Gaining on the weekends- SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

jack1925
jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost about 65 pounds in 3.5 years (with about 80 more to go.) I'm a bookkeeper (so I'm on my butt ALOT during the day), so it's imperative that I bust my butt in exercise (which I do- 30 minutes every other day on my treadmill and also some Jillian Michaels DVD's.) But, on Saturday I can weigh myself, then again on Monday I can weigh myself and it NEVER fails that I am UP at least 2-3 pounds! It's sooooo frustrating because I spend all week LOSING 2-3 pounds, but then I GAIN them back in 2 days! I can't imagine how much weight I would actually LOSE if I could break this awful streak! Which I've been on forever! It's about once or twice a YEAR that I can actually break through it, and that's with being bad and barely eating combined with major calorie burn.... But I don't want to have to do that every weekend. :-( Does anyone else have this issue?????? Can anyone provide insight as to why this is happening to me???????? Can anyone please give me some advice on how to get over this issue once and for all????????

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I would start with consistently logging EVERYTHING you eat. Don't skip or omit anything. I suspect the culprit could be in there.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    you don't lose 2-3 lbs of fat then gain 2-3 lbs of fat within a weeks time. Nearly impossible. You are seeing water fluctuations.
  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 992 Member
    I agree with the above poster and watch the sodium, it's probably water weight!
  • mathstudent
    mathstudent Posts: 25
    I don't have this problem, but i've heard that working is a distraction, so you think about food less at work. On the weekend, you could try finding something active to occupy you (like a hobby) for the 9-5 stretch, as it should decrease snacking.
  • professorhuggins
    professorhuggins Posts: 72 Member
    maybe find a hobby that you love that is active for the weekends...so that you are burning calories along with finding something that you love so you aren't overindulging on the weekends. I found an "extreme boot camp" that meets on saturdays that is more or less like playing on a jungle gym and then I got into running, so sundays I go for a 1-2 hour run after church and after i put my three little ones down for a nap.

    my wife and I have also gotten into indian cooking, so that we can eat restaurant quality vegan food at home on weekend nights (again, after the tiny ones are asleep) where we don't feel like we are deprived by not eating out and can control the portions and caloric profile.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Plan your meals for the weekend and make sure they are within your calorie goals. Keep junk food out of the house. Try not to go out to eat. Have some activities planned that get you moving - even if it's just a walk or a bike ride. Get good sleep. Log everything.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    You need to track everything. I've noticed you track a day or two then for a few days you don't track at all.

    Also as others have suggested watch the sodium. Those frozen dinners are loaded with salt.

    Try to take a salad to work instead of a frozen dinner. Put some cut up chicken in with that salad or bring a packet of tuna packed in water to put over it. Pack fresh fruits and veggies to snack on while your working and skip all the cupcakes and cookies. Have them occasionally but not so much in one day. Its ok to have treats but don't make them a meal. I know in many office situations there is a break room and a lot of times someone brings in cake and junk food. So bringing in your own healthier choices and avoiding that break room will help.

    Get active at work while on your break. Go for a walk around the building, take the stairs as much as possible instead of an elevator, park farther from the entrance so you have to walk more etc. There are so many ways to get moving more when you're working a sedimentary job. Then after work go for walks especially after dinner. My husband and I always go for an after dinner walk.
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    You need to track everything. I've noticed you track a day or two then for a few days you don't track at all.

    Also as others have suggested watch the sodium. Those frozen dinners are loaded with salt.

    Try to take a salad to work instead of a frozen dinner. Put some cut up chicken in with that salad or bring a packet of tuna packed in water to put over it. Pack fresh fruits and veggies to snack on while your working and skip all the cupcakes and cookies. Have them occasionally but not so much in one day. Its ok to have treats but don't make them a meal. I know in many office situations there is a break room and a lot of times someone brings in cake and junk food. So bringing in your own healthier choices and avoiding that break room will help.

    Get active at work while on your break. Go for a walk around the building, take the stairs as much as possible instead of an elevator, park farther from the entrance so you have to walk more etc. There are so many ways to get moving more when you're working a sedentary job. Then after work go for walks especially after dinner. My husband and I always go for an after dinner walk.

    This is great advice :)

    I have the same problem- I go up after weekends... but that's because of how horribly I eat on weekends. I'm planning on making myself "meal plans" to fix this. I also eat a lot of frozen foods which, as everyone else is saying, are HIGH in sodium... I try to drink a lot of water to help flush it out but making your own food is obviously the best way to fix that :( Gahh I need more time :(

    ETA: logging everything is key! This is the best way to see what the foods you're eating are doing to you. I made my diary private because I wasn't logging truthfully when it was public- I was so much more concerned with what everyone else would see than with making sure I was doing what's right for me. If you're not logging because you just don't get around to it- get the phone app if possible. That makes logging a total breeze. If you're like me and worried abt what other people will think (even though no one else really cares... but hey, it's what's in my brain :( ) then try making your diary private and log EVERYTHING. It's an honest to god eye opener when you see what you're doing to yourself!
  • A_Warrior_Princess
    A_Warrior_Princess Posts: 344 Member
    I understand the frustration as I have continually ran into this same issue. I think for me the culprit is eating out - although I make good choices (usually) I only drink water so when I eat something higher in sodium than I normally have I gain a few pounds of water weight. Then it takes several days for me to get the water weight off and I feel like I am right back where I started again. Just hang in there, watch your sodium levels, eating any processed foods or like me eating out. It does get better! Friend me if you want another person that knows what your going through!
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
    you don't lose 2-3 lbs of fat then gain 2-3 lbs of fat within a weeks time. Nearly impossible. You are seeing water fluctuations.

    So realistically, im not losing amy weight at all?
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
    You need to track everything. I've noticed you track a day or two then for a few days you don't track at all.

    Also as others have suggested watch the sodium. Those frozen dinners are loaded with salt.

    Try to take a salad to work instead of a frozen dinner. Put some cut up chicken in with that salad or bring a packet of tuna packed in water to put over it. Pack fresh fruits and veggies to snack on while your working and skip all the cupcakes and cookies. Have them occasionally but not so much in one day. Its ok to have treats but don't make them a meal. I know in many office situations there is a break room and a lot of times someone brings in cake and junk food. So bringing in your own healthier choices and avoiding that break room will help.

    Get active at work while on your break. Go for a walk around the building, take the stairs as much as possible instead of an elevator, park farther from the entrance so you have to walk more etc. There are so many ways to get moving more when you're working a sedimentary job. Then after work go for walks especially after dinner. My husband and I always go for an after dinner walk.

    What you probably seen on my diary was just from the the last 10 days or so. Ive been very frustrated with this issue and have fallen way off track. Other than that, sine jan 1st of this year ive only missed a few days of logging. Before MFP, i took a salad to lunch almost every day. Im to the point now where i cant even stand the smell of lettuce, lol. My office does bring snacks a lot, but i never snack at work. Me and my husband only go out to eat for special occasions usually (birthdays and anniversaries). And i do not eat frozen dinners on the weekend. The weekends are when me and my husband do home cooking. And because i have been so frustrated with this lately, i havent done so, but my normal routine is 30 minutes of treadmill treadmill every other morning and after supper every night i do a JM video (either 30 day shred, ripped in 30 or bfbm).
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
    Plan your meals for the weekend and make sure they are within your calorie goals. Keep junk food out of the house. Try not to go out to eat. Have some activities planned that get you moving - even if it's just a walk or a bike ride. Get good sleep. Log everything.

    Its really hard to keep junk food out of the house when my husband doesnt wish to diet with me, lol. And im not cruel enough to tell him what he can and cant eat, lol. And on the weekends, i rarely sit at home and do nothing. I usually end up at the mall, target and walmart- just walking around so i do keep moving.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    you don't lose 2-3 lbs of fat then gain 2-3 lbs of fat within a weeks time. Nearly impossible. You are seeing water fluctuations.

    So realistically, im not losing amy weight at all?

    You are losing fat if you are maintaining a calorie deficit. It is just hard to see small changes in a "noisy" measurement such as weighing yourself. That is why people suggest weighing monthly. I, on the other hand, prefer to weigh daily and then do a linear regression on the data so you can see what is causing the fluctuations, understand your body, and cut through the measurement error. Scientifically speaking, one of the best ways to make a measurement meaningful is to take a lot of measurements. The more measurements, the more confidence you have. The less measurements, the less confidence. Sorry to get all geeky on you!

    Understand that to lose or gain 2 lbs in a week, you would have to have a 1000 calorie/day deficit. 3 lbs would be 1500 calories a day. What you are claiming is that in 5 days, you are losing 2-3 lbs, then in 2 days you are gaining back 2-3 lbs. Assuming all fat, that would mean for 5 days you have a 1400-2100 calorie deficit per day, then on the weekends you have a 3500-5250 calorie surplus per day to gain it all back. That is really hard to do, so I think it is water weight and measurement variability.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    as far as measurement error goes, look at this post:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1042349-why-i-weigh-daily-repost
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    30 minutes every other day isn't a lot. I'm in the gym 5 mornings, a week, for an hour each time, and I go back 2 nights a week, and I'm not losing weight. Plus I walk a mile each way, one way up a hill.
  • thisisiamj
    thisisiamj Posts: 145 Member
    After my cheat meal/day I am generally up 3-4 lbs the next day, but within a week, it will go down and then some. Probably water weight. But like the others said, log everything. For my cheat day, I generally eat pretty close to maintenance. Make sure on the weekends you are not eating more than the deficit you have accrued over the weekdays.

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