How totally discouraging

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modernfemme
modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I went to Chili's last night - first time eating out in like 3 weeks. According to Chili's website, I was able to count my calories and actually came in under my calorie goal.

So when I got on the scale this morning and gained 1.3 pounds, I was totally floored! I realize there is always room for error when you're being served something but I was totally shocked that I must have at least doubled the calories which I thought I was eating.

Or, it really goes to show that the sodium / fat content in those processed food is super horrible for you. Could these types of food make you gain weight even if you stay within your calorie range??

Holy cow!
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Replies

  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    The good thing is...............Water weight from excess sodium is not "true weight gain" so flush your cells out today and detox with some lemon water and eat within your calorie goal.
  • tbernard
    tbernard Posts: 54 Member
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    One pound is 3500 Calories... There is no way that your mean was 4550 Calories. I think you're focusing way too hard on one thing that you ate. Your weight can fluctuate all throughout the day. While its a good idea to keep track of where your weight is going, be careful not to micromanage it too much. What truly matter is the longer term trend..

    Now give yourself a hug..
  • Sauchie
    Sauchie Posts: 357 Member
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    Your weight can fluctuate 2 pounds in a single day... So might be just a little water weight. but keep up the good work & dont beat yourself up over a fun night out.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
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    @grokette - You betcha - thanks for the lemon tip.

    @tbernard I weigh myself once a day, the same time a day. So basically since my last weigh in, I gained 1.3 pounds. I think grokette might be on to something. The only thing different was eating out. My question was if something other than the calories can make you gain weight. (I realize my food wasn't 4200 calories)
  • takethepieces
    takethepieces Posts: 98
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    I totally agree with the above. It's probably water weight from the extra sodium etc and natural fluctuations. I'm sure it will go down in a few days.
  • traceysturn
    traceysturn Posts: 196
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    Its just sodium/water retention - it'll go away.:wink:
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    It's definitely the sodium and the fact that you likely ate a large meal. If you ate it last night and weighed this morning, all that food and sodium is still "in your system", if you get the idea. Once you take a day and drink water, and um... go to the bathroom, you should be back to normal. That almost always happens to me when I eat out because the portion is larger than I'm used to and it's definitely more sodium. I limit my eating out for that reason, but you can't stop living because you're on a diet. You get used to stuff like that after a while.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Did you happen to check how much sodium was in that Chili's meal?
  • LisaJayne71
    LisaJayne71 Posts: 197 Member
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    So I went to Chili's last night - first time eating out in like 3 weeks. According to Chili's website, I was able to count my calories and actually came in under my calorie goal.

    So when I got on the scale this morning and gained 1.3 pounds, I was totally floored! I realize there is always room for error when you're being served something but I was totally shocked that I must have at least doubled the calories which I thought I was eating.

    Or, it really goes to show that the sodium / fat content in those processed food is super horrible for you. Could these types of food make you gain weight even if you stay within your calorie range??

    Holy cow!
    I avoid Chillis like the plague! I remember looking on the site awhile back and looking up the starter that I like to have as a main meal sometimes and it was over 900 calories alone just for the starter!!!!!
    Ever since then I've given it a miss!!!
    I'm sure though that one meal in there can't have affected you that much tho and if you allowed the calories into your allowance then not too sure... however... look forwards.. don't beat yourself up and maybe give chilli's a miss for a few weeks and have it as a occasional treat!!
  • princesslmc2
    princesslmc2 Posts: 264 Member
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    LOL! Well my response is very similar to the others. Sodium. Just drink extra water today to help flush it all out. It may take a day or so, but the scale will go back down. I promise. :-)
  • annaatlp84
    annaatlp84 Posts: 26
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    It seems like restaurants tend to be heavy handed with the salt and other preservatives so I'm positive it is just water retention. I do want to commend you for going there with a solid plan and following through. Great Job!!!
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
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    I've been "micro-managing" my sodium for a year now. Watch your potassium. They work together. If you're not getting enough, your body will store sodium like it does fat. Enough potassium will help your body flush the sodium. Restaurants are notorious for overloading their food with sodium. It's gross. I have fluctuated as much as six pounds from a meal that was too high in sodium.
  • nataliew834
    nataliew834 Posts: 22
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    i didnt have time to read through all the comments but it could depend on what you ate. Even if you are within your calorie goal you still could have gone over by sugars, carb, sodium which all make you hold onto water/weight. I love chilis but I no longer eat there because their nutrition is AWFUL. most of there salads are 1000+ calories and they have a lot of spices and flavor all over there food (sodium, sugar, fat). So even if you were under calories it still could have been pretty bad.

    Eat lots of steamed broc and drink water to get rid of it

    BUT just for my own knowledge of what caused this-what did you eat ?
  • Nikki_Marz
    Nikki_Marz Posts: 35
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    Yes there are many many aspects of that food that can make you gain weight. It's not realistic however to weight daily and not look at the overal trend. The best way to monitor weight is on a weekly basis, however if you do do it daily (as many of us do) you have to have the ability to be okay with small weight gains and minimal weightlosses. As previously mentioned, your body can change up to 2lbs a day for pretty much no reason....and no that doesnt mean that if you step back on the scale in 24 hours that your body will have leveled itself back out yet.
    Many things effect digestion. As mentioned before salt is ahuge one, higher salt equals higher water retention thus more weight.
    Higher fatty foods than your body is normal (a person can still be under their goals/limits for the day, but if one day happens to be higher than the 'norm' for your body that week) it will take longer for your body to break that fat down...it'll happen still, but it'll just take a bit more time to get there.
    Preservatives, less fiber, more fiber, less water, more water, just about anything that is different than the norm can throw your body for a loop. All this means is that your body will take longer to figure out what to do with it but in the end when it does, it'll all be fine.
    The process of digesting food is a complicated one that we don't give our bodies credit for. It's a constantly changing puzzle of what is the right amount of acids, of minerals, of physical action, of hormones needed to get the job done, and not over or underdo it.

    Essentialy if you were monitoring your calories, just give it time. If you gained 1.3 lbs today, you'll most likely lose it all tomorrow, you just didnt give the workers in your body enough time to figure out what they had to do yet (because afterall, restaurant food isnt something you give them all the time now is it?)
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
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    For those interested - my meal was this:

    1/2 basket of chips/salsa (bad! I know lol!)
    half of an old timer with toppings, with white bun, a slice of swiss cheese, substituted black bean burger (I'm vegetarian)
    steamed broccoli/carrots
    1 stella
    a few french fries from my husbands plate

    It came to 780 calories.
  • chocbeast
    chocbeast Posts: 44 Member
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    Also, it apparently takes 3 days for a weight gain to show from excessive eating. So your overnight gain can't possible from a fat deposit. It'll be gone tomorrow :) x
  • plifsey
    plifsey Posts: 24
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    hey funny, I also went to Chili's last night, I had aprroz. half a basket of chips with salsa and the chicken fajitas with no tortillas or the condiments, I came in under goal, and I was also up weight this morning. I beleive it was the sodium.....
  • saychzzz
    saychzzz Posts: 69 Member
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    The sodium content in foods prepared out is horrible! And yes, that much sodium can make you hold on to fluids like there is NO tomorrow. Drink lot's of water and you'll pee it out.
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    Also, try not to think of it as gaining 1.3 lbs, because that is not really accurate - that food you ate last night has had no affect on your actual body composition or fat / muscle ratio today. Of course, down the road when it is fully processed and absorbed by your body it can affect your weight, but even if you ate over a pound worth of food that would not all go to your body weight. Much of it would be excreted in various ways. I would discourage weighing daily - of if you do, don't really pay attention to anything but one set day a week to record your #. Use the rest just as ways to be familiar with the shifts your body takes daily. I can pee and "lose" a pound, but that's not telling me anything accurate about my weight or fitness level.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
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    Thanks guys, i actually did drop all the weight today plus some. Yay.

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