Confused by weight gain!

halloranv23

I know I shouldn't obsess over weighing myself every day and I drive myself crazy with it but for some reason I still do it. Yesterday I was under my calories so I ate around 1300 calories but since I added some exercise it was closer to 1200 calories. I was proud of myself and thought I'd at least lose a little weight but instead I gained 3 pounds!!!! It really gets me down and I don't understand how it's even possible. This is only day 4 of my diet and it's dissapointing to make the right choices and sacrafice things and then gain weight. Just feel like I need some motivation.....

Anyone have an idea of what made me gain like that?
Victoria

1213shell

You must remember that exercise builds muscle and muscle is heavier than fat. I know it's disappointing but, stick with it and you'll see progress in inches which is just as important as loss in pounds.

animatorswearbras

it must be water weight unless you ate about 10 thousand EXTRA calories don't sweat it it'll even out

DixiedoesMFP

It's day 4! Slow down and be patient.

BerryH

It is perfectly normal to fluctuate by a number of pounds over the course of the day, week and month for any number of non-food reasons. The best ways to avoid this are either to weight just once a week at exactly the same time of day (e.g after using the toilet but before breakfast) or weigh EVERY day, toget an idea of fluctuations over time. This can be hard to bear at first as you will get results like you've just had, so stick with the long view!

You won't have built significant muscle yet, or indeed have shed much flat, but if you're new to exercise or doing something different, fluid rushes to your muscles to repair damage, flush away waste products and replace energy. This will go in time.

Stick with it, and don't weigh in again until after you've completed a full week! :flowerforyou:

jolarocknrolla

you are just retaining water, it happens after you work out. just keep going, it takes time to actually lose weight and the weight "gain" is just temporary.

Christine1110

Are you drinking lots of water? Did you eat out? There is so much sodium in takeout foods....you can have your weight up....but it's not really weight gain. Drinks lots of water and get it a week.

gpstrucker

Reality check time. You simply aren't going to gain three pounds of fat or muscle in a single day.

You're right, you're making yourself nuts weighing every day. You know it so stop it. LOL

Are you taking your measurements? That can tell you things the scale can't.

There are a couple of things to explain a three pound difference between one day and the next. Water retention, "that time of the month", or perhaps you need some quality time in the bathroom.

therealangd

It's water weight.

cramernh

This is only day 4 of my diet

This is the exact answer to your question....

You are stressing over only day 4 for unfortunately no reason. Its too soon to be worrying about anything. Food changes, adding exercise in the beginning should totally be disregarded scale-wise, in fact.... you are adding to your own stress if you are going to continue to use the scale only day 4.

You have to be alot more realistic and sensible about this. Weight fluctuates day to day. Even more so when you begin a brand new program.

If you continue to willingly stress yourself out by being the stressor, you will cause your body to create cortisol and that is a weight-gaining hormone that will be your worst nightmare.

Jigglebewie

Hi there,

I had the exact same thing. I stepping onto the scales last night just to see how I was getting along and apparently gained 3lbs. Then today I come on =[

I read somewhere that when you leading up to your period you may gain some pounds (between 3 & 5 on average) due to water retention and the obvious fact that your uterus is lined with blood . So you may be about to come on my dear.

Hope this helps, try not to let it get you down, just continue what your doing, add in your exercise and stay away from the scales for a week.

delilah47

Day 4 of your diet?? Take a deep breath and SLOW DOWN. You aren't going to lose everything in a week. Just plan on changing your bad eating habits and the weight will come off in due time. As for the "muscle is heavier than fat" theory. After 4 days, that's just plain silly. Your weight will go up and down from day to day because of fluctuations of water in your body. True weight loss happens slowly if you are eating right. You have to have a 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound, so do the math. You can't gain or lose a pound in one day if you are eating anywhere near "normal".

gsager

I know I shouldn't obsess over weighing myself every day and I drive myself crazy with it but for some reason I still do it. Yesterday I was under my calories so I ate around 1300 calories but since I added some exercise it was closer to 1200 calories. I was proud of myself and thought I'd at least lose a little weight but instead I gained 3 pounds!!!! It really gets me down and I don't understand how it's even possible. This is only day 4 of my diet and it's dissapointing to make the right choices and sacrafice things and then gain weight. Just feel like I need some motivation.....

Anyone have an idea of what made me gain like that?
Victoria

You really have to eat more than that. Eat you MFP calories plus you exercise calories. You just aren't eating enough.

Suzannabanana

Are you drinking water? I didn't believe it made much difference, at first, but it does. I can drink 4 cups a day and am hoping to increase it. My daughter has gone from a size 14 to a 10 in just a few months by drinking 8 cups a day and she has not even changed her diet!! I have noticed my clothes fit much better and as an added bonus my skin is much clearer. Drinking water helps with fluid retention and with cramps during the menstrual cycle. Give it a try for at least a month and I think you will notice a difference, it is an easy thing to do. Good Luck!

_EmmaStrong_

First of all, DON'T weigh yourself daily, that will just drive you nuts. Wait until it's been at least a week. There is no way you could gain 3 pounds in 4 days. You would have to eat over 4500 calories per day. It is most likely water retention. Just hang in there, it looks like your doing everything right. It takes a lot of patience and you seem to have the commitment - all the right ingredients to make this weightloss journey work.

Please feel free to add me, if you want.

Good Luck!:flowerforyou:

umachanxo

Try not to weigh yourself every day. If you have a hard time not doing that, wean off of it. It WILL drive you nuts...especially right at the beginning. Hang in there.

Weight fluctuates depending on your cycle, water retention, muscle building, etc. That 3 lbs may just be water and will most likely disappear quickly.

My advice is to track inches over lbs. You will see a difference measuring yourself even if the scale isn't moving. (Provided you are watching your intake and exercising). Don't give up!

FitzyFitzpatrick

I'm obcessive about... just about everything, so I understand. I was weighing every day too, thinking I wanted to "reward" myself for a past day well done. Instead, I was letting the digital result rule my day. So I'm back to once-a-week weigh-ins. Since my body can't tell what day it is, some weeks I'm up a bit, others I'm WAY down. I can only reward myself with the knowledge that I'm learning how to do this on a lifetime basis. A week's worth of good choices is solid gold, and the results will show up sooner or later.

halloranv23

Thanks for the responses! I'm sure you are all right about it most likely being water weight. It's just dissapointing because in the first 3 days I somehow lost 3.5 pounds and it all came back and it's a bummer because I didn't eat anything bad or eat out so I didn't expect such a gain. I'm not new to the ups & downs of weight while dieting, I've dieted many times before. One time my husband even took my scale and hid it from me because I obsessed too much! This time I'm trying to lose some baby weight I gained from having my 2 boys because we decided to have another baby and I'd like to lose some weight before getting pregnant!

What kinds of things make us gain water weight? I drink lots of water, and my "time of the month" is just ending. I'm sure I'll drink lots of water today as it's going to be hot! And I'll wait a few days before I weigh myself again!

Thanks again for the responses and motivation!

baptiste565

r u using s food scale to measure out portions

halloranv23

Yup, I have one and weigh all my portions. It's really helpful!

rpantusa

its only day 4 you have to be patient and don't weigh every day b/c your weight will fluctuate day to day depending on the amount of water you drank, how much sodium you had, if your muscles are sore, they will retain water to help repair them, and a million other different factors. Just hang in there, and don't drive your self crazy with the scale. if you stick to it, you will see results, with time. you did not gain it all overnight, it will not come off over night. Good luck with your journey, and be patient, you can do it!

_EmmaStrong_

You need to keep a close watch of you sodium. There is a lot of sodium in foods and drinks, that you wouldn't even expect. I would try to keep it below 2300 mg.

JCOLLARD2012

One HUGE misconception is the word or phrase "Calories!" If your only tracking calories, you will not be able to monitor thing's like, fiber, protein, sugar, fat, or "SODIUM, " one of the largest reasons for weight gain. While I am not a doctor, or a nutritionist, I am a very large built Male, have been most of my life, and I have also been struggling with weight Loss and/or gain.

While I do take medication for High Blood Pressure, Stress/Anxiety, I also exercise every day, whether I'm out mowing lawns, swimming, playing golf, strength training, running on a treadmill...etc. Keep in mind, while exercising, you are also adding muscle, and you must remember, that muscle weighs more than fat and can easily make losing weight an issue!!

For instance, I am still at 260 pounds, which was my starting weight 5 days ago!

Always remember that each and every human body stores and processes food, calories, fat, sugar, fiber, protein, and sodium differently! SLEEP is also a huge factor, and can cause weight gain/loss, depending on the quality and/or quantity that you may be getting.

One thing you may want to try is measuring yourself, instead of weighing yourself, every day?
May help to keep your mind off of your weight, which will only frustrate you more and more each day.
Don't be so hard on yourself, you are already on the right track by joining "myfitnesspal," and by wanting to live a more healthy life.

Your friend,
Justin(JCOLLARD2012) GOOD-LUCK AND BEST WISHES!!

mikeyrp

Useful link explaining what water retention is and what you can do about it.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187978.php


FACT: I always gain weight the day after a long CV session even though I am always well under calories (My weekly long runs are 12 - 20 miles). It always goes away the day after that. In other words - its just part of your body doing its thing. Look at trends - not individual reading on the scale.

medaglia_06

You won't have built significant muscle yet, or indeed have shed much flat, but if you're new to exercise or doing something different, fluid rushes to your muscles to repair damage, flush away waste products and replace energy. This will go in time.

This. Make sure you get at least eight cups of water in to rid the excess water weight... I know it makes no sense to drink more water to get rid of water, but it's true! Keep at it and you'll see the scale drop.

animatorswearbras

Thanks for the responses! I'm sure you are all right about it most likely being water weight. It's just dissapointing because in the first 3 days I somehow lost 3.5 pounds and it all came back and it's a bummer because I didn't eat anything bad or eat out so I didn't expect such a gain. I'm not new to the ups & downs of weight while dieting, I've dieted many times before. One time my husband even took my scale and hid it from me because I obsessed too much!

Yeah that 3.5 pounds you lost over 3 days would have been water weight which you just put back on, I got some several pound fluctuations during my first couple of weeks as my body was adapting to the diet change, just weigh yourself at the same time weekly first thing after a bathroom visit and unfortunatley don't expect to lose more than 2 pounds a week, I'm averaging half a pound a week (although aiming to lose a pound a week) because my job is quite sedentary, even though I try to do 3 hours of exercise a week too. It's can be a painfully slow process but don't give up and it'll soon start coming off permenantly.

mikeyrp

This. Make sure you get at least eight cups of water in to rid the excess water weight... I know it makes no sense to drink more water to get rid of water, but it's true! Keep at it and you'll see the scale drop.

Its because you are washing sodium and other electrolytes out of your body - and this is what helps your body to retain water.

Be careful - in this heat, if you are working out you need some of those electrolytes: too little is as bad as too much and can in fact be fatal. Any exercise longer than 1hr start you should using a sports drink (low calorie is fine) instead of water.

DeanneLea

What everyone else said and...pick a weigh in day once per week and try to stay off the scale during the week. If you can't stay off of the scale, learn to only accept the number once a week on your designated WI day...the rest are just fluctuations. I weigh in every Thursday morning. I've peeked during the week and been up as much as 5 lbs, then right back down on weigh in day.

Alex729

I'm obcessive about... just about everything, so I understand. I was weighing every day too, thinking I wanted to "reward" myself for a past day well done. Instead, I was letting the digital result rule my day. So I'm back to once-a-week weigh-ins. Since my body can't tell what day it is, some weeks I'm up a bit, others I'm WAY down. I can only reward myself with the knowledge that I'm learning how to do this on a lifetime basis. A week's worth of good choices is solid gold, and the results will show up sooner or later.

Thank you for this. This is exactly what I needed to "hear" today.

Qskim

One word.... Persist!

ChassityGetsFit

I also have a problem with weighing myself every day (I don't know why) but my scale fluctuates by several pounds all the time, from 2-4 lbs regularly! I try not to let it bother me, but hey, it's gets to everyone! I have noticed that on mornings when my weight goes up significantly I know I didn't eat my best the day before. Just because I was under my calorie goal and I worked out like crazy, if my eating is off then my weight fluctuates like crazy! When I say my eating is off then I mean I was snacking on candy and not eating enough fruits and veggies and so on, even though I do count all of that into my calories. If you're not getting enough nutrients then it can have a huge affect. I don't know what your diet looks likes or what you've been eating, but that's just what happens to me. The only thing I can say is, try your best to get at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies per day and drink lots of water! As long as you're doing that then trust the process and it will work out in the end!