Still at a deficit but gained weight? Water retention??

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danaberge
danaberge Posts: 117 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm up 5.4 lbs this last month. So, is it is what it is. I'm just curious whether it's weight gain from me over doing it over the holidays or it's just swelling and water retention from all the salty stuff. I have still stayed under my weekly calories for maintenance. I am on a 7,000c deficit a week. My deficit for the last two weeks has been around 2,000c- 3500c but I still gained. Is it possible the weight gain has caught up from a 4 weeks ago??
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  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    are you sure you are eating at a deficit? do you weigh your food with a scale? use cups and spoons or eyeball? What is your sodium intake like? is it TOM?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Just looked at your diary, actually only the last four days. You were over on all of them. You're not at a deficit.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    It's not TOM. Yes, I do weigh my food 80% of the time with a food scale. When I go out (like over the holidays) I had estimated. It just seems like I couldn't have possibly under-estimated 17,000c! Maybe I did??? That would be really crazy. I have been eating the same things for lunch and losing the last year.... so I know "safe" foods and then I measure and weigh everything at night. Including veggies.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    I don't track my sodium levels (but I know I over do it a lot) I decided to track sugar instead. Sugar for whatever reason prevents me from losing weight. I'm not diabetic but both my parents are and my sisters. So, I was lucky? But the sugar for whatever reason prevents my weight loss.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    If I don't go over by 1,000c per day i'm still at a deficit. My setting are set at 2lbs to lose per week. I can eat at 2300 and still maintain. That's the lower number. I get all higher numbers from everywhere else.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Just looked at your diary, actually only the last four days. You were over on all of them. You're not at a deficit.

    ^^^This. You need to track 100% of the time and weight and measure everything...
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    I'm going with over eating on this one but if you think it's water weight, just weigh yourself daily for a week and you will see the fluctuations.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Do you weigh out the creamer you use in your coffee? 8-10 tablespoons is a lot, but that could be even more if you use your scale, and it could drive you even farther over.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    I have measured the coffee creamer. I also weigh everything I eat at night. I guess I can start weighing myself more often. For the last year I have only weighed myself every two weeks. I also have tracked 100% of the time minus 4 days (which I still logged in) Thanksgiving eve, thanksgiving, christmas eve and Christmas. Today is actually 365 days of consistent logging and being honest with myself and what i'm eating. It's just frustrating because I have been honest and logged and weighed and have a fitbit and turned up my exercise. And because of 4 days.... I gained. LOL. I guess it will just come off when it comes off. Because it will come off!!
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    It's just crazy how quickly the weight comes back when you give yourself a little rope. I'm just going to stop the indulging now that the holidays are over and if it takes me the whole year to lose another 30lbs it is what it is. It's just crazy how quickly the weight comes on.
  • kendalslimmer
    kendalslimmer Posts: 579 Member
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    Why not up your water intake and watch your sodium for a week. That might give you a clearer picture! xx
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    I have gained too, but I have not been on much of deficit. Maybe a small deficit but not enough for true fat loss.

    I am having to get back to Log, Log, Logging again. I was sick and lost and now that I am better I have gained most of it back. My body flipped out on me - I had pneumonia.

    I have to put everything in the past and I started new goals. I refused to look back, I am now back on track and can still make my goal before spring. If I beat my self up about things, it is another set back that my mind has to correct instead of just my eating behavior!
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    Well, I know from past history if I just keep going on the track I will get there. I log, weigh and stay active. SO, whatever. I just was wondering if others have had such a drastic UP from a few days of indulgence. Maybe everyone else stayed "good" over the holidays. I'm a food addict. The holidays are just debilitating.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    It could also be that your calculations are off. Calories numbers at best are a guess. So MFP might be showing you in a deficit but you may not be. Also, as your weight/body changes so do your calorie needs...
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    Yep. I figured I would drop 1-2lbs from water weight. UGH. I'm so good at logging but have not weighed the food i'm eating at restaurants or at families house. I'm so glad to be back on a schedule. I know how to do it. It's just so frustrating that I gain so easily but it takes me an entire month to lose 5lbs. And - I can literally gain it back with a few bad days. I figure I will have to be a lifetime logger to ever be able to maintain/lose or stay at a healthy weight.
  • Jimmyftw94
    Jimmyftw94 Posts: 75 Member
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    If by deficit you mean the calories in is less than the calories out, then I don't think it's as easy to measure. I'm new here so I'm not too sure but I've read lots of nutrition stuff and basically if you putting in less calories than you spenting, the body will use your fat for energy, hence losing fat.

    The unstable variable here is calories out. How many calories do you need to perform your daily activities. Maybe you are sitting too much doing nothing physical and thus your calories out is less than expected. This translate into having a lower calories in to lose weight.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    Agreed jimmy!! I have some good toys for measuring my calories burned during the day. I got a fitbit last April. It's amazing! It tracks all my steps and is the most accurate advanced pedometer on the market. It takes my height, weight and activity into consideration. So it actually tells me how many calories I burn during the day to my specific weight, height and age. Yesterday I had a "bad" day. I burned 2500 calories and actually ate 2300 calories. But the few days before I burned 2400 calories and at 1400 calories. I was within 75 calories of my deficit. I weigh my food.
    I probably over ate when I went out for the few days over the holiday but it's insane that the weight is much more easily gained then lost. I also ate an entire eggplant by myself last night drenched in salt and a half a jar of sauce (super high sodium). So, I'm sure the weight will come off. I'm back to basics today :smiley:
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    edited January 2015
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    danaberge wrote: »
    So it actually tells me how many calories I burn during the day to my specific weight, height and age.

    Again... it is only an estimate.

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