I put on 5lbs over night???

dieseldan1956

I'm about ready to stick this dieting crap where the sun don't shine. I've been following a strict diet, doing a ton of cardio everyday and after 3 weeks I'm back to my starting weight of 220 lbs and yesterday I weighed 215. I guess I'm just meant to be fat. I'm going to try it for one more week and if I don't see any results I'm back to my old habits because going hungry and working my *kitten* off just doesn't seem worth it if you can't lose. Anyone else have this problem with dieting?

JesterMFP

Don't be disheartened. Weight loss is not linear and, even for people maintaining weight, it goes up and down all the time. I weigh every day and notice that my weight goes up on the scale probably three days a week, even though I keep to my calorie goal and exercise. I'm used to it though, so I know it's not a gain in fat. As long as the overall trend is downwards, that's the main thing.

1 lb of fat takes roughly 3,500 calories, so to have gained 5 lbs of fat overnight, you would have had to have eaten more than 17,000 calories over your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure/maintenance), and it doesn't sound like you've done that. Any number of things can make the scale go up overnight including more food being in your system, water retention from an increase in sodium, water retention from an increase in carbs, water retention from a change in your exercise routine (muscles retain water as they repair themselves), weighing at a different time of day, wearing different clothes, weighing on different scales, your scales being faulty... etc etc.

So, don't despair! Drink lots of water and carry on as you are... see what happens on the scale over the next few days. In the meantime, have you taken any measurements of your body? If not, that can be a good way to track progress. The scale is a good tool, but it doesn't show the whole picture.

Nobody is just "meant to be fat". I get your frustration, I really do, but if you give up now, how are you going to feel about the situation in 6 months or a year? I could have given up literally hundreds of times, but if I had, I would be right back where I started, instead of 72 lbs lighter, 5 sizes smaller and 100x fitter and healthier. Weight loss is not easy, but you just have to pick yourself up and keep going. Try also to find some motivation other than just the number on the scale. You've been working out hard for 3 weeks, so you must be getting fitter. That's a good thing in itself!

waldo56

I can go for a run and lose 5 lbs. Easily.

Weight =/= fat.

Invest in a soft tape measure. It gives a more direct measurement of fat.