Weight gain but not eating 3500 calories

jenbk2
jenbk2 Posts: 614 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I am confused. How can you gain weight if you do not eat 3500 calories and work out? Yesterday I ate about 1400 calories and also worked out. I gained a 1lb. Is it muscle that I am gaining? Water?? How does this happen?

Replies

  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    It's water. You are taking in too much sodium, which will make you retain water.

    I read some where on here that if your calorie goal is 1200 call then you should adjust your sodium down to 1500mg.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I find it's because my body doesn't understand basic math. And I can retain water like no one else. And it's normal for me to fluctuate several pounds during any given week. It's frustrating, I know.
  • skinnyjeans13
    skinnyjeans13 Posts: 179
    Is this 1lb gain in a day? Because that could be ANYTHING. Most probably water retention but there are so many possible factors... I used to weigh myself like 3 times a day out of habit (or craziness) and now I only do it once a week, if that, and early in the morning before I eat/drink anything.

    Don't stress, it'll probably disappear tomorrow.
  • kkruse08
    kkruse08 Posts: 22 Member
    I wonder if it could be muscle? i have always been told that muscle weighs more than fat so i am sure that is part of it.
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
    Is this 1lb gain in a day? Because that could be ANYTHING. Most probably water retention but there are so many possible factors... I used to weigh myself like 3 times a day out of habit (or craziness) and now I only do it once a week, if that, and early in the morning before I eat/drink anything.

    Don't stress, it'll probably disappear tomorrow.

    my thoughts exactly. Great point!
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
    Water for sure.

    You won't gain more than a pound or two of fat in an entire week unless you're eating terribly wrong.
    And muscle takes much much longer to build.

    Make sure you're drinking plenty of water to avoid the retention.
    Sodium isn't much of an issue if you're properly hydrated.
  • Pangea250
    Pangea250 Posts: 965 Member
    Qarol - LMAO!
  • michelegbowman
    michelegbowman Posts: 195
    It could be that you are nearing your time of the month.

    Wait it out...and weigh yourself no more than once a week -- it's less frustrating that way.
  • bhb301
    bhb301 Posts: 338 Member
    1 lb =1 lb.So 1lb muscle=1 lb fat................ Make sure you eat your exercise cals, try to cancel out, or eat all your cals as possible. Remeber to watch your sodium, in processed foods. But hopefully its just water weight....
  • JohnnyPolo23
    JohnnyPolo23 Posts: 4
    Honestly, your best bet is to pick one day out of the week to weigh yourself and stick to it. Doing it that way will be more accurate because your body will fluctuate throughout the week and this will give you a baseline. I, myself, weigh myself every Saturday morning upon waking up.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    It's water, this is why IMO it's better to weigh no more than once a week. Stay on track with your eating and exercise and you will lose, over the long run.
  • lclarius
    lclarius Posts: 34 Member
    Last week i gained 2.5lbs over night and i can tell you i did not eat an extra 8000 calories. Females especially fluctuate a lot because of our varying hormone levels. While its tempting I would not weigh your self everyday instead weigh yourself once a week (maybe twice) at the same time each time. This will give you a much more realistic view of your weight loss. I would also drink lots of water daily to help regulate your water retention. Good luck!
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Agree with the above - lots of factors. Ditch the scale and get a tape measure!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Muscles retain water to repair themselves so often after a hard or different workout (using different muscles/groups than normal) you will retain water.

    Don't weigh yourself everyday. If you do, then DON'T compare the numbers daily- compare them weekly or record your high and low of the week. Weight fluctuates quite a bit- watch your range rather than one specific number.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
    Agree with the above - lots of factors. Ditch the scale and get a tape measure!

    Great answer.
    I use the mirror more than the scale.
  • MikeM53082
    MikeM53082 Posts: 1,199 Member
    Don't focus on day-to-day weight, even week-to-week weight can be influenced by water weights and countless other factors. I usually gauge my success by comparing my month-to-month results.
  • soysos
    soysos Posts: 187 Member
    It's water. You are taking in too much sodium, which will make you retain water.

    I read some where on here that if your calorie goal is 1200 call then you should adjust your sodium down to 1500mg.
    Its not a question of how many calories you eat, but how much water you drink, and how much you sweat. In the average person two healthy kidneys need one liter f water to remove one gram of sodium. Sweating however removes it much more efficiently. 1500mg is not a maximum, like all recomended daily values it is the bare minimun the average person needs to prevent dificiency disease.
  • joaniegray
    joaniegray Posts: 88 Member
    I gain and lose a pound or two constantly and I do weigh in every morning. The main thing is I am down 10 pounds since starting myfitnesspal in mid January - I really think it is just water or plain balancing of prior day's intake and activity.

    Let us know when you drop a pound of two. I tend to "drop" 2 at once, then it fluctuates back and forth a pound or two, then I drop 2 more in about 2 weeks from prior low.

    Hang in there, many of us have similar "water" gains. I do try to watch the sodium too.
  • mjmtxk
    mjmtxk Posts: 33
    I'm by NO MEANS an expert but there are several factors that could be in play.

    1. What you are eating (foods that are high carb vs low carb), High protein vs low protein. Protein tells your body that "times are good" or "hunting is good", it is a signal to burn fat. Low protein tells your body the opposite.
    2. Your metabolism (not everyone's is the same). The #'s are on here are general guidelines. My wife has a sluggish metabolism, which means she has to work harder than the #'s on here suggest. I have a great metabolism. I'm only fat because I've been lazy. I can eat cheeseburgers and lose weight. I've simply OVER eaten. This can be a huge factor! Research ways to increase your metabolism.
    3. Obviously your type and amount of exercise can play a role. Sometimes you are adding muscle. Sometimes we spend so much time on cardio, thinking cardio is a guaranteed weight loss and it isn't. Studies have shown that short bursts of intense cardio followed by slower cardio, and repeating that are FAR more effective at ramping up your metabolism and producing weight loss. Google things like interval training or PACE program. Good places to learn the basics.

    Keep in mind, I'm a fat man who has learned a lot but not always put what he knows into practice. I offer my advice in the spirit of trying to help. I don't claim to be an expert. Come back in a year, maybe then I'll be a "success story". ;-)

    Being a lady you will also have issues that I or a man won't obviously face. As others have written, water retention, etc. can be among those. Sometimes hormonal issues are HUGE factors in women having difficulty losing weight. Praying the best for you! Hang in there. Keep chipping away at it till you find what works for your body. Even if you don't yet see the results on the scale, what you are doing is good for your health and your quality of life. When you figure out your unique body's needs, the weight loss will come. Best of luck!

    Micah "The Heavy Revy"
  • soysos
    soysos Posts: 187 Member
    Even if you ignore biological factors, scales really arn't that accurate. You can loose a pound or two just by standing differently. If your going to weigh yourself everyday than I highly recoment excel, punch your weights and dates into a spread sheet than you can map the long term changes.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    You need to eat more. You are only eating between 1000 and 1200 calories but you are working out and burning more. You are only netting between 600 and 900 calories.
    Your food looks good and your water too, try adding some more protien rich snacks like almonds, peanut butter, cottage cheese and advocado.
  • jenbk2
    jenbk2 Posts: 614 Member
    Thank you all for your comments. I did look yesterday and I did over do the sodium a bit. I drink plenty of water (about 100 oz a day). Unfortunately I can't factor in TOM because I have had a hysterectomy and no longer have one :-(. I am going to adjust the sodium and see what happens.

    Thanks again
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Sense of perspective - I weigh 1 lb more after my morning cup of tea!
  • tvlagt
    tvlagt Posts: 6
    It could be a plethora of reasons. The RDA reccommends an sodium intake of about 2000 mg per day. The average American consumes about 6000 - 8000 mg per day. Cutting sodium can help. Then you need to look at the metabloic reactions and that is a vicious cycle. Sodium retains water and water attracts sodium. The key is to balance that cycle. Decrease Sodium intake and increase water intake. Water should be about 2 quarts per day or 64 oz. or 8 - 8 oz per day. If doing strenuous exercise you also need to replace the amount you sweat so you would need to drink more water. Much more beyond the 64 oz without exercise will cause the body to retain more sodium which will then retain more water etc.
    An average meal should contain no more than about 400 - 600 mg of sodium in the entire meal. In essence if it comes in a box throw it away.
    Sodium is used as a preservative in just about everything.
    Diet Coke 30mg
    Diet Sprite 45mg
    2 T of salad dressing @ 220-280 mg
    Frozen Chicken Breast @ 250 mg
    Italian Break Crumbs @ 300 mg
    2 T peanut butter @ 210 mg

    Easy, Easy to go over the 2000 mg a day. Salt Alternatives use potassium and too much potassium can cause issues with heart rhythems. It can be done, but it is diffucult to follow a strict 2000 mg of sodium per day. It takes planning.

    Now I just need to practice what I preach. :-)
    My patients look at me like "right, you are telling me what to do and you are fat too." "Good luck with that one."
  • tvlagt
    tvlagt Posts: 6
    Also look at your fat intake. For a 2000 calorie per day diet the total fat grams consumed should be between 56-78 and Saturated fat shouldn't be higher than 16-22 grams of fat. That is total per day, not per serving. To keep the digestive tract healthy you should consume between 25 and 30 grams of fiber per day.

    Hope my tidbits of nutrition helps everyone.
  • lpm3925
    lpm3925 Posts: 39
    I’m not looking to start an argument over water, but I really find the entire debate over retaining water to be silly! Our bodies are 70% water. Not drinking enough water will make your body actually retain water as a protection from dehydrating. Yes sodium does adversely affect some people in severe ways. My grandfather would swell up like a balloon after eating salt, but he was 80 and had a number of other health issues. I weigh daily, and I can say my weight ups and downs are sometimes just arbitrary as are my wife’s. Just relax. If you are working out then you are building muscle. But I digress. Drinking water to the point of your urine being clear is very good for you. It is what the military does to make sure soldiers are hydrated. Drink enough water does this for your weight loss: It makes your kidneys filter your blood correctly. This means your liver does not have to pick up the slack for your kidneys like it does when you do not consume enough water. This means your liver can finally get to doing what it does by filtering out the toxic stuff in your blood. You cannot drink too much water! Save the exception of drinking gallons at a time which depletes vital electrolytes and can kill you. Your body is a water pumping machine. It will get rid of what it doesn’t need. It’s what our bodies are meant to do.

    My real question is you say water, but is it pure water? No flavoring? No artificial sweeteners? Artificial sweeteners mess with your blood ph levels and slow weight loss. Yes, they are calorie free, but that doesn’t mean it is good for you. My wife finally cut out artificial sweeteners and went from losing 1 pound a week to about 3 ½. With just that one change.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeostasis

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmosis

    =)
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I’m not looking to start an argument over water, but I really find the entire debate over retaining water to be silly! Our bodies are 70% water. Not drinking enough water will make your body actually retain water as a protection from dehydrating. Yes sodium does adversely affect some people in severe ways. My grandfather would swell up like a balloon after eating salt, but he was 80 and had a number of other health issues. I weigh daily, and I can say my weight ups and downs are sometimes just arbitrary as are my wife’s. Just relax. If you are working out then you are building muscle. But I digress. Drinking water to the point of your urine being clear is very good for you. It is what the military does to make sure soldiers are hydrated. Drink enough water does this for your weight loss: It makes your kidneys filter your blood correctly. This means your liver does not have to pick up the slack for your kidneys like it does when you do not consume enough water. This means your liver can finally get to doing what it does by filtering out the toxic stuff in your blood. You cannot drink too much water! Save the exception of drinking gallons at a time which depletes vital electrolytes and can kill you. Your body is a water pumping machine. It will get rid of what it doesn’t need. It’s what our bodies are meant to do.

    My real question is you say water, but is it pure water? No flavoring? No artificial sweeteners? Artificial sweeteners mess with your blood ph levels and slow weight loss. Yes, they are calorie free, but that doesn’t mean it is good for you. My wife finally cut out artificial sweeteners and went from losing 1 pound a week to about 3 ½. With just that one change.

    I too have little interest in debate, but what people are generally talking about is just the fluctuations that sodium (and even hard workouts) can cause. When you are looking for a 1lb difference, a high sodium diet can make your scale jump around like.... well like something that jumps around a lot :smile: It does seem to be the thing people jump to first tho.
  • kc_swiss
    kc_swiss Posts: 7
    good info, thanks
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    These are my weights from the last three weeks:

    March 15 - Tuesday - 179.4
    W - 179.4
    R - 179.4
    F - 180.8
    S - 180.4
    S - 182
    M - 179.4
    March 22 - Tuesday - 179.4
    W - 178.8
    R - 178.0
    F - 178.4
    S - 179.4
    S - 179.0
    M - 178.0
    March 29 - Tuesday - 179.0
    W - 178.0
    R - 177.4
    F - 178.6
    S - 176.0
    S - 176.8
    M - 178.0
    April 5 - Tuesday - 176.4

    In other words, a 1 pound fluctuation means nothing.
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