Gained a pound in a day after eating healthy and exercising the day before

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DeterminedbyGod
DeterminedbyGod Posts: 130 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I am not sure what is happening here. Yesterday I did my usual working out which consisted of walking for two miles. I burned 448 calories. I then at a lunch that consisted of the serving size of salad and ranch with 2 pieces of salmon. I then did a 20 min workout and burned 300 calories. For dinner, I had 2 pieces of baked flounder fishes,a half spoon of yellow rice and veggies However I did snack on 2 whole pieces of graham crackers, a hand full of cheez it, and a hand full of planters peanuts. I am assuming that the snacking caused me to gain a pound. I lost 4 pounds last week. Earlier in the week I weighed in at 253 and then around Saturday I was 247. I woke up this morning I weighed 248. My mom seems to think I am hitting another plateau because every time I reach to 247 my body stops and goes back down to 248. It never fails. I currently lost 68 pounds. I started at 316 and as of this morning I am 248. I need help and understanding

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Unless you were snacking from a bucket, you didn't really gain a pound from it.

    Was that a lot of exercise for you? If so, your muscles may be retaining some water. Or it may be water retention from sodium.

    Continue eating at a deficit (assuming you are) and it will go away in a few days.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Yeah..body weight isn't static and weight loss isn't linear...you have fluctuations in water release/retention as well as varying degrees of waste in your system among other things. Natural body weight fluctuations can usually be anywhere from nothing to five pounds. That's why the day to day numbers really don't matter and this is why many people suggest only weighing in once per week or even less...the trend is what matters, not the day to day. There's all kinds of stuff that's going to show up on the scale day to day.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    your weight can fluctuate +/-5 pounds in any given day ..

    do you use a food scale to weigh all your solids?
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    edited April 2015
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    How did you fit "a half spoon of yellow rice and veggies" into 1/2 of a spoon?

    "a hand full of cheez it" ??

    I'm not trying to knock you, but this does not seem right?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    OP - you did not get the answers to this question from this thread you posted?
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/30770792#Comment_30770792
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    Water weight. One pound = 3500 calories. You didn't come close to that with 2 crackers and some nuts. Try not to stress about it- stress can make it harder to lose. The conventional wisdom says the way to beat a plateau is to change something. I think that can be good for people, provided it's a healthy change that can be maintained. Is there something you can change? Add weightlifting? Protein-rich snacks?
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    Also, aside from the "handfulls" of snacks (are you weighing these "handfulls"?), the salt could make you retain water. It does me and I have to drink loads of water to help flush it out. Maybe other members will have more ideas to help you with on this.
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    uvi5 wrote: »
    How did you fit "a half spoon of yellow rice and veggies" into 1/2 of a spoon?

    "a hand full of cheez it" ??

    I'm not trying to knock you, but this does not seem right?

    also, what size "spoon"

  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    Sounds like you are able to lose a certain amount of weight just by exercising a bit and 'watching' what you eat. Then when you get to 'that' weight, which a lot of us have such a number, your weight loss stalls, you get frustrated, and then give up and gain the weight back. This is SO common. You have reached the end of the 'easy' part of weight loss for you. This means at this point you need to get even more serious about logging everything and measuring everything exactly. I know it sounds like a chore, but it does work if you are 100% committed every meal to do this. Also, when you lose weight, your maintenance calories drop, so you have to eat fewer calories to continue losing, or increase your calorie burns. Do not rely on the online calculators to figure your calorie burns. 300 cals in a 20 minute workout sounds a bit overstated. If you plan on eating back your calorie burns, then get a FitBit or HRM to help figure a more accurate calorie burn. Personally, I would suggest tightening up on your diet first to see how that works.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    And you said that earlier in the week you were 253, then Saturday 247, then today 248? Do you realize that you are still down 5 lbs in less than a week?
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    DebbieLyn63 wrote: »
    Sounds like you are able to lose a certain amount of weight just by exercising a bit and 'watching' what you eat. Then when you get to 'that' weight, which a lot of us have such a number, your weight loss stalls, you get frustrated, and then give up and gain the weight back. This is SO common. You have reached the end of the 'easy' part of weight loss for you. This means at this point you need to get even more serious about logging everything and measuring everything exactly. I know it sounds like a chore, but it does work if you are 100% committed every meal to do this. Also, when you lose weight, your maintenance calories drop, so you have to eat fewer calories to continue losing, or increase your calorie burns. Do not rely on the online calculators to figure your calorie burns. 300 cals in a 20 minute workout sounds a bit overstated. If you plan on eating back your calorie burns, then get a FitBit or HRM to help figure a more accurate calorie burn. Personally, I would suggest tightening up on your diet first to see how that works.

    ^This^

  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    DebbieLyn63 wrote: »
    Sounds like you are able to lose a certain amount of weight just by exercising a bit and 'watching' what you eat. Then when you get to 'that' weight, which a lot of us have such a number, your weight loss stalls, you get frustrated, and then give up and gain the weight back. This is SO common. You have reached the end of the 'easy' part of weight loss for you. This means at this point you need to get even more serious about logging everything and measuring everything exactly. I know it sounds like a chore, but it does work if you are 100% committed every meal to do this. Also, when you lose weight, your maintenance calories drop, so you have to eat fewer calories to continue losing, or increase your calorie burns. Do not rely on the online calculators to figure your calorie burns. 300 cals in a 20 minute workout sounds a bit overstated. If you plan on eating back your calorie burns, then get a FitBit or HRM to help figure a more accurate calorie burn. Personally, I would suggest tightening up on your diet first to see how that works.

    Well said.
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    DebbieLyn63 wrote: »
    And you said that earlier in the week you were 253, then Saturday 247, then today 248? Do you realize that you are still down 5 lbs in less than a week?

    Good observation. I did not notice that. 5 Lbs is a lot in a week.

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    You've lost 68 lbs, that's great, but this is the first time you've seen an unexplained weight fluctuation? How is that possible?

    As others have said, weight loss is not totally linear, you need to look at the overall trend and if you lost 5 lbs still in one week, that is quite aggressive.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    "I need help and understanding."
    I'm happy to help you with some ideas but it's hard to provide answers without better understanding your situation.

    Are you logging and weighing everything you eat at home?
    --I weigh probably 80% of my food in grams. No handfuls or 2 slices of this or that.

    Are you sure you're burning 224 calories per mile of walking?
    --What's your mph? Are you power-walking and moving your arms? Is your heart rate at 70-80% of max when you walk? Are you walking on flat surfaces or are hills involved? Even at your weight, I wonder if it's possible the calorie estimate is high. If it is, you could be working with inflated numbers and overestimating your burn.

    Is it possible you're eating at maintenance?
    --CICO, calories-in/calories/out, is the fundamental basis for weight management. Though there could be medical issues involved and age is always a factor (I'm 53 and sure don't burn calories like I did when I was 20), if you aren't highly accurate with your food logging, it could be fooling you into thinking you're supposed to be losing weight when you really aren't.

    I know what it's like to be at maintenance but think you're not. As in "what's going on here...I should be losing weight and nothing's happening?" I lost over 30 pounds and had to accept the fact that my calorie burn wasn't as high as it was when I was 190 lbs. I also changed my workout intensity and frequency. I'm now incorporating weights (10-20 pound dumbbells and kettle bell) into my regimen. It's taken 3 weeks but I'm starting to see it VERY slowly have an impact on the scale. What I see more of now than scale movement, is firmer (albeit a bit achy some days) muscles, slightly smaller tape measurements and better cardio fitness.

    Good luck with adjusting your regimen. If you don't have or diligently use a food scale, it's critical for success. I hope you are using one and if so, logging in grams not units (like pieces, chips, slices, etc.) Accuracy counts :)


  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    It does sound like you need to tighten up on your logging. As you lose weight your margin of error gets smaller and you have to be more precise in your logging.

    I would also suggest that you listen to others when they say that it could be water weight caused by things like sodium or exercise or hormones. You have to learn how your body works and it will help you to accept the small gains like this. If you are having a hard time understanding normal fluctuations it might also be a good idea to weigh once a week instead of every day.

  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    amy8400 wrote: »
    "I need help and understanding."
    I'm happy to help you with some ideas but it's hard to provide answers without better understanding your situation.

    Are you logging and weighing everything you eat at home?
    --I weigh probably 80% of my food in grams. No handfuls or 2 slices of this or that.

    Are you sure you're burning 224 calories per mile of walking?
    --What's your mph? Are you power-walking and moving your arms? Is your heart rate at 70-80% of max when you walk? Are you walking on flat surfaces or are hills involved? Even at your weight, I wonder if it's possible the calorie estimate is high. If it is, you could be working with inflated numbers and overestimating your burn.

    Is it possible you're eating at maintenance?
    --CICO, calories-in/calories/out, is the fundamental basis for weight management. Though there could be medical issues involved and age is always a factor (I'm 53 and sure don't burn calories like I did when I was 20), if you aren't highly accurate with your food logging, it could be fooling you into thinking you're supposed to be losing weight when you really aren't.

    I know what it's like to be at maintenance but think you're not. As in "what's going on here...I should be losing weight and nothing's happening?" I lost over 30 pounds and had to accept the fact that my calorie burn wasn't as high as it was when I was 190 lbs. I also changed my workout intensity and frequency. I'm now incorporating weights (10-20 pound dumbbells and kettle bell) into my regimen. It's taken 3 weeks but I'm starting to see it VERY slowly have an impact on the scale. What I see more of now than scale movement, is firmer (albeit a bit achy some days) muscles, slightly smaller tape measurements and better cardio fitness.

    Good luck with adjusting your regimen. If you don't have or diligently use a food scale, it's critical for success. I hope you are using one and if so, logging in grams not units (like pieces, chips, slices, etc.) Accuracy counts :)


    Love this post!

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    DeterminedbyGod wrote: »
    I am not sure what is happening here. Yesterday I did my usual working out which consisted of walking for two miles. I burned 448 calories. I then at a lunch that consisted of the serving size of salad and ranch with 2 pieces of salmon. I then did a 20 min workout and burned 300 calories. For dinner, I had 2 pieces of baked flounder fishes,a half spoon of yellow rice and veggies However I did snack on 2 whole pieces of graham crackers, a hand full of cheez it, and a hand full of planters peanuts. I am assuming that the snacking caused me to gain a pound. I lost 4 pounds last week. Earlier in the week I weighed in at 253 and then around Saturday I was 247. I woke up this morning I weighed 248. My mom seems to think I am hitting another plateau because every time I reach to 247 my body stops and goes back down to 248. It never fails. I currently lost 68 pounds. I started at 316 and as of this morning I am 248. I need help and understanding

    You have lost weight this week though so not really a plateau. I think you need to be stuck for 3 weeks or so before it is a plateau. If you do get stuck just keep doing what you are doing. There was a month when the scale bounced back and foward the same 1/2 lb for me but I lost inches on body measurements so maybe take your measurements and be patient.
    Weight fluctuations from day to day are normal. Maybe stop weighing so often if it bugs you to see that happening.
    You might be retaining water from eating foods with a bunch of sodium or whatever.
    You don't seem to weigh or measure your food very accurately so you might have eaten more calories than you think. Nuts have a lot of calories so I would be much more careful actually measuring those out than I would a bunch of carrots or celery.

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