imtrynagetfithopeitworks wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    First of all: read all the above about fluctuations and long term weight trends.

    Then let's get a couple of things off the table: where, when, and how do you weigh?

    What kind of scale do you use? Where is it positioned? What type of floor is it located on? Have you gone to the bathroom before weighting in? Are you wearing any clothes or shoes? Have you consumed any food or drink before your weigh in?

    A few common concerns with the above would be weighing yourself fully clothed without having used the bathroom after your morning coffee and breakfast and while using a scale that is located on carpet...

    Actually, I just tried to weigh myself just wearing my boxers and t-shirt and I dropped about 5 pounds :lol: I guess I only gained about 4 pounds in weight from last week due to water weight (226 to 230), Ill delete my other comment now, thanks for helping!

    OK. Let’s start with How to Weigh Yourself. At the same time every day, in the same level of clothing, on the same scale set on the same hard even surface. Many here prefer in the morning, after bathroom, before breakfast, naked. As you noticed, clothes have weight. Pee and poop and food and drinks also have weight, which is why post-bathroom pre-breakfast is what many find best.

    The the calorie goal. I’m the same height and roughly the same weight as you, but female. I’ve worn a Fitbit for years and it tends to be accurate for me, so I can say with some confidence that my current overall calorie burn averages about 2200. I’m also currently pregnant and my days consist mostly of napping, sitting/lying down and vomiting. Assuming you’re not also completely sedentary, you likely burn more than me. Pre-pregnancy, I used to lose weight at 1800-2000 calories per day. So, why do you eat so little? 4lbs weight loss per week is quite excessive.

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