Is my gain a blip?

Saraminap
Saraminap Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good evening all,

Just looking for a little advice from more experienced members please.

I've been following my diet for a month now, and, on an allowance of 1200 calories a day, had managed to shed 9lbs.

I was delighted with the loss, but found that the 1200 calorie allowance left me hungry, and miserable - it did not feel sustainable long term.

I reassessed the speed at which I was prepared to shed the weight and re-set my mfp goals, increasing my daily allowance to 1330 a day. I found the extra 130 calories made a huge difference, but, at the end of the first week, I have gained 2lbs.

Is this just a blip or should I return to the lower allowance?

Any advice much appreciated,

Sara

Replies

  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    I find that it is common for my weight to swing around in a 2-3 pound range in the span of a week, which is probably mostly attributed to water and digestive contents. I would recommend comparing your weight to a month ago to assess a real change.
  • Saraminap
    Saraminap Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you for sharing that - I am delighted with the move over the last month, so will stick with it :)
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
    I did 1200 for a while and then readjusted to 1700 and I also gained weight back. I won't ever go back to 1200. You'll start losing again, your body just may need to adjust itself to adapt to the new changes.
  • Saraminap
    Saraminap Posts: 8 Member
    Well - still static on my adjusted calories, I'm nervous since I know myself well and am quick to become disheartened.....

    I don't mean by this that I will quit the diet, rather that, which I shudder to confess, I will resort to my past bulimic habits that saw me shed 60lbs in a most revolting and unhealthy way which was unsustainable and which I do not wish to repeat :(

    This time, It felt like it was going so well - if others could just validate that time will see the weight loss click in again I would appreciate it!

    I do not need more than 1lb a week loss as i do not expect this to be a sprint - but am indoctrinated by a family belief in slow metabolism blah blah that I need to overcome and dismiss,

    Advice welcome, and thank you in advance

    Sara
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    Well - still static on my adjusted calories, I'm nervous since I know myself well and am quick to become disheartened.....

    I don't mean by this that I will quit the diet, rather that, which I shudder to confess, I will resort to my past bulimic habits that saw me shed 60lbs in a most revolting and unhealthy way which was unsustainable and which I do not wish to repeat :(

    This time, It felt like it was going so well - if others could just validate that time will see the weight loss click in again I would appreciate it!

    I do not need more than 1lb a week loss as i do not expect this to be a sprint - but am indoctrinated by a family belief in slow metabolism blah blah that I need to overcome and dismiss,

    Advice welcome, and thank you in advance

    Sara

    Please get help. Bulimia isn't something just to throw out there to use as a weight loss tool.
  • Saraminap
    Saraminap Posts: 8 Member
    I am never bulimic until I try to focus on weight loss, so last time I did this was 11 years ago - want to believe it will happen steadily if I follow the plan..........need to face it head on and be patient this time - I feel the urge but have not given in....if I do, being older and wiser, I take on board that it is unhealthy and will seek help outside of this forum

    Thank you for your care

    Sara
    x
  • LizReeb
    LizReeb Posts: 17
    Well - still static on my adjusted calories, I'm nervous since I know myself well and am quick to become disheartened.....


    At some point in time, I will write up some kind of web page or blog post entitled "Why losing weight sucks big ____ ____ ____". (Insert whatever object of your disdain you would like)

    I'll start up front with the easy answer. And good news - it's the one you want to hear. You will, absolutely will, see progress! You will resume losing weight! Just keep it up.

    Now, with the not-so-fun answer: You may or may not see progress again in the next few weeks. Your body will, at times, work against you. I'm going through the EXACT same thing for the last two weeks. I lost 10lbs, now my weight has been going up and down about 3lbs. But not trending down. It defies logic and science to piss me off. 3500 calorie deficit = 1lb down. Right now, apparently, 4000 calorie deficit = 2lbs gained. (My logical side realizes that in part this is likely water retention and some voodoo magic, and not true fat gain. Not that my emotional side gives a ****, I just want to see the scale move.) My body is holding onto my weight like its favorite blankie. No amount of discussion, reasoning, shouting, begging or crying has managed to change that fact so far. However - after hours and hours of research over the years (and my own successful attempts to lose the weight, marginal success at keeping it off), talking to people, talking to doctors, and talking to nutritionists - if you stay the course, you WILL start seeing movement again. You just need to keep the faith it will change, and find your motivation to keep at it. (One nutritionist said, after I had hit a plateau for 2 weeks, to have someone take the damn scale away from me. I should have listened. :) )

    Best of luck!
  • Saraminap
    Saraminap Posts: 8 Member
    thank you for taking the time to urge me onwards! I am keeping the faith, and for now the scales, which remain stubborn!

    I'm no longer hungry, just not overly delighted with what I'm eating.......Guess I just need to learn to love an apple as much as a cream doughnut :o

    If you DO write that blog, let me know x
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Weight fluctuates daily 2-4 pounds, usually water retention.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    When you see a temporary gain on the scale (as in 0-5 pounds) but you're confident you're doing the right things: weighing your food, logging everything, eating at a reasonable deficit - you have to trust the science behind calories in vs calories out and give it time. If after 4-6 weeks more you're still holding steady or gaining, then its reasonable to wonder if there is a deeper issue.

    Your weight is going to stall and sometimes go up. Nothing you can do to stop it. If you're taking the right steps to lose weight though, this is water weight. I 'gained' 3.5 pounds after starting my period recently. I'm still up over a pound now and its more than a week later. Its just the way my body reacts to my cycle. By this time next week I should be back to 134.8 (which I reached just before AF arrived) and down another .5 or 1 pound beyond that.

    Many things can lead to water weight gain: high sodium one day can make the scale shoot up for 1-3 days. Starting a new fitness routine can cause your muscles to hold water for a few days. TOM is the biggest perhaps, and it affects us differently. You might hold extra water before or during or after. We're different. Then there is stress and sleep...

    Hang in there! Eat to provide your body with nutrition and look at the scale again in 2-3 weeks.

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