TOM gain? How much fluctuation is "normal"?

jlshea
jlshea Posts: 494 Member
in Motivation and Support
Ugh, I weight in once a week and happen to be up about 1.5 lbs today. I'm bummed because my diet has been spot on and under calories every single day but not by a crazy extreme. I've been religious about getting my 10,000 steps in daily so am walking at least 5 miles every day.

I am due for TOM pretty soon here so I'm wondering if that could be it. I'm on week 3 of really tracking and watching diet and workouts. The first week I lost a little over 2 lbs and then last week was almost 5 lbs but now I'm up almost 2lbs. I'm discouraged but not giving up.

Ladies, just wondering what you expect each month when this happens. I know every woman is different but is this normal for having been so on track with everything?

Replies

  • nenshali
    nenshali Posts: 331 Member
    I weigh myself several times on a daily basis (disordered, do not recommend) and my weight can fluctuate +/- 5lb DAILY. Can happen that I am 129lbs when I wake up and 133lbs when I go to bed.

    Besides this, especially if you are doing sports, it could be because of muscles that you build up. Muscles weigh more, but take in less room. That means if you build up muscle you might weigh more, but you still lose the inches (and that is what you are striving for!)

    So nothing to worry about in general. :flowerforyou:
  • jlshea
    jlshea Posts: 494 Member
    One of the hardest things is making my husband understand TOM gain. He dropped 60 lbs like it was hot and ALWAYS lost, never gained, when he was trying to lose. I feel like he's judging me or thinking, "Right, how many granola bars did you have this week?" On top of the gain I just feel overly sensitive. Blah :ohwell:
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
    If you're in a calorie deficit you are absolutely not gaining muscle. That's impossible. It's actually really hard to gain muscle, especially for women, and you need to be in a calorie surplus to do so. At best you are maintaining the muscle you have, or losing it if you're not using it/have too big of a deficit. Anyway, 1.5 lbs is nothing. Some people can gain up to 5-10. I would say I gain in the 3-5 lb range in water weight, and then when it's over I lose the water weight plus the scale goes below my weight from before the bloating (so the actual weight I lost). If you're eating at a deficit, measuring food accurately, not eating back all of your exercise cals (because they are often over-estimated) then just be patient. it could take over a week to get back to normal.

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