I don't understand 6lbs gained in week

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69ssrs
69ssrs Posts: 4
in Motivation and Support
I have been doing great.I lost from 261 to 245 since Sept 26th. Nice and slow. I have added a bow flex work out and walking to my agenda. This past weekend I walked 3 miles Saturday ,6 miles on Sunday and 1.5 miles Monday.I took Tuesday off and then weighed this morning @ 250. How the heck did I go from happy to mad in six days by putting back on six pounds.I have met my calorie goals and have been under each day.I am torn by this but my pants size is still down from a 45"waist to a 41 almost a size 40. I am 6'2",57 years old,53" chest,18"neck 17.5" arms & tree trunk solid legs.So what gives?Please help me understand what just happened.
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  • SparkleHorse224
    SparkleHorse224 Posts: 98 Member
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    Have you eaten a lot of sodium lately? Possibly you have inflammation? I'm not good at math, but isn't 2.5 lbs/week a little bit fast? I thought 1 pound per week was generally accepted as the standard.

    *shrug*

    That's all I've got. Sounds really frustrating and I hope you can keep pressing forward on your path without getting too distracted by this. I bounce around on the scale myself which is why I weigh myself every morning (post-tinkle, pre-clothes) - to see what "normal" looks like for me.
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
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    First off, don't panic. In order for you to gain 6 pounds of fat, you would have had to eat an extra 21,000 calories OVER your maintenance level. That would be quite an impressive thing to do in 6 days, honestly.

    Also, before anyone mentions it, you DID NOT gain 6 pounds of muscle in 6 days either. You can't, I repeat, can't gain muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. Our bodies don't work that way.

    So, most likely it's water weight. That could be caused by a few things. Did you eat more sodium than usual? Did you drink less water than usual? You didn't say how recently you added the bow flex or walking, but if it was in the last week or two, your muscles could be holding on to the water to help them heal and adjust to the new routine. It's also possible that you just weighed at a different time of day, or with heavier clothes on, or on a different scale (they can vary from scale to scale) but I'm guessing you would have thought of that.

    The good thing is that water weight will come back off. Keep up with your work outs, drink water, water, water, and give it a few days.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Water weight, undigest food, hormones.....the reason is not important. The important fact is that it is not fat......well unless you over eat 21000 calories (6 x 3500 calories)
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
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    Have you eaten a lot of sodium lately? Possibly you have inflammation? I'm not good at math, but isn't 2.5 lbs/week a little bit fast? I thought 1 pound per week was generally accepted as the standard.

    Actually, no. From what I've researched, a healthy rate of loss is actually about 1% of your body weight a week. So, a 450 pound man could, healthily, lose 4 - 5 pounds a week. While a 130 pound girl shouldn't expect much more than 1 pound. Planning for 1 pound a week is erring on the side of caution, but it's not the limit for everyone. At 240, the OP is losing at a good, healthy rate for him. :happy:
  • 69ssrs
    69ssrs Posts: 4
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    thanks...the bow flex was added four weeks
  • mulderpf
    mulderpf Posts: 209 Member
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    Broken scale is all I can think...
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    Bowels emptying regularly?
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    I also agree that you shold not panic. If oyu have been doing as well as you say, there is NO WAY you gained 6 pounds. I would agree that it is either water weight or a problem with your scale.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    maybe your scale sucks
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Water weight
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Chances are it's a fluke, a water weight or a broken scale. On the other hand, are you taking any meds? Have there been any changes? Does your doc know you've lost weight? You might need to get your meds readjusted. I would try another scale, and if it's consistent with yours, then wait a week and see what happens.
  • skbritt78
    skbritt78 Posts: 2
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    Sometimes medical conditions will make this happen. Thyroid, gall bladder problems. If you ate something that irritates these
    conditions you can temporarily gain 5 lb. until your digestive track gets back into sync. then the weight just goes back away. Whether it is water you retain, or undigested food who knows. But it happens to me also. It makes losing weight very discouraging, but don't give up, because the next time that your step on the scale you might be down 8 lbs. been there.
  • arcabeleno
    arcabeleno Posts: 8 Member
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    i'd follow the diet that you did in maybe your second week, if you lost a pound or two that week. make sure you keep up the calorie intake that balance to your exercise so that your body does not go into starvation mode.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
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    I gained 3 lbs in one day and I know what it was from . That very good homemade bean and ham soup. Well worth every sodium filled spoonful. I just have been drinking tons of water and it will be gone in a few days.
  • TeresaWash
    TeresaWash Posts: 283
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    One salty meal will get me 4 pounds overnight. Drink lots of water, it will go away quickly.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    One salty meal will get me 4 pounds overnight. Drink lots of water, it will go away quickly.


    Same here.
  • MissyJessy
    MissyJessy Posts: 1,279 Member
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    I always see an increase on the scale if i am sore from working out because for your muscles to repair they need to hold onto fluid and nutrients to rebuild after a hard work out. Thats why i dont take the fluctuating to seriously. Another great way to track your progress is by measurments that way if you see a gain you can measure and see how you are doing.


    Head down and back to the grind you will get there.

    Good luck
  • redlion45
    redlion45 Posts: 155 Member
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    First off, don't panic. In order for you to gain 6 pounds of fat, you would have had to eat an extra 21,000 calories OVER your maintenance level. That would be quite an impressive thing to do in 6 days, honestly.

    Also, before anyone mentions it, you DID NOT gain 6 pounds of muscle in 6 days either. You can't, I repeat, can't gain muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. Our bodies don't work that way.

    So, most likely it's water weight. That could be caused by a few things. Did you eat more sodium than usual? Did you drink less water than usual? You didn't say how recently you added the bow flex or walking, but if it was in the last week or two, your muscles could be holding on to the water to help them heal and adjust to the new routine. It's also possible that you just weighed at a different time of day, or with heavier clothes on, or on a different scale (they can vary from scale to scale) but I'm guessing you would have thought of that.

    The good thing is that water weight will come back off. Keep up with your work outs, drink water, water, water, and give it a few days.

    THIS ^^^

    Don't freak out. Try to remember that the scale is really only useful to track trends. Your weight can shift up or down as much as 10lbs a day in some cases. Mine can shift 3-5 lbs up and down day to day, depending on what I did and the kind of food I ate the day before (even assuming calories at or below goal). If you worked out hard it could be your muscles taking in water, same thing if you ingested a lot of sodiu; it could be just undigested food which is on its way out. I seriously doubt you ate 21,000 calories over your maintenance level in one week, so you didn't add 6 lbs of fat. So take a deep breath and stay the course. It's working for you.

    Drink lots of water and your scale will show you down in a few days.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
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    Definitely water weight .. either from something high sodium that's retaining the water .. or ..

    you started adding more exercise to your regime .. and your muscles are needing that extra water to heal/recover. :-)

    Don't panic.. My body naturally fluctuates and floats within a 5 lb range at any given time. If I go over that 5 lb range .. then I've actually put on weight .. it truly varies. I'm a woman .. so my weight will swing more throughout the month thanks to a certain monthly occurance .. LOL However.. most people can have natural weight fluctuations between 2 and 8 lbs .. and it's within normal range. Thin or not so thin .. we all have variances :drinker:
  • jeokay20
    jeokay20 Posts: 11
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    it could be water weight. or maybe you need to modify your foods more bec if there is a lot of sodium or sugar that can retain alot water not to mention belly fat stored.

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