Post cheat day

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Jbrfijefvibjdcejn
Jbrfijefvibjdcejn Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
So I took the past three days off, but I didn't eat uncontrollably. No more than 2500 a day, plus I went to the gym daily. However, I step on the scale today and I am up 7lbs! 7 lbs after 3 days?! What gives. Even after my bathroom stop this morning, I'm 7 lbs heavier. I know I ate more than usual but there is no way I ate 24500 extra calories.
Thanks. I had previously hit a plateau, now I'm even further away from my goal.

Replies

  • futuresize8
    futuresize8 Posts: 476 Member
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    Many will tell you this, but it could be sodium. If you were taking the days off of counting, and eating foods you normally don't, sodium could be the culprit. Just know that the past is the past, today is a new day, and you can do this!
  • maparis
    maparis Posts: 5 Member
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    Did you eat more salty snacks and items than you normally do? Probably doesn't explain all of the change, but it could be a significant portion of it if your retaining a lot of water.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    It's mostly, if not all, water weight. Drink lots of water this week, stick to your normal plan and the 7 pounds will be off in a few days.

    I've found that if I incorporate foods that I love into my every day routine and stay close to my calorie goal all the time instead of having cheat (binge) days, I have less water retention and more steady losses.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    HIgh sodium, high carb and alcohol can all make you gain water weight. It's very unlikely that you ate enough calories in a 3 day period to make you gain actual fat. Get back on track, drink lots of water and I'll bet most of that will be gone by the end of the week if not sooner.
  • SinomenJen
    SinomenJen Posts: 262 Member
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    sodium! flush it with lots of water, weigh again in about 4 days
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    My guess is water weight - plus maybe food in your system still - stomach and digesting.

    I dunno how big you are of course, but I track my weight daily and it can (and does) fluctuate up to 5-7 pounds per day - almost seemingly regardless of how I eat.

    If I make sure to get enough fibre and water that seems to help - but weighing and tracking everyday has shown me that the body will fluctuate regardless. I bet you if you stay consistent this week you will see a "big" drop one day. Also known as the "whoosh effect". Someone smarter than me can explain the "whoosh" effect. -> http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html (there is one link, you can google it for more).
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    An increase in consumption and an increase in exercise would do it.

    I generally do one of two things:

    1) Go back to what I was doing previously. The scale will start making sense for me again in 2 weeks (the time it generally takes for me to shift the majority of extra water weight).

    2) Keep doing what I'm doing, call it a weight adjustment, and start comparing short-term progress to the peak (once it has been reached).

    I've just had my 12th downwards adjustment since November. Water weight changes don't really bother me now because I accept if I up my activity (and thus consumption) I'll have an upwards adjustment and if I reduce activity (and thus consumption) I'll have a downwards adjustment.

    Water weight changes just mask progress - as long as you are in a deficit, you will lose fat (barring some exceptional cases). The more weeks compressed into a fixed-width progress chart, the less noticeable those blips are.
  • exmsde
    exmsde Posts: 85 Member
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    I see this all the time myself, and it does indeed suddenly go away too. One more thing about it being sodium-related water weight gain. Make sure you are eating potassium-rich foods as potassium is responsible for the elimination of sodium. So, bananas, cantaloupe, potatoes (with skin), etc.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    I'm 7 lbs heavier. I know I ate more than usual but there is no way I ate 24500 extra calories.

    Then you know the answer..
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
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    I'm 8 pounds up in an day and a half, Sodium, extra carbs, extra water, waste you haven't passed yet.

    Just go back to what you were doing, within 9 days you'll be where you would've been, no matter how big the binge was.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
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    I respectfully suggest that perhaps you should rethink your taking cheat days. maybe none at this point, or maybe one a week or maybe one every two or three weeks?

    or maybe not at all.. make every day such a good day that you enjoy every single day so that you dont have to have any cheat days.

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