Gaining Weight while following diet exactly!!! Help

jrsnyder95
jrsnyder95 Posts: 53 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has this ever happened to anyone? I'm following this plan exactly, I'm logging my food, and exercising 4 times a week. But the past two days I've gained back 1lb that I lost last week. I know it's not a big deal but I hate to see the scale going the wrong way!!

Any advice or thoughts welcomed! I'm only in week 2 of this website - last week I lost 2lbs.

Thanks.

Jennifer
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Replies

  • katielinds
    katielinds Posts: 20 Member
    Hi Jennifer,

    I feel your pain. I work very hard- for weeks sometimes- and see a slight gain! But for ME, the key is water weight. I am very prone to weight fluctuations because I retain water quite dramatically. And because you just began an exercise regimen, you might be retaining more water than usual! Keep it up--- don't get discouraged--- focus on the long term results rather than short term. That's the mindset I have adapted, and I think it is healthier and more realistic.

    Best of luck to you!
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 633 Member
    Without seeing your diary it is hard to give you suggestions. How many calories are you eating? Do you eat back your exercise calories? Is it your TOM? How much sodium do you eat (do you track it)? How much water do you drink?
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    One pound is nothing to worry about. That is well within the range of fluctuation for water weight. Also, a couple of weeks isn't enough to judge your progress--when you change something about your routine, things take a while to stabilize.
  • pulelehua510
    pulelehua510 Posts: 16
    I have had this same experience this week. I've worked out hard, logged all my food, stayed under my calorie goal and the scale says I've gained weight. It is so frustrating. I don't understand what part of the equation I'm missing. The only thing I can say for certain is I'm not giving up!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you're doing everything exactly right, it has to be water. If your diet is high in sodium you are most likely retaining a lot of water, particularly if you're not drinking a lot of water to flush it out. Also, if your potassium levels are low, and particularly if they are below your sodium levels, this will exacerbate the problem many times over. I can tell you emphatically that if I have a high sodium day and weight myself the following day I can easily be 2Lbs heavier due to water retention. Most people don't realize how much sodium is in their diet and how lacking they are in potassium.

    If you are truly following your plan and are at a deficit, it is scientifically and mathematically impossible to gain fat weight.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    2 things...

    1) it's the scale. You're going to see fluctuations. Short term is means NOTHING, and you have to be able to accept that. Long term and it's an issue... but short term doesn't matter.
    2) If you insist that you are actually gaining weight (as in new tissue, not just water weight), then chances are your estimates are wrong... you're either eating more than you think or burning less than you think (or both).
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    If you start a new workout routine - you'll often see a gain
    If you eat a lot of carbs or fiberous foods - you'll often see a gan
    If you consume a lot of sodium - you'll often see a gain

    This is water weight. It will level off.

    Make sure you are accurately measuring everything you eat, and my advice to people trying to lose weight is stop going out for atleast a month and cook all of your own foods. You'd be amazed at what you think you're eating but it is way off.
  • gcrew
    gcrew Posts: 3
    It's that 2nd week. I did the same thing and by the time my 3rd week came I'd lost it all again plus another pound. This is my 3rd week and I've lost 3 lbs. I was hoping for a bit more, but know this is okay and it's the healthy way to lose. Good luck.
  • jrsnyder95
    jrsnyder95 Posts: 53 Member
    Must be that bean soup I ate last night!!! :) Must be water weight. My total calories for the day are 1220 - and I try not to eat back all my calories. But does anyone know, can you still lose weight if you eat back your calories with exercise?

    i'll try to drink more water today and see what happens!

    Jennifer
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Must be that bean soup I ate last night!!! :) Must be water weight. My total calories for the day are 1220 - and I try not to eat back all my calories. But does anyone know, can you still lose weight if you eat back your calories with exercise?

    i'll try to drink more water today and see what happens!

    Jennifer

    Yes, you can... but it depends on how you reached your daily calorie goal.

    Read these for more info:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained
    and
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • angrybutter
    angrybutter Posts: 7 Member
    I had the exact same thing happen to me this week and I have been exercising (running and weight training for 6 months) and it is very discouraging. I've gained 2.5 pounds over the past few days and I have been on target with my calories, TOM was last week and my workouts were good.

    That is an interesting point about potassium, I'll have to check my multi-vitamin to see how much it has.

    Don't give up, I have to constantly remind myself this is not a diet this is working on being healthy and being consistent, not a stop gap measure to lose some weight and then go back to the habits that got you to that point in the first place.

    And as a counterpoint, I lost 20 pounds using the Lindora program which is rather prohibitive but effective however it was not sustainable for my lifestyle. I gained all that back and that's where I am now but I am significantly healthier than I was when I was at that lower weight. I can run 5ks now and squat 180 pounds, there is no way I could have done that then because although the number on the scale was great and I am working to get closer to that again, I wasn't strong like I am now and I still needed my asthma inhaler which I no longer need now.

    The number on the scale does not need to be the end all be all metric for your progress.
  • jrsnyder95
    jrsnyder95 Posts: 53 Member
    So yesterday, I exercised, kept with in my calories, and ate back the ones i exercised off, and drank more water than usual, and now i've almost gained back the 2 lbs i lost last week! any other suggestions?
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    So yesterday, I exercised, kept with in my calories, and ate back the ones i exercised off, and drank more water than usual, and now i've almost gained back the 2 lbs i lost last week! any other suggestions?

    I recommend reading up on water weight. If you are a woman, your body retains water at different rates throughout your menstrual cycle, and gains within 2 lbs are normal and not indicative of fat gain.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/not-losing-fat-at-20-deficit-what-should-i-do-qa.html
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    So yesterday, I exercised, kept with in my calories, and ate back the ones i exercised off, and drank more water than usual, and now i've almost gained back the 2 lbs i lost last week! any other suggestions?

    Stop weighing yourself everyday. Weigh once a week.

    Your weight will change hourly, daily, etc. It is natural. Weigh will not always go down no matter how good your diet and exercise is. You will just drive yourself crazy if you are weighing each day. Get off the scale!

    Ensure you are measuring everything you eat/drink... weighing solids and cups/spoons for liquids (actual measuring cups/spoons). Use a kitchen scale for solids. Weighémeasure everything. You could be eating more/less than you think you are.
  • nbittmann
    nbittmann Posts: 2
    Could be retaining water from a high sodium intake. Or your due to take a huge dump. Up your fiber intake for a few days, and watch your sodium intake.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    One pound is nothing to worry about. That is well within the range of fluctuation for water weight. Also, a couple of weeks isn't enough to judge your progress--when you change something about your routine, things take a while to stabilize.
    Yep, weight fluctuates everyday. There are so many other factors the contribute to weight fluctuating. You didn't "gain" fat. Chill.
  • jayh064
    jayh064 Posts: 9
    Water might have something to do with it. Also, to be blunt, how regular are your bowel movements? How long it's been since you last (ahem) pooped can make a difference of a pound or more to your weight. At least it has for me.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    It will continue to go up and down and up and down forever! I've learned that weight loss is hardly ever linear. As long as there's a downward trend over the long term (and not just a couple weeks), you're doing it right. I've lost 26 lbs but it took me 7 months and many, many, many frustrating weigh-ins.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    STOP!!!

    You just joined. I'm going to make the assumption that the exercise you are doing is new to you. Thus, your muscles are retaining water for repair. You're going to gain water weight in the short term. Don't weigh yourself for another two weeks - MINIMUM!!! By that time, your body should start shedding the water weight and you'll likely see a weight loss.
  • TanselJones
    TanselJones Posts: 16 Member
    If you're doing everything exactly right, it has to be water. If your diet is high in sodium you are most likely retaining a lot of water, particularly if you're not drinking a lot of water to flush it out. Also, if your potassium levels are low, and particularly if they are below your sodium levels, this will exacerbate the problem many times over. I can tell you emphatically that if I have a high sodium day and weight myself the following day I can easily be 2Lbs heavier due to water retention. Most people don't realize how much sodium is in their diet and how lacking they are in potassium.

    If you are truly following your plan and are at a deficit, it is scientifically and mathematically impossible to gain fat weight.

    Bump
  • mary8n8
    mary8n8 Posts: 14
    Jennifer-
    Have you checked your sodium intake? Are you keeping up with your water? Two weeks on this site and you are probably gaining muscle. Don't get discouraged, the scale will probably drop next week. Perhaps you have to mix up your foods, by switcing breakfast with lunch. Dont eat after dark. Keep on going, don't give up!
  • breeshabebe
    breeshabebe Posts: 580
    Same thing happened to me this morning! My scale said I was up by 2lbs when I have been doing really great in my work outs and eating! Last week, I was losing 1lb a day- I guess it was water weight (plus I'm on the heavier side) but last week I didn't eat near as healthy as I have this week! Frustration! I noticed that on "The Biggest Loser" that their hardest week on the scale is on week 2.... so I'm hoping that this is just normal and next week will be great. It does suck to see the scale going the wrong way!

    Oh yeah... and I'm drinking TONS of water... so the whole sodium intake and water thing isn't flying.
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
    So yesterday, I exercised, kept with in my calories, and ate back the ones i exercised off, and drank more water than usual, and now i've almost gained back the 2 lbs i lost last week! any other suggestions?

    STOP GETTING ON THE SCALE EVERYDAY!!!! Body weight fluctuates day to day; sometimes it can fluctuate by up to 5 pounds. Choose one day of the week that you weigh yourself and stick to that. Also if you haven't already done so take before pics and take body measurements (waist, thighs, neck, etc) these are BETTER indicators of weightloss than the scale is. Sure we all want to see the number on the scale go down, but trust me if you are relying heavily on that number you will feel defeated when you don't see the results that you want to see and you will want to give up (been there done that).
  • kristenfaith93
    kristenfaith93 Posts: 17
    Don't get on the scale so much. Try to only get on every two weeks or even every month. You will notice a bigger difference in the numbers and will help you figure out what is going wrong. Sometimes if I eat a bigger meal at supper and it says I gained like 2 or 3 extra lbs that night I get depressed and it unmotivates me but the next morning I am down those 2 or 3 lbs. So i have learned to not look at the scale so much because it is just depressing lol.
  • mary8n8
    mary8n8 Posts: 14
    Good mind set. You didn't gain all of your weight in one week, so don't expect to lose it. Slow and steady wins the race!:happy:
  • tennesseeleigh
    tennesseeleigh Posts: 169
    Personally, I weigh everyday but just keep track of the general trend weekly or monthly because weight can fluctuate so much in a day depending on what you've eaten, BMs, water intake. I'm a daily weigher more out of habit than anything else (had to weigh daily while I was pregnant because I had gestational diabetes and needed to make sure I didn't have any wild - more than 3 lbs or so - daily weight variation).
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    I'm only in week 2 of this website
    Give it some time.

    Patience is as important as diet or exercise.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    As a woman I fluctuate all the time. I've gotten to know my body and for me weighing once a week gives me a more accurate picture of what's going on. Even then if I weigh myself right before my period I'll be disappointed. I just tough it out for the next week and I know it will right itself. I figured this out by keeping a journal of my weights and I have a definite pattern.
  • Kimmybean13
    Kimmybean13 Posts: 18 Member
    Not all calories are born equal. Find out what TYPE of metaboliser you are e.g. (fast oxidiser vs slow oxidiser vs balanced), and then eat the RIGHT types of foods for you and keep to your calories. Both of these things are important to see effective weight loss and be happier and healthier within yourself.

    Further, I also agree that water weight, menstrual cycle, salt levels, introduction of exercise can also give you a temporary and misleading minor weight gain. Try to make a mental know of these things when weighing yourself so any negative results do not impact your continued weight loss and enthusiasm. One way to help counter this is to also take your measurements, sometimes you can see an inch loss but no weight loss. These results will help perk you up and it's also a great way to monitor your body fat percentage opposed to just physical mass (weight).
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Best advice I can give is to stop weighing everyday. You will see day to day weight fluctuations. Try going to every 2 weeks or monthly.

    Second best advice, start taking measurements. There will be times you won't see the scale move, but you will see the inches come off.

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