I can't freaking believe this!, I gained 1 pound in 5 days

PaulaDDN

I weight in every thursday, last thursdays when i weighted my self i gained 1 pound, kind fo understandable because i didnt diet as good as i wanted that week, so i decided to try harder this week, i started to workout again, watch what i eat etc. etc. so today i shouldn't be weighting my self but i was just curious wondering if the scale numbers have move a little bit, so surpise, they moved, but they went up, im 170 pounds, last week i was 169 and 2 weeks ago i was 168, i mean WTH... what am i doing so wrong. I better go out, take a walk before i break my diet (because now i feel nothing works for me, why shoul i bother), break my laptop and, of course, break the scale LOL. I need some advice

***Update, i didnt gain 1 pound in the last 5 days, i gained 2 pounds!!

hollyb9871

Weight fluctuates several times with in a day 2-5 lbs. between morning and night. If you are exercising and doing all the right things you probably have extra water in your muscles that it's using to repair it self. If you have had too much sodium on top of that you're retaining more water with that. Keep doing good things for your body and you will see the results. Using the scale to determine your success is futile as there are so many factors that change it. Chin up and keep working it out!

123nikki123

You're probably retaining water! Drinks lots and lots of it and you'll see the numbers drop :bigsmile:

kdao

I just took a quick look at your diary, and it may have to do with sodium and alcohol in the last week. Try to flush your system and drink a ton of water. Good luck!

juliapurpletoes

Deep breath Paula!

Try not to break things!!! This is happened to all of us and I know it is soooooo frustrating and a little disheartening. But, it could be anything from water retention in the muscles from your exercise to time of the month issues, to constipation, etc. (probably not fat!)

Also, it is a very good thing to do this plan slowly, as a new way of life that will last with new habits.

Hang in there girl :flowerforyou:

sessaleigh

It gets better I promise. After a while you get used to seeing that minor fluctuation and will be focused on the giant number you've lost over a long period of time. Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat, either. I used to scoff when people told me that, but it's very true. So if you're gaining muscle you may see the number of the scale go up, but your measurements will go down. I was upset a while back b/c it had been about 2 or 3 months since I saw any weight loss at all and I didn't understand it. But when I measured myself I realized I had lost a couple of inches! It was just that muscle was replacing fat and my scale doesn't know the difference.

michelleisgettinfit

Looking at your diary, wondering if you did the same thing I did last week when I gained 1.8 lbs... I wasn't eating enough. Seems like you have a lot of calories left over at the end of the day... you need to eat back at least half or more of your exercise calories since MFP already has a built in deficiency. Something to try.

JulieF11

I'm sorry. That's very frustrating, but please know that there is no secret plan... Calories in verses calories burned, taking into consideration hormones, salt intake, water retention, sleep habits, illness, medications, etc... Okay, so there are a huge amount of variables. I would have given up long ago if I weighed each week. Try every other week... it's too hard to see the numbers go up and down. Mine fluctuate so much that I really don't think I've lost anything until I realize my weight is like a pendulum, but eventually it keeps getting to a lower, low point. Please watch your salt, and weigh yourself nude in the morning, before even any water.

pixietoes

Paula, I only looked over the last five days, but what I see is that you are routinely eating less than 1200 calories a day, sometimes hundreds of calories under that.. Some of those calories are coming from alcohol, some from meal replacement bars. The question of whether to eat your exercise calories is a controversial one here, but you should be at LEAST eating your base of 1200.

I know it's hard for you to believe this, but you need to eat more, and more real food. If this represents your diet over the last few weeks, your body is starving. You won't get where you want to go if you don't treat your body well.

healthekate

After looking at your diary, I would be willing to bet that you're not eating enough calories. This happened to me; your body will rebel if you don't give it the calories it needs on the days you exercise. I recommend allowing yourself a high-cal day (eating at maintenance calories). You must choose only healthy foods for this to work, and watch your sodium. You might want to start tracking your sodium too. Do some research on calorie cycling. This is a great tool for plateaus, and I think it could really work for you. Some people eat maintenance calories followed by three low-cal days (1200, in your case), and then repeat. This might be the push your body needs. Good luck!