Anyone ever experience this?

SunshineGRL76

Hi...I am fairly new to the site, and have a strange question...

I weighed in this past Saturday, and noticed that I had lost 2.6lbs. Since then, I have been exercising 3 outta the past 4 days, burning on average 1000 calories. I've also been eating within my 1200 calorie allotment.
This morning, I stepped on the scale, and noticed I gained back 2lbs.

What would cause that?!?!?! The past two days, I have been eating raw, and my sodium numbers have been on the lower side...
Has anyone ever experienced this? or have any suggestions?

yougojo170

You may not be eating enough. If you are burning 1000 calories and only eating 1200 calories- your body is in staration mode.

colawoman

It sounds like you are doing great - maybe you should wait and only weigh every week instead of every day.

cushygal

your body can gain and lose the same weight day after day - the numbers change constantly. You should get in the habit of only weighing one a week, and make sure its roughly the same time and same situation every week. Try not to weigh in daily or every other day.

Good luck

scrapper3131

Possible your building muscle which weighs more. Still good if thats the case cause muscle burns fat faster.

sun33082

Exercise can cause water retention. Plus you're burning 1000 calories and only eating 1200? So you're netting 200 calories a day? Not good.

scrapper3131

I have my scale in my room and tend to weigh in just before I get in shower. It is very discouraging. Up 2 and down 2 the next. It makes no sense. I'm thinking about moving it to another bathroom so I'm not so tempted to weigh.:ohwell: :ohwell:

Debbe2

Don't worry about it especially cause its the trend over time that's important. Make certain to eat enough to fuel your body through your workouts though. You're on the right track! Good luck

beckajw

Your body gains and loses weight throughout the day. This is why you should weigh yourself at the same time. You also shouldn't weigh in more than once a week, unless you are okay with seeing the scale going up and down a couple of pounds.

What you ate in the last three days is also unlikely to affect your weigh in today (although a very high salt meal may cause water retention). Your body is more likely on a 7-10 day weight cycle, which means, it's the foods you ate 7-10 days ago that are affecting your weight today.

You will hear people say that sometimes the scale owes you and sometimes you owe the scale.

oneIT

Don't look at the scale!!! I swing 5 pounds easy. Weigh only once a week and do it for a month (do it in the morning before you eat). Keep your cals in check and keep working out. You will find out that the scale is not what you should be looking at.

realme56

It should be referred to as survival mode versus starvation. Depending on how large you are eating too little will stall weight loss. Intense exercise will result in water retention in the muscle especially if you are not eating enough (and especially protein). You have not built up any muscle in this short of time but do take measurements as 1# of muscle takes up less space then 1# of fat.

LeellenMack

Make sure you take measurements. I was losing No weight and actually gained 3 when I started exercising but I lost 1in in my waist, 1.5 inches on my hips and .5 inch on each thigh. Since I knew I was losing inches it was just a matter of time for the weight too...

beckajw

You are not in starvation mode and it is not muscle.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

You may not be eating enough. If you are burning 1000 calories and only eating 1200 calories- your body is in staration mode.

Myths unless the OP doesn't have any fat any longer to lose.

As long as there is excess fat, starvation mode is merely a myth.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

You are not in starvation mode and it is not muscle.

Thank YOU!!!!!

Lize11e

Exercise can cause water retention. Plus you're burning 1000 calories and only eating 1200? So you're netting 200 calories a day? Not good.

This ^^ If your body is not used to that much exercise your muscles will retain water. The muscle tissue will develop micro-tears and water will build up to protect the tissue until it heals. It's a natural process but it can make it appear that you've gained weight. Also, if you are burning nearly every calorie you're eating your body will react by thinking you are starving and you will actually stop losing as your body tries to preserve itself.

Eat a little more, rest a little more and keep up with the low sodium and drink plenty of water. It will all even out and then your weight will begin to drop. Best of luck to you! :drinker:

Crochetluvr

You are not in starvation mode and it is not muscle.

Thank YOU!!!!!

AMEN!

Ginaleen

I'm fairly new to this site too but certainly not new to dieting. My advice would also be to resist the temptation of weighing yourself every day or every few days. I know my weight fluctuates from day to day so if I weigh myself more than once a week it can be very discouraging. So I have picked a day and time and that is when I weigh myself, once a week. Give that a try and see if you get better results.

fishbarn

Yes I did. Most likely you put on weight because you added some muscle. I a few day you'll start to loss weight again.

Turtlehurdle

One of the most frustrating moments for many dieters is the weekly weigh-in.

Sometimes, the results on your scales seem to bear very little relation to the week you’ve just had.

Maybe you’ve been really good – but not lost anything. Or you’ve had a couple of meals out, and eaten more than a few candy bars – and yet you’ve dropped a pound.

What the heck’s going on?

If you weren’t dieting and weighed yourself every day, you’d still find that your weight wasn’t steady: it might fluctuate by as much as several pounds.

These fluctuations in body weight are commonly due to 3 factors:

Water retention
Glycogen stores
The amount you’ve eaten
Water Retention
Water retention is caused by drinking too little water, or eating too much salt.

If you don’t drink enough water, your body will cling onto its water supplies; make sure you’re drinking enough. And if you eat too much salt, your kidneys hold onto water instead of excreting it.

Women commonly retain water during the few days of the month just before their period. This “phantom” few pounds will drop off as quickly as it went on. Some medications can also cause water retention.

Glycogen Stores
Glycogen – sugar – is carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles; usually more than a pound in total, along with three or four pounds of water. This is your body’s energy reserve, and gets used up during the day if you’re not taking in enough carbohydrates to supply your energy needs.

When you eat, your body replaces the glycogen store and the water that goes with it – leading to a weight gain on the scales, even if you’ve only eaten a moderately-sized meal. This is absolutely normal and should not put you off eating carbohydrates!

The Amount You’ve Eaten
Don’t think about the meal you’ve just eaten in terms of calories – think in terms of weight.

You could stuff yourself with pounds of fruit or salad for under a few hundred calories – but these pounds will show up if you stand on the scales straight after a meal. (Just imagine weighing yourself with all that food in your hands.)

Once your body’s had a chance to digest it, that food will disappear. The same applies with water – which has 0 calories, but definitely weighs something!

Jbarbo01

Why are you only eating 1200 calories when youre burning 1000 per day? I would examine why youre trying to lose weight, what youre doing is pretty extreme and bordering on unhealthy. If you want to eat ultra low calorie, dont exercise or exercise very moderately. Its very hard on your body to ask it to do so much activity without proper fuel. Your body is holding water weight because its freaking out and storing reserves because of all the pressure youre putting on it. Olympic athletes are thin and eat 5000 calories per day because they need the nutrients to get their body to perform.

If youre trying to lose weight fast for some kind of event, this is not the way to do it. Cut your carbs and sugar for a few days, go for long walks, and drink a ton of water. This will help de bloat you, but you cannot lose weight within a few days at least enough to see a difference. Weight loss is a journey and a long process, be patient and be healthy.

mjpTennis

I had similar results when starting and would weigh myself quite frequently looking for the immediate gains. You are certainly on the right path. I put less focus on the day to day measurements, but I still liked to weigh myself every day for tracking the history as it is an interesting thing to reflect on and to learn more about how your body works day to day.
The first results that I started seeing were the cardio gains where I could sustain workouts longer and was feeling better during the workouts. I also found that staying hydrated has always helped me throughout this and my body works more efficiently when staying hydrated throughout the days. Good luck to you.
If you would like an extra MFP friend, feel free to add me as well.

tuffytuffy1

You did not gain 2 pounds of fat, it is water.

Sharyn913

My guess is if you are burning 1,000 calories per work out, you are doing cardio and not weights. So please disregard the replies that you are adding on muscle. You're body is not taking in enough to actually "put on muscle" in four days at such a deficit.

dansls1

I see huge fluctuations up in weight if I eat too much sodium, even eating within calorie limits. It goes down once I have a few clean sodium days. Seems to be the worst part of eating out - I can limit my portions and calories - but they use salt on restaurant food like it's going out of style.

KarmaxKitty

You are not in starvation mode and it is not muscle.

Thank YOU!!!!!

AMEN!

TRIPLE THAT. If you're eating 1200 and burning 1000... What does leave your body to have? EAT MORE. At least try to NET 1200. According to your math, your NET is at MOST 200. :noway:

stylistchik

Don't hug the scale so tightly. If you weigh yourself, then drink a gallon of water and weigh yourself again the number will go up. Does that mean you actually gained weight? no. Weight fluctuates due to many things, but it takes 3500 calories to make up a pound of fat. If you didn't burn 3500 calories or consume 3500 calories, any weight gained or lost is more likely water.

VanessaGS

Try weighing yourself after not working out a couple of days. Starting a new routine can make your muscles sore and it shows on the scale. Also make sure you're not undereating too much on your calorie counts. It's all about balance.

erickirb

If you burn 1000 cals the minimum you should be eating is 2200 (1200+1000). if you only ate 1200, that means you only left 200 cals to feed your daily functions which depending on your size should require 1400 to 2200 calories. the 1200 MFP gave you assumes no exercise, when exercising you must eat more.

FitLink

Hi...I am fairly new to the site, and have a strange question...

I weighed in this past Saturday, and noticed that I had lost 2.6lbs. Since then, I have been exercising 3 outta the past 4 days, burning on average 1000 calories. I've also been eating within my 1200 calorie allotment.
This morning, I stepped on the scale, and noticed I gained back 2lbs.

What would cause that?!?!?! The past two days, I have been eating raw, and my sodium numbers have been on the lower side...
Has anyone ever experienced this? or have any suggestions?

I sometimes weight 5 pounds more or less in a single day! That's perfectly expected. EVERYONE's weight fluctuates, often by as much as five pounds. The eight glasses of water everyone harps about drinking here weighs more than four pounds. Two glasses of water weigh more than a pound. If you weigh, drink two glasses of water, then weigh again, you will have gained a pound. So what? If your focus is health it shouldn't matter. Everyone here talks big about it being all about healthy eating, but they all also post pictures to demonstrate progress. It makes no sense if it's not about looks. It's just a number.

My suggestion? Ignore it.

JoeD1968

I blame a fat wizard when this happens