Massive exercise calorie deficit and gained weight

caprica
caprica Posts: 80 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
ok, so riddle me this. I had a massive day in the garden yesterday, and by dinner time i had 2300 calories to spare. I could not possibly consume that much in one sitting so I had a 700 calorie dinner and hit the sack with 1600 calories to spare. So I wake up the next day and wonder what the net impact of yesterday was and I gained 2 lbs. What the ????

I see lots of examples of people here on MFP who hit a plateau and then do something crazy like spend hours at the gym to break it and they still stay on their plateau. This effect seems to be a similar story.

Can anyone explain what is going on here?

Replies

  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    how much water did you drink? i'm questioning dehydration from being in the garden all day
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    you may be sore from gardening....if so, your muscles retain water as a result of the soreness. Give it a few days.
  • caprica
    caprica Posts: 80 Member
    I drank water constantly all day - not heaps just a few slurps in between tasks. Probably drank 3 or 4 liters over the course of a very hot and humid day.
  • krhea31
    krhea31 Posts: 9 Member
    I am having the same problem. I have done the p90x workouts for 3 weeks and have gained two pounds :( so frustrating
  • mamarundrc
    mamarundrc Posts: 1,577 Member
    Your body might have went into a starvation reaction. Sometimes if you deficit it too large your metabolism may slow down a bit just incase its energy source doesn't get replenished. If that is the case, you should see the results after a few days of more normal eating and exercise.
  • truthiness4ever
    truthiness4ever Posts: 4
    Remember, muscle has weight too, and if you've been working out a lot you may be building muscle rather than gaining fat. I think taking your measurements is a better evaluation of your progress. I get a lot more satisfaction from having to wear a belt with a pair of pants that used to be too tight than I do from the scale dropping.
  • acknan
    acknan Posts: 261 Member
    Our bodies are not like jars filled with beans. If we could just take out what we want and add what we want, this wouldn't be a struggle. Our bodies don't immediately drop the weight the second we burn the calories, just like you can eat something and not just gain the calories immediately. If I eat a pound of veggies vs. ice cream, the calories and fat will affect my weight after a bit, but when it's sitting in my stomach, it's a pound of food either way. Give it time, let it settle and see where things land! :)
  • elid
    elid Posts: 209 Member
    you may be sore from gardening....if so, your muscles retain water as a result of the soreness. Give it a few days.

    Echoing this. Day-to-day weight loss and gain is almost always due to retained water (or lack thereof), undigested food (or lack thereof), or a combination of both. That's why sometimes weighing yourself every day can get discouraging--even if you're doing all the right things, the number will always fluctuate. Fat loss takes a little longer to show up, which is why it's often recommended that you only weigh in once a week (or every two weeks, or every month, whichever works best).
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    ok, so riddle me this. I had a massive day in the garden yesterday, and by dinner time i had 2300 calories to spare. I could not possibly consume that much in one sitting so I had a 700 calorie dinner and hit the sack with 1600 calories to spare. So I wake up the next day and wonder what the net impact of yesterday was and I gained 2 lbs. What the ????

    I see lots of examples of people here on MFP who hit a plateau and then do something crazy like spend hours at the gym to break it and they still stay on their plateau. This effect seems to be a similar story.

    Can anyone explain what is going on here?

    I just went to your page. You are pregnant, right??!!! (if not you need to update your profile) you should not be having a deficit that much 1st of all. The other thing is water, if you are not drinking enough you will retain it.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    Your body might have went into a starvation reaction. Sometimes if you deficit it too large your metabolism may slow down a bit just incase its energy source doesn't get replenished. If that is the case, you should see the results after a few days of more normal eating and exercise.

    a starvation reaction" doesn't occur over night.

    the retaining water as a result of using muscles for extended period of time is way more likely
  • mandavann
    mandavann Posts: 38 Member
    ok, so riddle me this. I had a massive day in the garden yesterday, and by dinner time i had 2300 calories to spare. I could not possibly consume that much in one sitting so I had a 700 calorie dinner and hit the sack with 1600 calories to spare. So I wake up the next day and wonder what the net impact of yesterday was and I gained 2 lbs. What the ????

    I see lots of examples of people here on MFP who hit a plateau and then do something crazy like spend hours at the gym to break it and they still stay on their plateau. This effect seems to be a similar story.

    Can anyone explain what is going on here?

    I just went to your page. You are pregnant, right??!!! (if not you need to update your profile) you should not be having a deficit that much 1st of all. The other thing is water, if you are not drinking enough you will retain it.

    Just wanted to point out that he is a male so I hope he's not pregnant. :laugh:
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    ok, so riddle me this. I had a massive day in the garden yesterday, and by dinner time i had 2300 calories to spare. I could not possibly consume that much in one sitting so I had a 700 calorie dinner and hit the sack with 1600 calories to spare. So I wake up the next day and wonder what the net impact of yesterday was and I gained 2 lbs. What the ????

    I see lots of examples of people here on MFP who hit a plateau and then do something crazy like spend hours at the gym to break it and they still stay on their plateau. This effect seems to be a similar story.

    Can anyone explain what is going on here?

    I just went to your page. You are pregnant, right??!!! (if not you need to update your profile) you should not be having a deficit that much 1st of all. The other thing is water, if you are not drinking enough you will retain it.

    Just wanted to point out that he is a male so I hope he's not pregnant. :laugh:

    Phew!!! There was no picture and all I saw was have a toddler and one on the way.. :blushing: Didn't notice the fact that is says male up above. :blushing:
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    you may be sore from gardening....if so, your muscles retain water as a result of the soreness. Give it a few days.

    I agree.

    Its just like switching to a more strenuous exercise routine. Sometimes you will gain a couple of pounds and then they will drop off.
  • AmyNVegas
    AmyNVegas Posts: 2,215 Member
    It takes about 2 days for our weight to change due to diet or exercise. Any immediate changes are in fluid only. So it can take 2 days to register an up or down unless say you ate a big meal full of sodium the night before you would register water weight due to your body trying to balance the sodium but not the actual fat gained from the meal. Same thing in reverse if you lost. About 2 days to register it in your body weight.
  • caprica
    caprica Posts: 80 Member
    It takes about 2 days for our weight to change due to diet or exercise. Any immediate changes are in fluid only. So it can take 2 days to register an up or down unless say you ate a big meal full of sodium the night before you would register water weight due to your body trying to balance the sodium but not the actual fat gained from the meal. Same thing in reverse if you lost. About 2 days to register it in your body weight.

    you know I reckon you might be right - my father in law gave me a glass of wine with dinner - so it is probably fluid retention. I find every time I drink I always retain fluid.

    It just goes to show me that my body's initial response to booze even beats extreme exercise.

    btw. I am male and I not pregnant. My wife is. She was inside all day - out of the garden.
  • Swilson87
    Swilson87 Posts: 139
    The most important thing to remember is that our bodies are well oiled machines that know exactly what to do to protect themselves. If you eat too few calories, it's just like eating too many. When you eat too few calories, the body retains and will not release fat, because it does not know when it will be fed again. If the activity is strenuous, and you're not used to strenuous exercise, the muscles grow (become stronger) in order to be able to handle that level of activity the next time you attempt it. Either way the scale response is negative. I've told people for years that the scale can be your worst enemy when trying to lose weight. It usually tells you what you’re “not” doing. Pick 1 day (maximum) per week to weigh and allow your week of eating clean and exercising to work itself out.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you are basing this on "gardening" it is almost certain that the calorie deficit was not as large as you think.

    As others have said, there are always daily fluctuations based on a number of factors--almost none of which have anything to do with body fat changes (not one day).

    There is little or no significance to what you are observing on the scale and any explanation is just speculation. I can, however, assure you 100% that it is not "starvation mode".
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