Water weight that isn't shifting

MACnificence

Hi

So here's the deal , I have my weekly Cheat meal every Sunday have done for over a year no problem , might be up a pound or 2 the following day normally down by Tuesday Wednesday at the latest , no problem there
Last Sunday I had my cheat meal woke up Monday up 5Ibs thought to myself woah bit higher than usual but whatever just water weight will be back down in a day or 2
Today is Saturday pratically a week later and I'm still up 3Ibs of that 5Ibs despite drinking I mean a ton of water over 4 litres everyday and 6 litres yesterday trying to flush it out and exercise everyday
I'm up all night going to the toilet yet in the morning I'm still up that extra 3Ibs and its driving me nutty I can feel the extra puffiness in my stomach right above my belly button
I wouldn't mind my cheat meal is exactly the same every week I'm a creature of habit so what gives this week ? Why can't I shift this bloody water weight ??

MACnificence

Any advice people ?!

brianmcg321

There is no way you can gain 5lbs from eating one meal. Maybe the scale is off or something. Is it digital?

I Just go back to your normal eating habits and don't worry about an arbitrary number. Be healthy.

FindingMyPerfection

Are you getting enough potassium? This plus water is what let's your body releas water.

QuietBloom

Sodium? Are you eating something different that contains a lot of it? Irregardless, if it is water weight, it should shift within 2 to 3 days of returning to normal eating.

You may have actually gained weight. How accurately to your measure and log your food?

Annie_01

I'm not a professional but from what I have learned...

As you lose weight your body needs less caloric intake. You also burn few calories from exercise.

It could be as simple as cutting back a little or increasing your activity level to see if that will start you losing again.

I have developed a strange weight loss pattern. I will maintain at the same weight for anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks and then lose 5 to 7 lbs in a week. At first I was discouraged but just stuck to it. I now know that eventually the weight loss will catch up.

Sorry I have no other advice...except to watch your sodium levels...I am trying to cut mine due to BP but it is difficult.

MACnificence

I went back to normal eating the day after and my food is the same week in week out .
There's no way I gained 3Ibs from a cheat meal , that's 10,500 cals over maintainance it has to be water weight which doesn't bother me that much only I have a christening tomorrow and I can feel the bloat in my stomach

I just can't understand why it isn't dropping this week it's normally well gone by now

bohojourney

I cant answer all of your question but practically experience what you are describing. Have you thought of having a diuretic helping breakfast on your treat day/ eg; any kind of melon with two citrus fruit... KIwi/orange,grapefruit etc;

Do you like raw celery as an in-between meals fluid shifter (I don't but eat it cos it works so well) its natures natural aquaban big time!

Generally vegetables beginning with "C" are fluid shifters eg; cabbage,cauli, carrots courgette and leeks...always make you leak :-)

Consider salty gravy/stock cube with you dinner, as salt slows the shedding of water.

It may not be your treat dinner that is the cause but fluid from the day before? generally every Three days our fluid level builds and on day three flushes out.

The more vegetables (Especially root) that we eat the more 'fluid and fat' can leave the body. Just some observations from my journey. Wishing you well

socajam

Hi

So here's the deal , I have my weekly Cheat meal every Sunday have done for over a year no problem , might be up a pound or 2 the following day normally down by Tuesday Wednesday at the latest , no problem there
Last Sunday I had my cheat meal woke up Monday up 5Ibs thought to myself woah bit higher than usual but whatever just water weight will be back down in a day or 2
Today is Saturday pratically a week later and I'm still up 3Ibs of that 5Ibs despite drinking I mean a ton of water over 4 litres everyday and 6 litres yesterday trying to flush it out and exercise everyday
I'm up all night going to the toilet yet in the morning I'm still up that extra 3Ibs and its driving me nutty I can feel the extra puffiness in my stomach right above my belly button
I wouldn't mind my cheat meal is exactly the same every week I'm a creature of habit so what gives this week ? Why can't I shift this bloody water weight ??

I looked at your diary and your sodium is under 1000 most day, sometimes. May be its potassium as someone said.

bohojourney

Meant to say that some medication pain killers antibiotics etc; can cause the bloat you mention.

Francl27

It takes me up to 2 weeks to lose water weight at times. It's one of the reasons I don't like cheat meals, lol. I use Advil in that time though, so it might contribute to that... do you use painkillers at all?

FindingMyPerfection

Also want to add, since I can't see if you are female or not, is it possibly TOM weight?

MACnificence

Yes female , but nope not TOM

Actually I have been taken anti inflamatory painkillers prescribed by doctor for the past week for pain in my leg could that be it ?

MACnificence

Hi

So here's the deal , I have my weekly Cheat meal every Sunday have done for over a year no problem , might be up a pound or 2 the following day normally down by Tuesday Wednesday at the latest , no problem there
Last Sunday I had my cheat meal woke up Monday up 5Ibs thought to myself woah bit higher than usual but whatever just water weight will be back down in a day or 2
Today is Saturday pratically a week later and I'm still up 3Ibs of that 5Ibs despite drinking I mean a ton of water over 4 litres everyday and 6 litres yesterday trying to flush it out and exercise everyday
I'm up all night going to the toilet yet in the morning I'm still up that extra 3Ibs and its driving me nutty I can feel the extra puffiness in my stomach right above my belly button
I wouldn't mind my cheat meal is exactly the same every week I'm a creature of habit so what gives this week ? Why can't I shift this bloody water weight ??

I looked at your diary and your sodium is under 1000 most day, sometimes. May be its potassium as someone said.

I never track sodium because I never generally have this problem so I have no idea if that is good or bad ?

FindingMyPerfection

Hi

So here's the deal , I have my weekly Cheat meal every Sunday have done for over a year no problem , might be up a pound or 2 the following day normally down by Tuesday Wednesday at the latest , no problem there
Last Sunday I had my cheat meal woke up Monday up 5Ibs thought to myself woah bit higher than usual but whatever just water weight will be back down in a day or 2
Today is Saturday pratically a week later and I'm still up 3Ibs of that 5Ibs despite drinking I mean a ton of water over 4 litres everyday and 6 litres yesterday trying to flush it out and exercise everyday
I'm up all night going to the toilet yet in the morning I'm still up that extra 3Ibs and its driving me nutty I can feel the extra puffiness in my stomach right above my belly button
I wouldn't mind my cheat meal is exactly the same every week I'm a creature of habit so what gives this week ? Why can't I shift this bloody water weight ??

I looked at your diary and your sodium is under 1000 most day, sometimes. May be its potassium as someone said.

I never track sodium because I never generally have this problem so I have no idea if that is good or bad ?

Your sodium is fine. Try adding some potassium.

MACnificence

The tablets I was prescribed were diclac ( if that means anything to anyone)

How long after stopping these should water weight go away ?

FindingMyPerfection

Give it another week for your body to find balance again.

Francl27

I can't tell you for sure regarding the pills, I know I only take them around TOM so I don't know if it's water weight from the pills or TOM.

Could be also that as you get closer to your goal, your cheat meals are decreasing your deficit too much, so you're not really losing anymore, and such the water weight seems to last longer?

kgeyser

The tablets I was prescribed were diclac ( if that means anything to anyone)

How long after stopping these should water weight go away ?

The active ingredient in diclac is Diclofenac Sodium, which I googled. It comes up as being a different drug name (voltaren), but under side effects, sudden or unexplained weight gain is listed as a side effect you should call your doctor about. I have no idea if Diclac or Voltaren are even remotely the same, but I would check your medication pamphlet and give your doctor a call just to check.

MACnificence

The tablets I was prescribed were diclac ( if that means anything to anyone)

How long after stopping these should water weight go away ?

The active ingredient in diclac is Diclofenac Sodium, which I googled. It comes up as being a different drug name (voltaren), but under side effects, sudden or unexplained weight gain is listed as a side effect you should call your doctor about. I have no idea if Diclac or Voltaren are even remotely the same, but I would check your medication pamphlet and give your doctor a call just to check.

Well I'm presuming that the sudden unexplained weight gain reported is in fact water weight as you cannot gain fat mass without a calorie surplus , now depending on how long these studies were carried out for whether or not it increases appetite which in turns leads to people eating more and gaining weight over a prolonged period of time I'm assuming that actual fat gain is not the case here as I am not in a calorie surplus
Thanks for your feedback ,

jessicaitiaba

Water and doing maybe like 20mins of cardio tends to work for me.

MACnificence

I can't tell you for sure regarding the pills, I know I only take them around TOM so I don't know if it's water weight from the pills or TOM.

Could be also that as you get closer to your goal, your cheat meals are decreasing your deficit too much, so you're not really losing anymore, and such the water weight seems to last longer?

I'm currently not trying to lose weight I'm actually trying to maintain so I'm working on getting my calories up , I don't think my cheat meal would lead to me putting on any actual fat mass but especially not to the extinct that my body seems to be holding in the last week
As mentioned above I eat the same meal every week so I know the trends I was actually quiet surprised to be up 5Ibs the following day as opposed to normally approx 2Ibs so I knew something strange was going on

MinMin97

Things that make me retain water, in no particular order:
TOM
A salty meal
lifting heavy in the gym
irritated bowels/constipation

It takes at least 4 days for my water weight to go away completely. If you have successive days with any of these types of factors, you may hold the water for longer.
Don't stress it. It IS irritating, I know. But just keep doing the best you can, it will come off eventually whether you stress it or not.

Edit to add, try making a green juice first thing in the morning, or between meals like this:
1/2 bunch Celery
1 Fuji apple
1/2 bunch fresh Spinach
Put these through your juicer. The juice tastes like apple. The celery will help reduce water retention.

FindingMyPerfection

I can't tell you for sure regarding the pills, I know I only take them around TOM so I don't know if it's water weight from the pills or TOM.

Could be also that as you get closer to your goal, your cheat meals are decreasing your deficit too much, so you're not really losing anymore, and such the water weight seems to last longer?

I'm currently not trying to lose weight I'm actually trying to maintain so I'm working on getting my calories up , I don't think my cheat meal would lead to me putting on any actual fat mass but especially not to the extinct that my body seems to be holding in the last week
As mentioned above I eat the same meal every week so I know the trends I was actually quiet surprised to be up 5Ibs the following day as opposed to normally approx 2Ibs so I knew something strange was going on

If you are working towards maintainance it may be time to ditch the cheat meals. It is possible that since you are working your way up that this is perminant. You usually gain 5-8lbs of water and glycogen weight when you are at maintainance.

MACnificence

I can't tell you for sure regarding the pills, I know I only take them around TOM so I don't know if it's water weight from the pills or TOM.

Could be also that as you get closer to your goal, your cheat meals are decreasing your deficit too much, so you're not really losing anymore, and such the water weight seems to last longer?

I'm currently not trying to lose weight I'm actually trying to maintain so I'm working on getting my calories up , I don't think my cheat meal would lead to me putting on any actual fat mass but especially not to the extinct that my body seems to be holding in the last week
As mentioned above I eat the same meal every week so I know the trends I was actually quiet surprised to be up 5Ibs the following day as opposed to normally approx 2Ibs so I knew something strange was going on

If you are working towards maintainance it may be time to ditch the cheat meals. It is possible that since you are working your way up that this is perminant. You usually gain 5-8lbs of water and glycogen weight when you are at maintainance.

No I don't plan on ditching my cheat meals , it what makes it a lifestyle change for me instead of a diet , I go out one day a week with my boyfriend where I don't worry about counting calories and what such, it makes it more substainable for me during the week
I work out 6 days a week so having one meal out a week is fine in my opinion if in the future I find my meal out is causing me to gain actual fat mass I will work out harder to subside that or eat even a little less during the week
I'm nearly 100% sure my glycogen stores aren't being replenished yet because I don't think I'm at maintainance yet
I actually think that the painkillers is probably the most logic explanation here but now that I know that I will give it time and see do things go back to normal and evaluate from there

glreim21

My vote is for the painkillers. Whenever I am on antiinflammatories I put on some water weight. Nothing in the pharmacodynamics of the drug should cause water retention but it does with me. Usually about a week after I am done my medication, the scale will go back down.

Phaedra2014

Took me over 6 days and lowering my carbs to get rid of an extra 5lb water weight.

MACnificence

My vote is for the painkillers. Whenever I am on antiinflammatories I put on some water weight. Nothing in the pharmacodynamics of the drug should cause water retention but it does with me. Usually about a week after I am done my medication, the scale will go back down.

Thanks , I also think this is probably the case as it is the only thing that has changed this week so I definitely thinks there's logic behind it ,
Do you find anything apart from drinking loads of water helps and potassium rich foods ?
As I mentioned my stomach is abit puffy and its making me feel uncomfortable

MinMin97

Pain killers cause constipation don't they?
Have you tried getting a massage? that helps a LOT with water retention, and will also help stimulate the bowels, if that is an issue.

2013sk

Up your fibre intake and drink lots of water

Lots of veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts, oats etc..... Maybe some smoothies or veggie shakes

Bananas are good for potassium