Why can one 'bad' day lead to a big weight gain?

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jeff3bell
jeff3bell Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I have been using myfitnesspal since August and have lost 13lb. I eat too much on Sunday and on Monday morning my weight had increased by 4lb. I can't work out how one lapse can lead to so much weight gain. Any ideas?

Replies

  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    It's typically water weight. Sodium/excess carbs/ extra food in your belly. I am right there with you though. Tight as a drum all week, one cheat meal, and I'm battling the extra 3-4 pounds for the rest of the week. It sucks.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    jeff3bell wrote: »
    Hi, I have been using myfitnesspal since August and have lost 13lb. I eat too much on Sunday and on Monday morning my weight had increased by 4lb. I can't work out how one lapse can lead to so much weight gain. Any ideas?

    As graysmom2005 states, unless you're eating 10-15k more calories, you're just experiencing temporary water. You probably took in a lot of extra sodium and carbs, both of which hold on to water like none other. Just keep working out and it'll burn off pretty faster over the course of a few days.
  • eruntalon84
    eruntalon84 Posts: 4 Member
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    To be...crude, you know all that food that went into your mouth? Well, I assume it hasn't come out anywhere else yet, so it's still there inside of you.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. Unless you have eaten 4 x 3,500 = 14,000 calories over your daily allotment, you are dealing with water weight from sodium. If you logged your food, check the sodium levels.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    jeff3bell wrote: »
    Hi, I have been using myfitnesspal since August and have lost 13lb. I eat too much on Sunday and on Monday morning my weight had increased by 4lb. I can't work out how one lapse can lead to so much weight gain. Any ideas?

    as others have said, water.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Yep, water. Drink extra water and get back on track with your diet and it'll flush itself out pretty quickly.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Try not to have a bad 'day'

    if you cheat for a meal - stop - there's no point keeping on going - if you try to think of your calorie allowance as weekly then you can cheat

    that said - no way have you put on 4lb fat from food in one day
  • TannerBoyl
    TannerBoyl Posts: 55 Member
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    I agree, it is water weight.

    When I eat a ton or drink alcohol, I tend to retain extra water for up to four days. I just keep drinking water and it flushes out of my system. After a few days, I'm back on track.

    For me, it is a part of life. I was doing cheat days every Saturday so that I didn't feel like I was witholding too much from myself. It worked for me for a while, but I hit a plateau. I've stopped having full cheat days, but will occasionally partake in the less-than-healthy meal or beverage. I just understand that I'll hang on to that extra water for a few days.

    Your milage my vary.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    eruntalon84 wrote: »
    To be...crude, you know all that food that went into your mouth? Well, I assume it hasn't come out anywhere else yet, so it's still there inside of you.

    WAT?
  • pepin1224
    pepin1224 Posts: 21 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    eruntalon84 wrote: »
    To be...crude, you know all that food that went into your mouth? Well, I assume it hasn't come out anywhere else yet, so it's still there inside of you.

    WAT?

    poop
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    Water weight!!!

    Drink lots of water........and do a big pooh!!!!!!!!! :wink:
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    Here is an MFP classic thread on this subject:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/993576
    The reason most people think they have to eat so little to maintain their weight is because our bodies naturally store glycogen and water in our muscles. This is the body's ready energy. When you eat at a caloric deficit, the glycogen stores (and the water molecules they must bind to in the cells) are shed first. That's why you get a big loss the first week of any diet. You just depleted your glycogen stores and now the body has no choice but to resort to fat in a continued caloric deficit.

    So you keep up your deficit and your body is burning both glucose from the food you're eating and fat from your body (and some lean mass because you're in a deficit and that will just happen anyway) and you finally get to a weight you like. So you increase your calories to stop losing...

    Or, you just decide to ditch the caloric deficit for a weekend of eating without discretion...

    Or Christmas rolls around or you go on vacation and you eat to satisfaction and maybe a touch more...

    ... and you find you almost instantly put on 5 lbs.

    All that has happened is your body has restored its glycogen stores and the water that glycogen must be stored with. In fact, trained endurance athletes will deliberately store extra glycogen by carb-loading before major events in order to have more energy for sustained effort. The body will, under perfect conditions, store this energy for use. It's part of being human.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    eruntalon84 wrote: »
    To be...crude, you know all that food that went into your mouth? Well, I assume it hasn't come out anywhere else yet, so it's still there inside of you.

    Well, I would hope that some of it has. Even if a person is constipated, they will lose some through perspiration and urination.
  • amrluvarr
    amrluvarr Posts: 52 Member
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    I have been in the same cycle since September. I lose 1 or 2 lbs but put it back on (plus more) from my weekend cheat day and spend the rest of the week losing the weight all over again. I was so frustrated I stopped tracking calories for awhile. Now, I don't have a cheat meal or day but work small treats into my calories each day. I hope this helps me have a more balanced weight loss.
  • jeff3bell
    jeff3bell Posts: 2
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    Thank you all for the replies, I don't feel so bad now..
    :-)

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