Large gain after slightly over net cals

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Bridge1987
Bridge1987 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Every time I go over my net calorie goal (which is 1200) by like 500-600 calories I end up gaining 1.5 pounds the next day... Obviously 500 calories over does not equal the 5250 calories required to make up a pound and a half of weight. Any ideas as to why this keeps happening?

I generally have an average net calories of 1,050 by the time I exercise 5 times a week. I try to eat back about half of my exercise calories like it has been suggested.

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  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
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    Maybe a lot of sodium? That can cause water retention.

    Also do you weigh your food? I had a fantastic change in my weekly losses by getting a food scale and weighing my food in grams and oz, rather than cups. Also helped weighing my meats before they were cooked, rather than after. It helps you accurately log your food intake. I think I was underestimating what I ate before.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    My guess is water weight from the sodium. Drink plenty of water and it will pass in a day or two.

    I would still strive to kept at my calorie deficiency.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    One night, I ate 1 serving of David Sunflower Seeds. I was still under my calorie goal. Next morning, I was 3 pounds heavier.

    Sodium levels will totally rock your water retention.

    Extra food will cause extra water retention to processes the food.

    Extra food also usually means extra sodium as well. A double whammy!

    Don't fret, drink plenty of water, increase potassium, and move on.
  • kaseyr1505
    kaseyr1505 Posts: 624 Member
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    I would guess it's sodium.

    Last week, my sodium intake was higher than normal (I also got to increase my calories) and I put on about 4 pounds. I drank more water (peed a lot) and lost the weight.

    So, drink up and it'll all blow over :)
  • lorigrocks
    lorigrocks Posts: 123 Member
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    I have always found that it is the sodium of all things that makes me look and feel heavier. I can go over my calories, carbs, fat and see no difference in my weight but when I have too much sodium I see a huge difference. Even though it go aways after a few days - that is what I watch the most.
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    Not sodium. Most likely carb storage in the form of glycogen.

    What happens is that when you're in loss mode your glycogen stores are low - which makes sense, you're trying to lose weight by restricting your calories. So you have less than a "full tank".

    Then you eat more. Your body stores the extra carbs as glycogen (not fat, at least not if this is not an ongoing, steady excess of calories). So those extra 500 calories are in the body now - about 125 grams of carbs.

    To store those, your body needs water. Lots of it, about 4 grams per gram of carbohydrates. That is now almost a full two pounds. It's not fat -you don't convert it that quickly.

    The good news is that if you resume your deficit this simply goes away. The bad news is that it also falsifies your weight loss since this is not part of the fat losses. I can easily be 2-4 lb heavier from carbo loading for a bicycle race compared to the depleted state at the end.

    http://askgeorgie.com/weight-gain-with-increased-training-volume/

    (not a scientific journal, but easy explanation).
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
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    Yeah basically you are gaining back some of the weight you will gain back anyway once you end your diet because technically you have ended it. So you just got to restart.
  • Bridge1987
    Bridge1987 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks, so informative!

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