Gained 4 lbs in 3 days???

meechi53

Hi,

I'm fairly new to MFP, started it Jan 11 or so as well as started zumba classes that same week. I have been doing zumba 2x a week then I'm on the treadmill 4x a week for 400 calories and I take one rest day. I have been on 1200 calories a day and I've been right at or below that and that is AFTER factoring in my excersise of course. I was down 9 lbs in about a month's time then all of a sudden this week, I weighed today and I'm up 4 lbs in 3 days ( I weigh every 3 days) WHAT THE HECK?????? My clothes are not tighter or anything like that. It is an old spiral scale, not a digital so my first thought was maybe something was broken. I don't understand that all my hard work for the past month is down the toilet in a few days, when I didnt change anything. I had some beer over the weekend but I still stayed within my calories and all that. I eat healthily, lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, I pretty much changed the way I eat all around to be healthier. I was checked for thyroid and all that a few weeks ago and it all came out fine..

My goal was to lose 20 lbs between Jan 11 and March 30 for a trip, and It looked like it would be easy and I could lose that and then some....but now??? I'm discouraged. I have had such a hard time losing weight all my life. I"ve always been between 30-50 lbs over "ideal" weight ever since I was a teenager, and this finally was working for me. But gosh, this was disheartening to get on the scale this morning and see that. I even did kickboxing class last night and probably burned 800 calories. Any suggestions? Ideas? reasons I gained? Its not like my clothes got tight all of a sudden either. I'm only 5'1 so that 8-9 lbs really showed on me.

mallory3411

Unless you ate 14,000 calories more than you need you didn't gain fat. Could be water.

laurel_meadows

I've actually had the same thing happen to me. I run 2 miles every afternoon with my dog, am on an 1100 calorie diet and eat/drink pretty healthy every day. I also added in weight lifting- nothing extreme but I try to workout 3-4 times weekly. After 3 weeks, I had GAINED 5 lbs. I asked my doctor about it in which he said that given the diet, either you're not getting enough calories for the exercise your taking on or your lifting enough that you're gaining muscle weight...

Not sure if that helps, but it sounds like you might not be getting enough sustenance for how active you are...

rides4sanity

Beer seems to do that to me (even if its just a few), so I never weigh in the day after anymore. I think its just extra water retension and it usually goes away in a few days. Don't let a bad number get you down. I'm 5'1'' and you're right a few pounds realy does show, keep up the good work. :flowerforyou:

RedHeadChick

There are a few things to consider, but first could it be close to your time of the month? This can cause water retention and shift weight for a few days. I really don't like the scale, I think it is a poor way to judge what the body is doing. So I would invest in a tape measure and start measuring your body from time to time. Really helps to keep track of things.

I typically will gain weight if I am not eating enough calories. Recently I had dental surgery and was on a liquid diet. I was not eating enough calories during that week and actually gained a few pounds. Once I started eating more, the weight fell right off.

If have been over your ideal weight for a while, it can take time to get rid of it. So be patient with yourself. It will come. So don't obsess over the scale. You are doing great! So keep it up!

meechi53

Thanks guys, maybe it is muscle/water... I have had to pee 3x today and it's only 1pm! I guess maybe I should weigh just once a week and invest in a better scale just so I have an idea on what I'm doing..