I could cry right now-weight gain

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I've been stuck at my current weight for nearly 3 weeks after losing 12Ibs. I was only eating 1200 calories for the first 7 weeks, so users on here suggested eating my maintenance weight of 1500 calories as well as working out. I just weighed myself, first thing in the morning and it says I've gained 4Ibs, I'm actually in tears now. I realised that I was still eating a lot of processed food (but still under or at calorie goal) so tried to cut that out in the last few days, slowly but surely.

I've been really good, exercising three times a week and eating at maintenance for a week. The only exception was last night when I had some fast food whilst out but I left over 900 calories remaining to cover this.

I feel like not eating anything now :(

I'm really hoping this might be water retention, as I weighed myself 2 days ago and was still at the plateau weight, so 4Ibs in 2 days seems excessive?
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Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    4 lbs in 2 days cannot be fat, unless you were eating like maintenance+7000 calories per day. Wait another couple of days and reweigh.
  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
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    I am so with you. Been plateau-ed for weeks, finally dropped a couple of pounds and got really excited and happy. That was Tuesday. It's now Friday and since Tues I've put on just over 4lb.
    My only hope is that the antiobiotics I've been on since Monday are causing some kind of weight effect and that when I stop them at the weekend the extra pounds will melt away like magic as quickly as they came on. If not, I think starving myself (I did that for about 2 years) is the only way I'll cope. I just cannot cope with being fat again.

    :explode:
  • BeanyFrog13
    BeanyFrog13 Posts: 161 Member
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    Don't give up!!! I plateaued for a couple of months and swung between same weight and 5lbs heavier until it broke and I started to lose weight again! Just keep on going and it DOES get better!!!
  • BazAbroad
    BazAbroad Posts: 248
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    Do not make weight your ultimate bench mark of how your doing.
    Look at yourself in the mirror and c how those jeans fit.
    That is a better bench mark.
    There will b ups and downs, just look for the overall trend of getting healthier.
    As for the 3 times a week workouts, ok if your active, try adding some walks or dancing or something or wii games, anything to keep moving, otherwise, 3 times is not really enough,
    :wink:
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
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    Try hard not to let the scale rule your emotions. You really can't gain that much fat in that amount of time! There are so many factors that can affect what the scale is telling you. Do you feel different? Are your clothes tight? Pay attention to those kinds of cues. If you haven't already, maybe get your body fat measured and try using that percentage as your guide, rather than the scale. I personally avoid the scale because it made me crazy and obsessive. I only pay attention to my body fat percentage. If I have a low body fat and nice toned muscles, I don't care what the scale says!
  • clem7444
    clem7444 Posts: 64 Member
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    If you open your diary people may be able to give you some advice on what you're eating that may be attributing to water gain and/or a lack of weigh loss.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I gained 4 Ibs in less than 24 hours once having had a bad binge and got through 2 loaves of fruit bread with honey, 1 before bed, and 1 after I woke up. I cycled and ate normally the next day, and 3 of those 4 Ibs had dropped off that evening. I think eating certain things can just really add instant, temporary weight to some people, and for me it is bready things or oats. I'd suggest eating as normal and check your weight again after a few days. And get some exercise and drink plenty of water to help flush any excess fluid out.
  • spamvicious
    spamvicious Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys, I did about three hours of walking today and I'll be doing two workouts tomorrow. I just need to make sure I don't weigh myself for a week at least to save myself this trauma in future lol. I understand that weight is not the only way of knowing if you've lost but when you gain 4Ibs in 2 days its very alarming so I hope its just the usual thing of women retaining water monthly etc.
  • Janineshaw
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    also fast food normally contains alot more salt than food we would cook at home so u are prob retaining some water from that xx
  • PrincessNariko
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    If you eat clean and continue to exercise that water weight will disappear :) Eat chicken, eggs, walnuts, vegetables, wholegrain products, fruit etc. and drink only water.

    Remember that it takes about 3 months for the body to stabilize a new weight cause it remembers it's old weight. Just hang in there. The weight will go down :)
  • lornathewizzard
    lornathewizzard Posts: 172 Member
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    Hi
    To have actually put on 4 lbs of fat, you would need to have eaten 14,000 calories. Now, we all know you didn't do that. The most likely cause is water retention, which can be caused by anything from too much salt, not enough water, to hormonal fluctuations. Keep eating well (1500 is a good number I think) and exercising and you'll be just fine. Give it time as well, things will settle down. And good luck!
  • lornathewizzard
    lornathewizzard Posts: 172 Member
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    I am so with you. Been plateau-ed for weeks, finally dropped a couple of pounds and got really excited and happy. That was Tuesday. It's now Friday and since Tues I've put on just over 4lb.
    My only hope is that the antiobiotics I've been on since Monday are causing some kind of weight effect and that when I stop them at the weekend the extra pounds will melt away like magic as quickly as they came on. If not, I think starving myself (I did that for about 2 years) is the only way I'll cope. I just cannot cope with being fat again.

    :explode:

    Hi :) I hope you're not seriously considering starving yourself, that really isn't the way forward. Take heed of all the great advise available for you and most of all stay positive. The antibiotics are probably having an effect, make sure you're eating enough and exercising well, and you'll do just fine.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    1. Are you sure your maintenance is 1500?
    2. How long have you been eating at that amount for?
    3. Have you been eating your exercise calories or not? (If so, might have gained weight because of that if you ate them *all* back just because of inaccuracies and gone over maintenance)
    4. 3 weeks isn't really that long, I would hesitate to even call that a plateau.
    5. If it was 4 pounds in 2 days, guarantee you most of that, if not all, is water weight and should level out over the next few days as long as you stay at maintenance and drink plenty of water.
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
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    add me and check out my diary.. im losing almost a pound every few days !!! i cleaned my diet up and its amazing

    weight loss is 80% DIET
    20% WORKOUT.

    diet meaning what you eat.. not some fad bs !
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys, I did about three hours of walking today and I'll be doing two workouts tomorrow. I just need to make sure I don't weigh myself for a week at least to save myself this trauma in future lol. I understand that weight is not the only way of knowing if you've lost but when you gain 4Ibs in 2 days its very alarming so I hope its just the usual thing of women retaining water monthly etc.

    also.. dont over-do it. dont overwork out.
  • atthompson27
    atthompson27 Posts: 31 Member
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    Agreed. And stop weighing yourself every other day. Weigh yourself no more than once a week at the same time each week (best when you 1st get up). This will be give you a more accurate picture of your weight.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,622 Member
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    I've been stuck at my current weight for nearly 3 weeks after losing 12Ibs. I was only eating 1200 calories for the first 7 weeks, so users on here suggested eating my maintenance weight of 1500 calories as well as working out. I just weighed myself, first thing in the morning and it says I've gained 4Ibs, I'm actually in tears now. I realised that I was still eating a lot of processed food (but still under or at calorie goal) so tried to cut that out in the last few days, slowly but surely.

    I've been really good, exercising three times a week and eating at maintenance for a week. The only exception was last night when I had some fast food whilst out but I left over 900 calories remaining to cover this.

    I feel like not eating anything now :(

    I'm really hoping this might be water retention, as I weighed myself 2 days ago and was still at the plateau weight, so 4Ibs in 2 days seems excessive?
    3500 x 4 is 14,000 calories. So unless you ate that much PLUS your daily calories, it's water weight. Don't weigh everyday and IMO you should dump your scale because it sounds like your success/failure of measurement. Pay more attention to how you feel, how your clothes fit and just making better food choices.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
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    Three hours of walking and two workouts tomorrow sound excessive to me. That is not a sustainable lifestyle, and if you're serious about becoming healthy and keeping the weight off you have to be able to maintain that pace for the long term. I don't think it's possible and you'll only be disappointed. I agree with what someone else said, I don't know if 3 weeks is really a plateau.

    Slow & steady wins the race - never were truer words spoken than when it comes to weight loss!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,622 Member
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    Three hours of walking and two workouts tomorrow sound excessive to me. That is not a sustainable lifestyle, and if you're serious about becoming healthy and keeping the weight off you have to be able to maintain that pace for the long term. I don't think it's possible and you'll only be disappointed. I agree with what someone else said, I don't know if 3 weeks is really a plateau.

    Slow & steady wins the race - never were truer words spoken than when it comes to weight loss!
    Forgot to say: 3 weeks of no weight loss is NOT a plateau, it's a stall. A plateau is 6 weeks or more of no weight loss while on consistent calorie deficit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • rtaddlowe
    rtaddlowe Posts: 70
    Options
    I've been stuck at my current weight for nearly 3 weeks after losing 12Ibs. I was only eating 1200 calories for the first 7 weeks, so users on here suggested eating my maintenance weight of 1500 calories as well as working out. I just weighed myself, first thing in the morning and it says I've gained 4Ibs, I'm actually in tears now. I realised that I was still eating a lot of processed food (but still under or at calorie goal) so tried to cut that out in the last few days, slowly but surely.

    I've been really good, exercising three times a week and eating at maintenance for a week. The only exception was last night when I had some fast food whilst out but I left over 900 calories remaining to cover this.

    I feel like not eating anything now :(

    I'm really hoping this might be water retention, as I weighed myself 2 days ago and was still at the plateau weight, so 4Ibs in 2 days seems excessive?
    3500 x 4 is 14,000 calories. So unless you ate that much PLUS your daily calories, it's water weight. Don't weigh everyday and IMO you should dump your scale because it sounds like your success/failure of measurement. Pay more attention to how you feel, how your clothes fit and just making better food choices.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ^^^^^^^
    This