How to recover from cheat meal?

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PunkyDucky
PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had my cheat meal of the week last night and gained 4lbs. Ugh :(

All i had was pan seared/roasted salmon and mixed veggies for dinner at a 5-star restaurant and then a small popcorn (no butter, no salt) at the movies.

I drank 2 liters of water throughout the day yesterday.

What do i do to get back down to my original weight :(
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Replies

  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    You are aware that weight naturally fluctuates. Correct?
  • StephanieL14
    StephanieL14 Posts: 124 Member
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    Drink lots of water and eat your regular healthy foods today. I went out last night and "gained" 2 lbs, but it's likely sodium causing water retention, digestion, etc. It's not 4 lbs of fat. Check back in a couple days and you'll likely be back to normal.
  • amarisstorm
    amarisstorm Posts: 26 Member
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    I had that happen as well. It took a few days of drinking lots of water. Keep on track, it will come back off. :)
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
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    1 pound is 3500 calories.
    4 pounds is 28,000 calories.

    You would have bad to go over your TDEE by 28,000 calories to gain four pounds. Which wouldn't have happened in one meal.

    Weight fluctuates normally. You might just be hanging on to water or something.

    PS - how was that meal a cheat meal? Seemed pretty healthy. If you're considering a decent meal to be cheating there may be something wrong going on in your diet.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    I'm impressed with your cheat meal... Mine was pizza with anchovies and a few bites of a double-dipped Italian beef sandwich. Yours sounds like my regular meals!

    You didn't gain four pounds of fat. Ride it out, it will go away.
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
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    1 pound is 3500 calories.
    4 pounds is 28,000 calories.

    You would have bad to go over your TDEE by 28,000 calories to gain four pounds. Which wouldn't have happened in one meal.

    Weight fluctuates normally. You might just be hanging on to water or something.

    PS - how was that meal a cheat meal? Seemed pretty healthy. If you're considering a decent meal to be cheating there may be something wrong going on in your diet.

    ALL of this. I had my cheat meal last night too. Double burger from Wendy's. I gained 0.2 pounds. Weight fluctuates. If it's going to drive you THAT nuts, don't weigh yourself so often.
  • Ctrum69
    Ctrum69 Posts: 308 Member
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    You didn't gain that weight from that meal, unless you ate about 14 lbs of salmon. most likely there was more sodium than you are used to in the meal, and you are holding onto a bit of water. (half a gallon of water is about 4#).

    Obsessive weighing is probably the number one thing that screws up people's diets. Weigh once every two weeks, if that. It gives a much better baseline than worrying about totally normal daily deviations. (two 8 oz glasses of water is 1 lb on the scale.)
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
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    You didn't gain that weight from that meal, unless you ate about 14 lbs of salmon. most likely there was more sodium than you are used to in the meal, and you are holding onto a bit of water. (half a gallon of water is about 4#).

    Obsessive weighing is probably the number one thing that screws up people's diets. Weigh once every two weeks, if that. It gives a much better baseline than worrying about totally normal daily deviations. (two 8 oz glasses of water is 1 lb on the scale.)

    No it's not. That's ridiculous. I drink 10-15 8 oz glasses of water a day and I don't have an extra 5-7.5 pounds on the scale because of it.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
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    You will recover naturally. Water retention is a *kitten*, I've been struggling with it all week.
  • delaney056
    delaney056 Posts: 475
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    You didn't gain 4 lbs of fat.
    Your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in a day, due entirely to water retention.
    As everyone else stated, you're probably retaining water.
    Weigh yourself again in a week or so. I had to limit myself to one weigh in per week because the scale drives me crazy.
  • zealey77
    zealey77 Posts: 104
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    1 pound is 3500 calories.
    4 pounds is 28,000 calories.

    You would have bad to go over your TDEE by 28,000 calories to gain four pounds. Which wouldn't have happened in one meal.

    Weight fluctuates normally. You might just be hanging on to water or something.

    PS - how was that meal a cheat meal? Seemed pretty healthy. If you're considering a decent meal to be cheating there may be something wrong going on in your diet.

    THIS
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    :huh:

    Your cheat meal was roasted fish and veggies and popcorn without butter and you think you gained 4 pounds?


    Did you eat like 10-20 plates of salmon?

    As another posted pointed out, you didn't consumer 14,000 beyond your TDEE. It's water retention. Drink extra fluid today, tomorrow. And chillax.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    Poop
  • waytobeduck
    waytobeduck Posts: 82
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    1 pound is 3500 calories.
    4 pounds is 28,000 calories.

    You would have bad to go over your TDEE by 28,000 calories to gain four pounds. Which wouldn't have happened in one meal.

    Weight fluctuates normally. You might just be hanging on to water or something.

    PS - how was that meal a cheat meal? Seemed pretty healthy. If you're considering a decent meal to be cheating there may be something wrong going on in your diet.

    yay science :flowerforyou: good input
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Poop

    :drinker:

    I never weigh myself until a deposit has been made.
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    You didn't gain that weight from that meal, unless you ate about 14 lbs of salmon. most likely there was more sodium than you are used to in the meal, and you are holding onto a bit of water. (half a gallon of water is about 4#).

    Obsessive weighing is probably the number one thing that screws up people's diets. Weigh once every two weeks, if that. It gives a much better baseline than worrying about totally normal daily deviations. (two 8 oz glasses of water is 1 lb on the scale.)

    No it's not. That's ridiculous. I drink 10-15 8 oz glasses of water a day and I don't have an extra 5-7.5 pounds on the scale because of it.

    1 mL of water = 1 gram of water; 500 mL=500gm= ~17 oz =~1 lb. It's not ridiculous, if you retain all 16 oz of water you take in, it should equal about a lb. Are you going to retain all 2.5-3 L a day you are drinking (5-7 lbs)? No, you urinate most of it out. If you have water retention, less water will be excreted and will be held as extra weight. If your body is retaining an extra 16 oz that will equal a lb of weight on the scale. I think that's all they meant - is that water weight isn't light/trivial
  • acloern1985
    acloern1985 Posts: 71 Member
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    1 pound is 3500 calories.
    4 pounds is 28,000 calories.

    You would have bad to go over your TDEE by 28,000 calories to gain four pounds. Which wouldn't have happened in one meal.

    Weight fluctuates normally. You might just be hanging on to water or something.

    PS - how was that meal a cheat meal? Seemed pretty healthy. If you're considering a decent meal to be cheating there may be something wrong going on in your diet.

    ALL of this. I had my cheat meal last night too. Double burger from Wendy's. I gained 0.2 pounds. Weight fluctuates. If it's going to drive you THAT nuts, don't weigh yourself so often.

    4# is 14,000 calories.
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
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    You didn't gain that weight from that meal, unless you ate about 14 lbs of salmon. most likely there was more sodium than you are used to in the meal, and you are holding onto a bit of water. (half a gallon of water is about 4#).

    Obsessive weighing is probably the number one thing that screws up people's diets. Weigh once every two weeks, if that. It gives a much better baseline than worrying about totally normal daily deviations. (two 8 oz glasses of water is 1 lb on the scale.)

    No it's not. That's ridiculous. I drink 10-15 8 oz glasses of water a day and I don't have an extra 5-7.5 pounds on the scale because of it.

    1 mL of water = 1 gram of water; 500 mL=500gm= ~17 oz =~1 lb. It's not ridiculous, if you retain all 16 oz of water you take in, it should equal about a lb. Are you going to retain all 2.5-3 L a day you are drinking (5-7 lbs)? No, you urinate most of it out. If you have water retention, less water will be excreted and will be held as extra weight. If your body is retaining an extra 16 oz that will equal a lb of weight on the scale. I think that's all they meant - is that water weight isn't light/trivial

    Fair enough. Good logic. The post I quoted made it seem as if every two glasses of water would equal a pound on the scale and that IS ridiculous. But, yes, water weight is a real thing.
  • Ctrum69
    Ctrum69 Posts: 308 Member
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    You didn't gain that weight from that meal, unless you ate about 14 lbs of salmon. most likely there was more sodium than you are used to in the meal, and you are holding onto a bit of water. (half a gallon of water is about 4#).

    Obsessive weighing is probably the number one thing that screws up people's diets. Weigh once every two weeks, if that. It gives a much better baseline than worrying about totally normal daily deviations. (two 8 oz glasses of water is 1 lb on the scale.)

    No it's not. That's ridiculous. I drink 10-15 8 oz glasses of water a day and I don't have an extra 5-7.5 pounds on the scale because of it.

    Not ridiculous at all. Go weigh yourself. Drink 2 8 oz glasses of water, and weigh yourself again.

    Ta da.. a pound on the scale.

    Not saying water makes you "Gain weight", just pointing out that something as simple as a double coffee before you get on the scale can throw off your perceived weight by a pound or more.

    You drink a lot of water, but that's consistant for you, so you just aren't noticing the 5-7.5 lbs, unless, for some reason, you get dehydrated (you'll show a dramatic loss that is well beyond the bodies ability to lose in fat), and then as you rehydrate you'll see it come back. Or, if you get a bit more sodium (or one of the other things that encourages you to hold water), and retain some, you'll see a brief spike.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    Just go back to eating the way you were before. Weight loss isn't linear. Weight also fluctuates all the time. Don't get caught up by numbers on the scale every time you eat something "bad" or have a bad weigh in even though you were "good" the whole time.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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