WTF GAINED 2LBS

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I cant believe it ...I have been under my calories working out so hard drinking all my water and some how managed to gain 2 lbs since Thursday...I know there are a million reasons why this could be physiologically but it still sucks...It is so discouraging to do great all weekend when temptation was all around only to have gained weight...Ughhhh sorry just venting...

Replies

  • Fnarfig
    Fnarfig Posts: 6
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    Don't let it get to you! I've been exercising for several months and find that I gained weight too. I get tired of hearing it, but muscle is heavier than fat and you are replacing the fat with muscle, so weight gain is normal. Just stick with it and give it a little time and you'll see the changes start to take place!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I gain and lose 2lbs every week - weight goes up and down daily based on so many things. Don't let it get you down - grab that tape measure and record your measurements - a better way to see progress!
  • BioMechHeretic
    BioMechHeretic Posts: 128 Member
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    You can't measure anything based off a few days. You could drink a big bottle of water and eat something salty and go up 2/3 lbs.

    You need to look at it long term, a steady trend over a few weeks minimum.
  • junejadesky
    junejadesky Posts: 524 Member
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    I hear your frustration!! Measuring yourself is a much better way to see those results! Don't get discouraged! Just keep on keeping on!! Your hard work is going to pay off and hopefully you are feeling much better too!! THAT is something to celebrate!
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
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    Relax, it's just water weight. I can weigh myself first thing in the morning, then weigh myself an hour later after a workout and two bottles of water and weigh 2 pounds more. There's no way I gained two whole pounds in one hour's time, no matter what I was doing. Don't worry about it. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning when you get out of bed. That will be the most accurate measure of your actual weight.
  • lifehousegrl
    lifehousegrl Posts: 6 Member
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    I agree with Amy and June! I bought a new scale and was fiddling with it trying to set it up and had to weigh myself over and over Sunday, and I was shocked at how my weight went up and down through out the day.

    Even though I showed I gained about a pound a half back from the week before, I lost two pant sizes, so measuring is definitely more inspiring!
  • dreamgirl9
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    another tip is to add more weight training to ur workouts vs. more cardio. i think that was my mistake when i first started because i wasnt really seeing any progress on the scale. however, once i switched my workouts to doing more weight training than cardio i am seeing a difference in my body. it's getting more toned. i was talking to a trainer at my gym and he told me it would be better for me to gain 5 lbs of lean muscle mass and lose 5 lbs of fat instead of just focusing on the scale numbers n trying to lose 10 lbs. FYI: the more muscle mass u have, the more fat ur body burns at rest.
  • amie290478
    amie290478 Posts: 24 Member
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    Hi, Im not going to start the muscle is heavier than fat stuff cos even though its true, it doesnt make you feel any better.

    I completely agree with AmyRubarb about recording your measurements. I was getting so down with the weight either not coming off or even going up that I was in danger of saying f**k it all and giving up. I was demotivated, tired, grumpy and fed up of constantly feeling hungry and then I starting measuring myself. The boost that it gave me was awesome. I had only lost about 6lbs in over 2 months but I had lost 8 inches off my waist and 4 off my hips. I WAS GETTING SMALLER!!!! Then one of MFP friends suggested that I was not eating enough and it was stalling my weightloss?!? That went against everything that my diet demon wanted to do but I gave it a try and made sure I ate most of my excercise calories back and not drop below 1500 kcals a day. I now treat my food as body fuel to HELP me lose weight and surprisingly last week I lost 2lbs .

    I obviously cant see your diet diary but is it at all possible that you are not giving your own body enough fuel and that may be causing you problems.

    Keep motivated and if something isnt working for you then try something different :smile:
  • CasablancasTX
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    Don't let it get to you! I've been exercising for several months and find that I gained weight too. I get tired of hearing it, but muscle is heavier than fat and you are replacing the fat with muscle, so weight gain is normal. Just stick with it and give it a little time and you'll see the changes start to take place!

    Just to clarify since you're new, muscle is not heavier than fat and you don't replace fat with muscle. 1lb fat = 1lb muscle. Muscle is denser than fat, but they weigh the same. This is a common misconception. Also, it's unlikely she just suddenly put on 2lbs of muscle. It's going to be water weight for sure and it will come off shortly.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Relax. It happened to me 3 weeks ago. I was down to 194, and back up to 196 for two weeks... It finally came down 6 days ago and I'm at 193.4 now. But I'm thinner than I was. I assume you're a woman, and cycles can really mess up your weight too...

    Of course it's easier said than done and my brain knows that it's normal, but it still doesn't prevent me from being upset when it happens to me LOL. Keep up the good work!
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
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    It's probably water weight. If you're drinking eight cups of water each day, that totals 64 ounces of water and weighs 4 pounds. If you're not getting rid of all that water everyday, you can gain water weight. I recommend you try Dandelion leaves in your salads and sandwiches just as you would add spinach leaves and lettuce. Dandelion leaves are great for regulating sodium and shedding water naturally as Dandelion is a very strong diuretic. Dandelion is widely prescribed throughout Europe and Asia for a variety of maladies and issues including water retention because there are no recorded side effects associated with its leaves or its root.

    Also keep in mind your scale is only accurate to within one or two pounds due to changes in temperature and humidity. So in addition to weight loss, it would be better to also track your waist to hip ratio as an indicator of relative health and fitness. For women, that ratio should not exceed 0.80 and for men, that ratio should not exceed 0.95 (calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement).

    Hang in there! The weight will come off eventually.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Don't let it get to you! I've been exercising for several months and find that I gained weight too. I get tired of hearing it, but muscle is heavier than fat and you are replacing the fat with muscle, so weight gain is normal. Just stick with it and give it a little time and you'll see the changes start to take place!

    No... You don't replace fat with muscle and you don't gain muscle while eating at a deficit.

    OP, it is most likely water weight or just a natural change in weight. It happens. You won't always lose. Keep going and you will see results.
  • vineetgnr
    vineetgnr Posts: 3 Member
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    Chill.. Its Normal that happens with everyone all the time , It also depends on what time of the day you weigh yourself. Usually at early morning after you wake up , you tend to weigh less ... If you weigh yourself every day you will see these fluctuations...a 2 lb swing is typically water weight. It's best to weigh yourself once a week for an accurate number.
  • rodow
    rodow Posts: 26
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    I highly recommend reading the "Hacker's Diet" http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/ and adopting the trend method of tracking your weight. This smooths out the daily water retention bumps and shows whether you are still on the weight loss trend or not.

    You can track it at the Hacker's Diet Online site or Trendweight.com.
  • rachlat
    rachlat Posts: 23
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    I've just had two weeks of really working hard and staying under my goal, all predictions pointed towards about a 5lb loss and I felt as though I had. I weighed yesterday and haven't lost an ounce!!!
    I blame it on the weather. A bit of advice that I was given though was to mix it up and confuse my body a bit. Have a couple of days of over eating to really work the metabolism then exercise hard and eat lighter. It may help.
    Good luck!:happy:
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    I feel you. I was just there. I was going up and down for 2wks with the same 1.5lbs of water weight or whatever it was. This past weekend it finally broke and I'm down those 1.5lbs plus 1.5lbs. Just relax and concentrate on what you're doing right and ignore the scale for a little while. Remember it's not true fat gain but water.
  • nicolamoonbrains
    nicolamoonbrains Posts: 72 Member
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    if the scales deflate your confidence... ditch them for a few weeks or even longer and try measuring... you have to learn to accept that fluctuations of 2/3 pounds are NORMAL and there isn't anything you can do about it all you need care about is the long term as everyone says... water weighs a lot and you need lots of it! hang in there!
  • S_Arr_Uh
    S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member
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    I weighed in [officially] yesterday morning. 24 hours later, I hopped onto the scale just for fun and found I was 3lbs heavier. It's not fat, it's water. I never used to fluctuate much during a week frame, but last couple of weeks, I have been. But I find that by the time I weigh in [officially] on a Sunday morning, my weight has still dropped from the sunday before :)

    Don't be disheartened by the scale, especially if it hasn't been a minimum of a WEEK since you last weighed in.
  • lexlyn14
    lexlyn14 Posts: 290 Member
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    I really appreciate every ones words of encouragement...I was so discouraged I was not going to work out but honestly after reading all of your posts I just worked out for over an hour!!! I think I will start measuring instead of weighing...That concept is new to me as the numbers on the scale has always been how I measured my loss...
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
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    the first week i started i gained 5lbs. it was my bodies way of adjusting. as of now i lose a solid .5-1lb per week steady.

    i weigh every day to see my fluctuations and after weekends eating what i want, i usually gain about 1-2lbs on monday but by wednesday i usually lose the 1-2lbs plus an extra .5 or 1lb on top of that.
    basically it's sodium intake or water retention.