Gained 2 lbs this week, and I'm not freaking out

kaydoh2014

I've been tracking on MFP since January 4th and this is the second time that I've gained. The first time I gained I only gained 0.6 lbs - this week I gained 2 lbs. The first time I gained it hit me HARD :sad: Today, I actually expected to gain. I'll start with the fact that Friday I ate like an idiot! (And boy did I pay the price on Saturday...I felt like GARBAGE! It's amazing how quickly the body can get un-used to crap food). There have also been a few pre-birthday indulgences - I tend to celebrate my birthday more than just on my birthday (which hasn't arrived yet). But I've also been working out regularly since January 4th, and muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe I'm fooling myself into thinking that I'm finally turning some of my flab into something useful, but I'm not upset that I gained this week. I'll just have to be extra vigilant this week about what I eat, especially since this is my actual birthday week so Friday we're going out for Mexican with my friends (which also means there will be alcohol consumed). And if I gain a little again next week, that's okay too because the week after that I'll just go back to being super good. The whole point of all this is that it has to fit into real life. In real life there will from time-to-time be things that pop up and challenge you - the "trick" is to be good enough before and after those challenges that the challenges only have a temporary effect on your waistline. So I'm not going to spend my day sulking or pouting or continuing to make bad food choices. Today I'm going to make smart food choices, and exercise HARD! Happy Sunday!

H2Odaughter

I have actually been weighing myself (almost) daily since I started MFP in late December. One of the things that I have discovered is the constant weight fluctuation day-to-day. The way that I decided to handle it (and this is working for me) is to only officially weigh-in when I have a drop. (I am tracking daily weight in the notes section of my daily food diary, so I can go back and see what has actually happened over time). I hit a LONG plateau - 20 days - at my lowest recorded date, but since that was the weight I was "owning," I didn't succumb to the temptations I would have in the past. I just kept plugging along and then I got my next downward bump. I am hopeful that this "plateau" will not last as long as the last, but I'm in this for the long haul ... Yep, life happens and figuring out the balances is part of the game! I'm discovering how much of this is mental!

kaydoh2014

I'd make myself more neurotic than I already am if I weighed myself every day:laugh: Although I would be interested to see how directly related to my weight my food and exercise choices are. I weigh in first thing Sunday morning as soon as I've emptied my bladder and put on my glasses. That way I've gotten through one day of the weekend, so I'll have the benefit of one last workout, without having the extra oomph of my Sunday workout. It's kind of funny to track my cycle. I don't have one of THOSE cycles any more, although I do still have my ovaries, yet my body is still following the same exact pattern at the exact same stage of the moon's phase as it did when I did have one of those cycles. I am at my heaviest the week after the full moon - when my PMS-related stupid horrible food choices were at their most plentiful. So now since I no longer have PMS as an "excuse" I have no choice but to take full responsibility for my actions. I put myself in the position where I gained 2 lbs. I can get myself out of it.

Plateaus happen to everyone, we just have to figure out how to not make them negatively affect us mentally. You're right, so much of this is mental. Emotional eating - and let's face it, an awful lot of us are emotional eaters (I had a bad day I deserve a consolation, I got recognized for a job well done I deserve a reward, I'm feeling sad I need some comfort food) - is a VERY hard habit to break. But I quit smoking after the better part of 22 years, I can quit eating like a moron! Most of the time :laugh: