Why do people panic over a 1-2 lb gain?

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speedy740
speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ahh I hate when people post on here "I gained 2 lbs yesterday what happened???! What do I do, I think I'm gonna die." It's 2 lbs people...CHILL OUT! Unless the scale goes up and stays at a 5-10 lb gain it's not a big deal, get up early the next morning and take a poop ????, see its gone and life is back to normal! ????????
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Replies

  • hamo1987
    hamo1987 Posts: 65 Member
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    i will be honest, I still want to cry when the scale moves the wrong direction even though I know darn good and well there are far too many factors that contribute to it... I think for me it is because I am still so early in the game (haven't lost much yet, six pounds in three weeks 1 day) so any move up is discouraging! Once I start making a dent in my large weight loss needs then I think I will come to terms better! Great post though, you are right
  • _jayciemarie_
    _jayciemarie_ Posts: 574 Member
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    I will be honest--I have been that person more than once. Everything in me tells me that it isn't a big deal. However, there is a part of me that sees the scale going the other way and that causes me to freak out. I don't want to return where I came from. It sucks. I usually calm myself down and realize it is water weight or whatever. I log/measure everything I eat at home. I wear a Hrm. I know the science behind gaining/losing weight. But still, the negative nancy side of me freaks out.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
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    I do not look at it that way due to my weight fluctuating 1-4lbs thoughout the day so if I see a 1 to 2 lb difference I do not count that...usually I go back to the same weight by the am.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Dunno, it's sorta annoying when you're at a smaller deficit and those 2 lbs is what you're hoping to lose in a month.. and yet you gain, lol. Even if you know it's water weight, even if you know you can't gain fat because you're eating at a deficit, weighing everything etc... it's still annoying!
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 Member
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    Perhaps bcause people are working hard at losing this weight, and for some seing a + on the scale starts the anxiety spiral of ""what if I can't do this? What if I stay fat? What of.....". For me this is what happens. I've lost and gain back a lot of weight many time in my life and this is always so scary to see the number go up... once again.... and the feeling of ""it will never work!"" creep in.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    - people generally do not understand natural body weight fluctuations and how much those fluctuations can be day to day.

    - people are overly scale obsessed

    - people generally don't really understand how all of this weight loss stuff actually works.

    - people are, generally speaking, linear thinkers and have a hard time with anything that isn't a linear progression. Sadly, most success whether it is weight loss or otherwise, is not linear...which is why people get derailed so easily in life generally.

    - people generally put all their stock in some arbitrary number on the scale rather than actual health and nutrition...they just want to get to the finish line so they can stop all this health and fitness nonsense.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    because they have been conditioned to judge their entire value as a human being according to a number on the scale.

    scale weight is not even a good metric on which to judge the state of someone's physical health. It doesn't tell you what you look like and it certainly doesn't judge your worth as a human being. Sad that so many people take it that way though...
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Because my "day to day fluctuations" always seem to be up and not down. If I gain 2 lbs overnight, it'll take two weeks to lose it again. I don't freak about it, but it bums me out.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    This is what keeps you up at night?
  • downsizinghoss
    downsizinghoss Posts: 1,035 Member
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    I ate a 16 oz ribeye a while back. Guess what? I gained about a pound for a while.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    hahaha....:laugh:
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    - people generally do not understand natural body weight fluctuations and how much those fluctuations can be day to day.

    - people are overly scale obsessed

    - people generally don't really understand how all of this weight loss stuff actually works.

    - people are, generally speaking, linear thinkers and have a hard time with anything that isn't a linear progression. Sadly, most success whether it is weight loss or otherwise, is not linear...which is why people get derailed so easily in life generally.

    - people generally put all their stock in some arbitrary number on the scale rather than actual health and nutrition...they just want to get to the finish line so they can stop all this health and fitness nonsense.


    love this answer!!!
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    It sucks when it is the same 2 lbs that go up and down and up and down. I understand weight loss is not linear but when the train's been stalled for a while around those same 2 lbs, well, it's not a happy place.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    because life must be perfect 24/7/365
  • turtleball
    turtleball Posts: 217 Member
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    people dont want to be big again.
  • kierkeb
    kierkeb Posts: 13 Member
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    When I first started my weight loss journey over 2 months ago, I was this person. I would lose 5 pounds and then see a 1-2 gain. Then I'd lose some more and see another gain. I've learned along the way that this is normal, my body is holding weight and like many of you said, water, not going to the bathroom, many factors play into this. You just have to stick through it until you see more loss than gain. When my scale would say 178 one day, then 180 the next, yes it could be discouraging. But once a few days passed and I kept working hard, I'd hit 176 and then occasionally 178. I never saw that 180 again. Baby steps, everyone :) Good luck!

    Oh and another thing I've learned from this site: Non-Scale Victories (NSV) are way more important, at least in my opinion. I've lost 22 pounds so far which is great but when I measure and see that I've lost INCHES, that's when I really celebrate my progress!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    I don't panic - I know it'll drop again within the week unless I've been overeating, but it doesn't make me happy.

    Why? Because at this point it's taking me a month to legitimately lose a lb. Just the hint that some of that work might need to be repeated does not make me a happy camper. I really want to get to maintenance and I'm having a hard time being patient.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    No idea. I am up two pounds today, not crying about it, but I also feel like I need to take a big poop, so hopefully the lentil stew I just had will get things moving.
  • Quieau
    Quieau Posts: 428 Member
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    I'm testing this theory. I just bought an Ozeri body composition scale that measures weight, fat density, bone mass, water, and muscle. While the base readings may or may not be accurate (reviews were mixed but overwhelmingly good, favoring accuracy), more importantly trends can be noted. If my weight doesn't change or goes up, I can see what's going on 'behind the scenes' and see if there is a true shift from fat to water or muscle. Just got it today. Will see over time ...

    Amazon, Ozeri marked down from $129 to $31 with checkout discount of 20% ...
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
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    Losing weight takes a considerable amount of focus and energy -- 3500 calories in a week or whatever you've managed to do, when people see the scale go up it makes them feel like all their efforts have been undone or done in vain. I had that panic when I was new to weight loss and fluctuation.

    I find water retention pretty annoying but I've learned to recognize it when it happens.

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