Gaining instead of losing! What??

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nightglo
nightglo Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Up until the day before yesterday (the last two days I haven't been able to ignore feeling ravenous for random things like hot sauce and boiled eggs.. and no, I am not pregnant) I had been measuring and weighing my food, and was usually under my calorie goal for the day since I started on Jan 7th. I lost about 16 lbs very quickly (I'm sure it was mostly water), so it's not like I didn't expect my weight loss to stall, but I've actually gained 2lbs over the last 10 or so days instead of continuing to lose. I'm losing motivation and yesterday and the day before I let myself stuff my face instead of drinking some tea or something. I need a renewal of purpose here to keep on track... What am I doing wrong?
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Replies

  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Weight loss is not linear.
  • tzipfit
    tzipfit Posts: 11
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    I started logging at the beginning of the month (after successfully logging my way down 50 lbs a few years ago) and I have gained 3 lbs this month. Following all the rules ! So if you come across anything helpful let me know!
  • nightglo
    nightglo Posts: 33 Member
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    tzipfit wrote: »
    I started logging at the beginning of the month (after successfully logging my way down 50 lbs a few years ago) and I have gained 3 lbs this month. Following all the rules ! So if you come across anything helpful let me know!

    I know for myself, I've wondered many things. I know hormones fluctuate, people retain water (for many reasons), if your digital scale is all over the place (sometimes I weigh more without my clothes, which makes no sense) that it could need a new battery, that some people don't log accurately, etcetera. I'm used to looking at a weight loss trend rather than seeing a lower number every time I step on the scale, but I've never been faithfully logging and gained weight that stayed there for 10 days.

    Has this happened to other people?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Weight fluctuation is normal. Have you introduced a new exercise program, TOM or ovulation??
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    nightglo wrote: »
    tzipfit wrote: »

    Has this happened to other people?

    Yes, of course.

    Due to:
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Weight fluctuation is normal. Have you introduced a new exercise program, TOM or ovulation??
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
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    Yup, every month I gain a few lbs at ovulation and it sticks around until TOM when it disappears along with the extra weight that I've actually worked off in that time. Also gain whenever I increase exercise intensity. Both suck, but are completely normal.

    16lbs in 10 days (guessing since you started 20 days ago with a 10 day stall) is a LOT, even when you have a lot to lose. So not surprised to see it stall. Be patient and keep logging, it'll go down eventually if your log and goals are correct.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    Yupp- It happens every now and then. If I eat something that is high in salt I will hold onto some water weight for a couple of days. Ovulation and my TOM will cause me to gain 3-5 pounds for a few days.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    Be sure to measure your body if you haven't you can track weight loss that way as well. Don't give up! just keep sticking to it and wait another week or 2 before you think you may really need to change something.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    How does everyone know when their ovulating?? Is it 2 weeks before TOM??
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    How does everyone know when their ovulating?? Is it 2 weeks before TOM??

    Um...I track it. It's a little different for everyone but usually within the week 14 days after your cycle starts I believe. I can feel when I'm ovulating and there are other physical signs.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    How does everyone know when their ovulating?? Is it 2 weeks before TOM??

    Everyone is different, in my case, I can feel it. 12 days in for me..
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I don't get any different feelings. However I don't suffer from pms either. Us women just cop it from all angles!! :s

    Sorry OP. Don't want to derail your post.
  • nightglo
    nightglo Posts: 33 Member
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    Thank you everyone, it is a relief to hear this is not unheard of. I'm also going to start taking walks and hopefully remind my metabolism that it exists (I am on and off hypothyroid, doctor and I haven't quite figured it out yet).
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    How does everyone know when their ovulating?? Is it 2 weeks before TOM??

    about 12-14 days before my TOM I feel a little bloated and crampy. I use an app to track my cycle and it usually coincides with when the app says I should be ovulating. :)
  • holly55555
    holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
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    It's probably just water! As everyone says, it happens. I've fluctuated 6 lbs in a day!

    For me, I just track the lowest weight I've ever seen and make sure THAT keeps changing. The in between numbers don't matter!
  • sharimenard
    sharimenard Posts: 1 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat. How do your clothes feel on you? That is a good indicator.
  • emilyrigh
    emilyrigh Posts: 55 Member
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    One thing I've seen on my feed and in forums "I'm logging everything and counting all my calories but still no results!!" First piece of advice, don't trust MFP calories burned calculations. They're usually horribly inflated. #2 don't log when you clean your house or play with your dog. If you told MFP you're "moderately active or highly active" those calories are already calculated into your daily goal with a deficient. #3 You could just be gaining muscle/water weight. Cut down the sodium and drink more water. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Last but not least, never get discouraged. Losing weight/gaining muscle in small increments over a stretch of time is a lot healthier than dropping everything in a month. :)

    P.S. There's nothing wrong with hot sauce and boiled egg whites. I eat that as a snack a few times a week. Protein is good!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    emilyrigh wrote: »
    One thing I've seen on my feed and in forums "I'm logging everything and counting all my calories but still no results!!" First piece of advice, don't trust MFP calories burned calculations. They're usually horribly inflated. #2 don't log when you clean your house or play with your dog. If you told MFP you're "moderately active or highly active" those calories are already calculated into your daily goal with a deficient. #3 You could just be gaining muscle/water weight. Cut down the sodium and drink more water. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Last but not least, never get discouraged. Losing weight/gaining muscle in small increments over a stretch of time is a lot healthier than dropping everything in a month. :)

    P.S. There's nothing wrong with hot sauce and boiled egg whites. I eat that as a snack a few times a week. Protein is good!

    Everything here is fine except for the gaining muscle part. You're not gaining muscle weight at a calorie deficit. You can hold on to it by lifting and eating protein, but you should still see the scale drop as you lose fat. It is not going to go up from muscle weight unless you are in a surplus and truly training to gain muscle.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    sharimenard wrote: »
    Muscle weighs more than fat. How do your clothes feel on you? That is a good indicator.

    A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat ;) but going by how your clothes feel is a good way to track. Also take measurements.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    sharimenard wrote: »
    Muscle weighs more than fat. How do your clothes feel on you? That is a good indicator.

    Muscle is denser than fat. They weigh the same.

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