Gained weight... general help please!!

ochibi91
ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So just earlier, I stepped onto my weighing scale and it says I've gained weight...by at least 2~3 pounds =/ Sigh... after 4 weeks of no progress, I ended up gaining weight.

But I measured about an hour after I ate a small breakfast and after a few glasses of water, even though I went to the loo before stepping on the scale. I also know I had a hard workout session yesterday and it's about 1 week to go before I get my period. So, I just want to know whether should I measure again first thing in the morning tomorrow before I eat anything to check whether it was just water weight?

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Whatever you do, you need to be consistent with weighing - same time of day under same conditions. First thing in the morning after using the loo and before eating or drinking anything is best.
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    thank for replying. Just wondering, does eating breakfast lead to a significant gain like 2~3 pounds?
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    bump
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    Here's a post I made earlier. Check it out. The answer: yes, breakfast (or anything) can totally result in a 2-3 lbs change.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1202905-experiment-for-the-scale-obsessed
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    It's not a real gain. It's just your body fluctuating, as it normally does, throughout the day.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
    thank for replying. Just wondering, does eating breakfast lead to a significant gain like 2~3 pounds?

    if you're eating 2-3 pounds of food and/or drinking tons of liquid.

    My weight fluctuates 5-10 pounds a month depending on the day. You'll get used to and familiar with your own body's fluctuations..

    Don't be discouraged by it. Water retention, TOM, recovery, can all affect your weight and make it seem inconsistent.
  • mareemak
    mareemak Posts: 6
    Generally health practitioners seem to recommend weighing yourself only occasionally, for the reasons you suspect judging by your remarks. Many also recommend taking a hip or waist measurement as an additional measure of fat loss. Weighing yourself means you're weighing everything, including new muscle you may have grown if you've started exercising. Muscle weighs more than fat.
    From experience with hubby who had a lap band inserted, even then it is possible to plateau and even start to gain weight again because of our body's capacity to turn on the famine reaction when we try to limit food intake on a regular daily basis. So we've been experimenting with intermittent fasting. You eat significantly less calories on two non-consecutive days per week. The body doesn't seem to have a chance to turn on the fat storing mechanism because you only restrict food intake for one day at a time, then eat pretty much whatever you want on the other days. We actually avoid fructose sugars altogether, and because breads cause him digestion trouble with the lap band, we hardly ever eat bread. If we do feel like having bread I make a gluten free loaf which seems to be less problematic. Because we use 'MyFitnessPal' to track our calories we are finding this very easy to live with. It works better with more physical activity (who'd have thought!) and we seem to make healthier choices all round.
    All the best
    Maree
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    Here's a post I made earlier. Check it out. The answer: yes, breakfast (or anything) can totally result in a 2-3 lbs change.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1202905-experiment-for-the-scale-obsessed

    That's a great post. Thanks a lot! I'm feeling less discouraged now :)
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    thank for replying. Just wondering, does eating breakfast lead to a significant gain like 2~3 pounds?

    if you're eating 2-3 pounds of food and/or drinking tons of liquid.

    My weight fluctuates 5-10 pounds a month depending on the day. You'll get used to and familiar with your own body's fluctuations..

    Don't be discouraged by it. Water retention, TOM, recovery, can all affect your weight and make it seem inconsistent.

    Okay noted. :) I feel better now that I've stepped away and came back with clear mind. I checked the calendar and it's around 1 week before my TOM so I guess it's a natural and expected gain which will disappear after my period's over.
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    The thing is, I actually don't really prioritize the number on the scales. The problem is I haven't been losing inches either, despite all the calorie counting and making sure I eat at a deficit, perhaps too much sometimes I admit but that's only when I know I ate way above my calorie allowance the previous day.

    I used to see the inches fall (slowly) when I was working out 3 times a week (with emphasis on strength training) for 30 mins average and my diet was a semi low-carb with a weekly carb refeeds. I went down to 111lbs (my lowest) but then I've regained the weight and inches over Christmas and New year. So now I've been fluctuating at 116lbs and haven't been able to lose anything since Jan 1st. Now I work out 5 days a week, a combo of cardio + strength training. My typical cardio now is 30~45minutes on my stationery bike. A silly question, but am I working out too much? I'm sedentary for most of the day except when I'm working out. So I've selected lightly active as my activity level.

    Since I'm supposedly doing everything right, I should be seeing progress either on the scales or the measuring tape right? But nothing... since January 1st, so it's a little discouraging.
  • WonderCort
    WonderCort Posts: 123 Member
    "I also know I had a hard workout session yesterday"

    This can cause it too. Keep your chin up, don't stop. Keep at it!
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    "I also know I had a hard workout session yesterday"

    This can cause it too. Keep your chin up, don't stop. Keep at it!

    Thanks for responding, cortphilips :)
    I did a total body strength training workout by Fitnessblender for 30minutes including warm up and cool down. After that I did a 45 minute workout on my stationery bike with periods of higher intensities.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    The thing is, I actually don't really prioritize the number on the scales. The problem is I haven't been losing inches either, despite all the calorie counting and making sure I eat at a deficit, perhaps too much sometimes I admit but that's only when I know I ate way above my calorie allowance the previous day.

    I used to see the inches fall (slowly) when I was working out 3 times a week (with emphasis on strength training) for 30 mins average and my diet was a semi low-carb with a weekly carb refeeds. I went down to 111lbs (my lowest) but then I've regained the weight and inches over Christmas and New year. So now I've been fluctuating at 116lbs and haven't been able to lose anything since Jan 1st. Now I work out 5 days a week, a combo of cardio + strength training. My typical cardio now is 30~45minutes on my stationery bike. A silly question, but am I working out too much? I'm sedentary for most of the day except when I'm working out. So I've selected lightly active as my activity level.

    Since I'm supposedly doing everything right, I should be seeing progress either on the scales or the measuring tape right? But nothing... since January 1st, so it's a little discouraging.

    Since you're already on the small side of things, you should definitely check out the group Eat More to Weigh Less. It works for people of all sizes, but it seems to be especially effective for people with less weight to lose. Check this out. I know it's a lot to read and take in, but it's honestly one of the best approaches out there. It takes a bit of time but it really works. You get to up your cals (not sure what you're eating now) and still lose weight!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    It sounds like you're already on the right track, but maybe that will help you move forward.
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    The thing is, I actually don't really prioritize the number on the scales. The problem is I haven't been losing inches either, despite all the calorie counting and making sure I eat at a deficit, perhaps too much sometimes I admit but that's only when I know I ate way above my calorie allowance the previous day.

    I used to see the inches fall (slowly) when I was working out 3 times a week (with emphasis on strength training) for 30 mins average and my diet was a semi low-carb with a weekly carb refeeds. I went down to 111lbs (my lowest) but then I've regained the weight and inches over Christmas and New year. So now I've been fluctuating at 116lbs and haven't been able to lose anything since Jan 1st. Now I work out 5 days a week, a combo of cardio + strength training. My typical cardio now is 30~45minutes on my stationery bike. A silly question, but am I working out too much? I'm sedentary for most of the day except when I'm working out. So I've selected lightly active as my activity level.

    Since I'm supposedly doing everything right, I should be seeing progress either on the scales or the measuring tape right? But nothing... since January 1st, so it's a little discouraging.

    Since you're already on the small side of things, you should definitely check out the group Eat More to Weigh Less. It works for people of all sizes, but it seems to be especially effective for people with less weight to lose. Check this out. I know it's a lot to read and take in, but it's honestly one of the best approaches out there. It takes a bit of time but it really works. You get to up your cals (not sure what you're eating now) and still lose weight!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    It sounds like you're already on the right track, but maybe that will help you move forward.

    Yeah, I basically have those last stubborn 10 pounds to lose and it's a pain in the neck because they simply refuse to budge. I guess my lightest weight of 111lbs wasn't real fat loss. I used to have 1200 cals net but realised that I was hungry all the time after increasing my workout days from 3 to 5 days a week, so I'm upping my calories to 1,350 cals and will see how it goes. Thanks for sharing the post. :)
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    Generally health practitioners seem to recommend weighing yourself only occasionally, for the reasons you suspect judging by your remarks. Many also recommend taking a hip or waist measurement as an additional measure of fat loss. Weighing yourself means you're weighing everything, including new muscle you may have grown if you've started exercising. Muscle weighs more than fat.
    From experience with hubby who had a lap band inserted, even then it is possible to plateau and even start to gain weight again because of our body's capacity to turn on the famine reaction when we try to limit food intake on a regular daily basis. So we've been experimenting with intermittent fasting. You eat significantly less calories on two non-consecutive days per week. The body doesn't seem to have a chance to turn on the fat storing mechanism because you only restrict food intake for one day at a time, then eat pretty much whatever you want on the other days. We actually avoid fructose sugars altogether, and because breads cause him digestion trouble with the lap band, we hardly ever eat bread. If we do feel like having bread I make a gluten free loaf which seems to be less problematic. Because we use 'MyFitnessPal' to track our calories we are finding this very easy to live with. It works better with more physical activity (who'd have thought!) and we seem to make healthier choices all round.
    All the best
    Maree

    I have tried intermittent fasting before, but I was following a 15 hour fast period and eating all my calories within the next 9 hours for most days of the week. I'm not really following it anymore, though on some days I still do it unconsciously. It seemed to work, but I'm not sure whether it was significant or not. You mentioned that you "eat pretty much whatever you want on the other days" when you're not fasting. Do you still track calories so that you don't go over your TDEE or TDEE-20%?
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    bump
  • Adyanna79
    Adyanna79 Posts: 24 Member
    Personally in the first 4 weeks after the initial water weight loss I was not seeing a significant change... It started in week 6. At first I was not weighting my food Just using cups and spoon to measure... And that was not a good idea...

    I also noticed a big change on the scale when I started to make sure I was drinking at least 8 cup of water a day...

    Stay strong!
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    Personally in the first 4 weeks after the initial water weight loss I was not seeing a significant change... It started in week 6. At first I was not weighting my food Just using cups and spoon to measure... And that was not a good idea...

    I also noticed a big change on the scale when I started to make sure I was drinking at least 8 cup of water a day...

    Stay strong!

    @Adyanna79, I'm happy that you're able to see progress by Week 6! :) Just a question, how often do you workout in 1 week and what's the duration?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    thank for replying. Just wondering, does eating breakfast lead to a significant gain like 2~3 pounds?

    If you ate 2-3 Lbs worth of food and beverage then you would pretty much weigh 2-3 Lbs more. Where exactly do you think the weight of the food you ingest goes? You can easily fluctuate your weight 5 Lbs or more in a given day. You need to be consistent as to when you weigh and conditions. Most people weigh themselves after they used the facilities and before they've consumed food or beverage for this very reason. Food has weight and waste has weight and water has weight, etc, etc, etc...and all of that shows up on the scale.
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    thank for replying. Just wondering, does eating breakfast lead to a significant gain like 2~3 pounds?

    If you ate 2-3 Lbs worth of food and beverage then you would pretty much weigh 2-3 Lbs more. Where exactly do you think the weight of the food you ingest goes? You can easily fluctuate your weight 5 Lbs or more in a given day. You need to be consistent as to when you weigh and conditions. Most people weigh themselves after they used the facilities and before they've consumed food or beverage for this very reason. Food has weight and waste has weight and water has weight, etc, etc, etc...and all of that shows up on the scale.

    I usually weigh myself before I eat anything because I believe that's the most accurate. It was just today that I measured after a small breakfast and drinking about 2 cups of water since I was running late for an appointment. I also didn't think that eating a small breakfast can lead to such a significant gain.
  • ochibi91
    ochibi91 Posts: 115 Member
    Everyone... I weighed myself again on a whim this morning and I'm back to 116lbs. Haha! I'm so relieved because I'd rather maintain than gain!!

    I read a few more threads on losing those last 10 pounds and noticed some people recommending a tdee of 10~15% instead of the usual tdee - 20%. I'm just wondering, does this tdee - x% include exercise calories?
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    Everyone... I weighed myself again on a whim this morning and I'm back to 116lbs. Haha! I'm so relieved because I'd rather maintain than gain!!

    I read a few more threads on losing those last 10 pounds and noticed some people recommending a tdee of 10~15% instead of the usual tdee - 20%. I'm just wondering, does this tdee - x% include exercise calories?

    Yep. If you're doing the TDEE method, it will account for your exercise activity.
  • happyrelation
    happyrelation Posts: 28
    Losing weight and wanting to is not enough.
    Many people don't realize, the success comes a lot from your mind. Where your mind is, is where your body is going to follow.

    You have to eat, breathe, sleep your goal(s) in life.
    Do you have a picture of what you want to look like? Grab a picture from the internet of a body that you want to strive for and paste your head on it. Put this picture in at least 3 places in your home that you see every day. Make sure it's in front of you always.
    Become more conscious of your decisions. What you put in your mouth, what you put in your head.

    I am doing a program just for women that I found at http://inshapenow.net. Excellent support as well from other women who have done this lifestyle program.

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