Gained 4lbs in 3 days?!

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whitnm76
whitnm76 Posts: 47
edited January 17 in Food and Nutrition
I have so many questions! I appreciate all that respond! I am a teacher currently taking night classes so this week I've been eating my dinners past seven. I am still eating healthy and within my calories. Yesterday I was particularly hungry so I had my dinner and a big ( a bout a cup and a half) of cereal. I had about 1600 cals total for the day including my cereal. I finished eating around 830ish last night. I got up at5:30 am today and idk why but I thought weighing myself would be a good idea. Well it wasn't...I was up 4 whole pounds from my weight on Sunday. I've been staying in my calorie range all week. Could it just be the food in my stomach from the night before? I did go to bed pretty full. I weigh myself Saturdays so I'm afraid that I gained 4 lbs...I've felt disgusting and bad about myself all day :( I had between 1400 calories and 1500 calories all week, with exception to the 1600 I had yesterday. Is it possible to gain that much in 3 days? Or is it the food and fluids from the previous days? I did drink a lot of water yesterday too.

Replies

  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
    All that you said is possible. Is it just fluid retention--possibly. Is it a high grain-carb consumption--possibly. Since you have night classes and need something to eat when you get home, try something else besides grains.

    Try a whole milk unsweetened yoghurt. with some probiotics and some unsweetened whey added. Eat it slowly so you give your stomach a change to feel full. This will test a protein/fat effect on your diet, as well as supporting digestion with gut flora.

    If you need something heavier have a bean dish already prepared and have cup. This legume-carb meal will have lots of soluble fiber which should help with an am BM.

    Try drinking 12 glasses of plain filtered water daily. Not too many just before bed or you could wake in the middle of night to relieve yourself. Test to see if this addresses water retention.
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
    i gained 4 lbs this past weekend for not watching my salt intake. it took four days but as of today im back to my original lowest weight. just drink more fluids and watch the salt.
  • sleibo87
    sleibo87 Posts: 403 Member
    Umm if you ate 1600 calories I HIGHLY doubt you gained 4 pounds. BUT you food probably isn't fully digested and it could be water. I gain like 5 pounds the week before/of my period...so I skip that weigh in lol. When you over load on carbs too your body does retain water. Give it a few more days, and if your eating healthy and with in your calories as you ask, I'm sure you are fine!
  • GoTeamMeaghan
    GoTeamMeaghan Posts: 347 Member
    1 lb = 3,500 calories

    To gain 4 lbs, you would have to eat 14,000 extra calories

    Probably just water retention
  • thirstyflea
    thirstyflea Posts: 114 Member
    Totally possible- happens to me all the time- huge fluctuations. Mostly a couple days after I ate way outside of my calories. Like on Saturday for me- went out to eat, had some beers- weighed myself again on Tuesday and had gained 3 lbs. I lost it almost right away again, and then some since my Sunday weigh-in. I think it was high sodium foods, plus beer, plus plus whatever for me. I think it's water retention mostly.

    I recommend not weighing yourself so often- give yourself a break! We all have off-days and sometimes off-weeks ;-)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Unless you ate 14,000 calories over your maintenance level you didn't gain 4 pounds of fat. This is why it's recommend you always weigh yourself at the same time of day. Extra food, waste, and water in your system makes an impact on the scale.
  • a778c466
    a778c466 Posts: 141 Member
    I think that if you are staying at 1400-1600 a day, there is no way you could have gained actual fat.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,979 Member
    I can gain 4 lbs in about 15 minutes.
    Relax.
    Follow a sound plan that you believe in, and you will succeed. The weight loss will not be linear. Weight loss looks like this:
    [img]http://www.muschealth.com/sebin/v/z/Weight Graph_with weight line3.jpg[/img]
    not like this
    slope2.gif
  • lovelyrose11
    lovelyrose11 Posts: 609 Member
    What is your sodium intake like? If it's on the high side that could make you retain water...
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    Salt is my down fall but 4 pounds could be anything dont panic just yet
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
    Water.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Judging by your ID pic, I would say you just needed a good watering.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    I can gain 4 lbs in about 15 minutes.
    Relax.
    Follow a sound plan that you believe in, and you will succeed. The weight loss will not be linear. Weight loss looks like this:
    [img]http://www.muschealth.com/sebin/v/z/Weight Graph_with weight line3.jpg[/img]
    not like this
    slope2.gif

    QFT.

    Trust the way clothes fit, measurements, and how you look (take pictures) instead of the scale. The scale is good for overall trending, not for tracking actual success on a day by day basis.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,817 Member
    You could lose a couple pounds by taking down the Christmas Tree. JS - It's March.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    I can gain 4 lbs in about 15 minutes.
    Relax.
    Follow a sound plan that you believe in, and you will succeed. The weight loss will not be linear. Weight loss looks like this:
    [img]http://www.muschealth.com/sebin/v/z/Weight Graph_with weight line3.jpg[/img]
    not like this
    slope2.gif

    And this is why MFP is a big fat win and slimming clubs are a big fat fail. I can think of nothing worse than lining up to hop up on the scale at a club to find I have gained one week. Talk about demotivating! I regularly gain (usually after a lot of exercise), then I get a whoosh of a couple of pounds the next week.
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
    Much better to go by this
    measuring-tape.jpg
    than this
    scale1.jpg

    This is my second go around with losing weight. The first time I ate really clean, did tons of cardio and dropped big numbers on the scale, but not nearly as much on overall size. This time I eat IIFIYM, and do a lot more strength training. The scale loss has been ridiculously slow, but my measurments have changed DRASTICALLY. In time, they'll level out more as the gap between my bf% and weight gets smaller. For the time being, I'm a lot happier seeing the results more on my body than on the scale.
  • ladypenel
    ladypenel Posts: 88 Member
    I can gain 4 lbs in about 15 minutes.
    Relax.
    Follow a sound plan that you believe in, and you will succeed. The weight loss will not be linear. Weight loss looks like this:
    [img]http://www.muschealth.com/sebin/v/z/Weight Graph_with weight line3.jpg[/img]
    not like this
    slope2.gif

    And this is why MFP is a big fat win and slimming clubs are a big fat fail. I can think of nothing worse than lining up to hop up on the scale at a club to find I have gained one week. Talk about demotivating! I regularly gain (usually after a lot of exercise), then I get a whoosh of a couple of pounds the next week.

    <<<this>>>
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/814070-why-the-scale-lies-to-us?hl=why+the+scale+lies&page=1#posts-12191325
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    I have gained 3-4 lbs after an evening of "bad eating and drinking". I have been maintaining for 5 months and find weighing myself every morning helpful as it makes me think when I am about to stuff something into my mouth how I will feel the next morning on the scale. It takes around 3-4 days after a "binge" to get back to my maintenance weight.

    I have been thinking that maybe this is how "normal" food thinking people stay the same weight all their lives. Maybe they do eat out, have fun once in a while but...get right back onto exercise and eating right. I know weighing every morning helps me. I do need to recognize that after a night out, it is going to go up - maybe 3-4 lbs of water and bloat but... get right back on track!!!
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    Your weight can fluctuate greatly from day to day. Don't worry about it - weigh yourself ONCE a week - at the SAME time every week. It will save you a lot of worry.
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    Could it just be the food in my stomach from the night before? I did go to bed pretty full.

    eat a lot. Don't poop. Weigh...

    I hate to sound rude, but I read this all the time on MFP and it makes me wonder if OPs read any forums/do any research at all?

    Weight fluctuates, numbers are numbers, look at measurements and be patient.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    I have gained 3-4 lbs after an evening of "bad eating and drinking". I have been maintaining for 5 months and find weighing myself every morning helpful as it makes me think when I am about to stuff something into my mouth how I will feel the next morning on the scale. It takes around 3-4 days after a "binge" to get back to my maintenance weight.

    I have been thinking that maybe this is how "normal" food thinking people stay the same weight all their lives. Maybe they do eat out, have fun once in a while but...get right back onto exercise and eating right. I know weighing every morning helps me. I do need to recognize that after a night out, it is going to go up - maybe 3-4 lbs of water and bloat but... get right back on track!!!

    I'm sure it is. And I think "normal" food people often have no idea what they weigh - if they feel their jeans getting tight they just cut back a little.

    My mum and sister are like that. Both at the bottom end of their BMI. If we go out for dinner they eat far less during the day and get in exercise or cut back the next day. It's not obsessive, they don't weigh their food or themselves, it's just second nature to make adjustments. I often wish I had the same thing built in - but thankfully I've got MFP to keep me on track now!
  • whitnm76
    whitnm76 Posts: 47
    Yes I do read other posts but did see any similar to mine. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else...thats all!!!








    eat a lot. Don't poop. Weigh...

    I hate to sound rude, but I read this all the time on MFP and it makes me wonder if OPs read any forums/do any research at all?

    Weight fluctuates, numbers are numbers, look at measurements and be patient.
    [/quote]
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    Yes I do read other posts but did see any similar to mine. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else...thats all!!!





    eat a lot. Don't poop. Weigh...

    I hate to sound rude, but I read this all the time on MFP and it makes me wonder if OPs read any forums/do any research at all?

    Weight fluctuates, numbers are numbers, look at measurements and be patient.
    [/quote]

    yeah it's hard, every situation is that little bit different. I have learnt not to panic and just to take things in a long term perspective. If over the span of a month you see a 4lb gain, then I think it's worth being a little concerned :)
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