Oh god damn this is frustrating. I feel like going off diet!

2»

Replies

  • DangerousDUCK
    DangerousDUCK Posts: 181 Member
    Any rise in the scale numbers we tend to always assume is a fat gain,

    In reality, fat is lost and gained at relatively slowly. For people on the leaner side(for heavier folks 2-3lbs is excessive) a half to 1 pound per week change in fat(Up or Down) will be all you can get.

    To gain 1-3 pounds of actual fat would mean you've consumed 3500-10,000kcals over what you've burned during the week, which means approx 500-1500kcals over per day.

    While it is possible to eat that much, it’s extremely unlikely if on any sort of "diet". It’s even less likely that you're eating that much EVERY day.

    So a dramatic swing in weight on the scales in a few days must be something else.
    - Muscle? unlikely as like fat its gained and lost relatively slowly.

    - A full stomach? this can be partly to blame as a full hearty dinner definitely will temporarily add to the scale weight. Test it yourself, weigh yourself then gulp down 2 litres of water instant over 4lbs gain! :)

    -Carbs? can also affect scale weight as they are stored as glycogen and bring with them 3 x their weight in water as part of their processes

    -Sodium, creatine and Stress levels also cause your body to retain water thus meaning the change in scale weight can be drastic in just a few days, when all that is taken into account, your scale weight can vary by potentially as much as 10lbs!

    So while checking your weight can be important it is by no means the full story.

    Record your body measurements before starting a diet or take average weight numbers across a week to get a clearer picture of your overall progress.

    Dont lose motivation over a pound or 2 fluctuation

    Terry :)
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I use a fitness tracker to monitor all my steps calories burned, etc. 10,000 steps, even 15,000 steps makes very little difference in my caloric allotment. I am smaller than you and female, but it's exercise that makes the difference (not only in calories burned, but after the workout for weight training and HIIT training). I go for the steps on those 16-hour work days where I don't have a ghost of a chance of working out.

    Weight-loss is a marathon, not a sprint. You really do need to be patient as weight can fluctuate several pounds day-by-day. If the weight variance bothers you, trying weighing a little less often. Also, you can take measurements as you can lose inches when not losing pounds.

    You have to hang in there--you'll be glad you did! :smiley:
  • eDonatti
    eDonatti Posts: 49 Member
    DangerousDUCK wrote: »
    Any rise in the scale numbers we tend to always assume is a fat gain,

    In reality, fat is lost and gained at relatively slowly. For people on the leaner side(for heavier folks 2-3lbs is excessive) a half to 1 pound per week change in fat(Up or Down) will be all you can get.

    To gain 1-3 pounds of actual fat would mean you've consumed 3500-10,000kcals over what you've burned during the week, which means approx 500-1500kcals over per day.

    While it is possible to eat that much, it’s extremely unlikely if on any sort of "diet". It’s even less likely that you're eating that much EVERY day.

    So a dramatic swing in weight on the scales in a few days must be something else.
    - Muscle? unlikely as like fat its gained and lost relatively slowly.

    - A full stomach? this can be partly to blame as a full hearty dinner definitely will temporarily add to the scale weight. Test it yourself, weigh yourself then gulp down 2 litres of water instant over 4lbs gain! :)

    -Carbs? can also affect scale weight as they are stored as glycogen and bring with them 3 x their weight in water as part of their processes

    -Sodium, creatine and Stress levels also cause your body to retain water thus meaning the change in scale weight can be drastic in just a few days, when all that is taken into account, your scale weight can vary by potentially as much as 10lbs!

    So while checking your weight can be important it is by no means the full story.

    Record your body measurements before starting a diet or take average weight numbers across a week to get a clearer picture of your overall progress.

    Dont lose motivation over a pound or 2 fluctuation

    Terry :)

    Well I wanted to say something about being in the same situation but this post just blew me away. Sometimes deep down you know but only the right wording makes you realise and see.

    Thank you DangerousDUCK. Well that definitely helped me a lot.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Mojorisen1 wrote: »
    Here's a thought - what if you allowed yourself to 'go off' your diet for two days by a few hundred calories a day, BUT continued to track your food? That way you give yourself a break but keep the good behavior of tracking your food going. And if you only eat enough to maintain but not to gain, it might trick your metabolism into allowing you to lose some more weight.

    That's not how it works. Honestly. Your metabolism can't be 'tricked' into anything. ;)
  • DangerousDUCK
    DangerousDUCK Posts: 181 Member
    eDonatti wrote: »

    Well I wanted to say something about being in the same situation but this post just blew me away. Sometimes deep down you know but only the right wording makes you realise and see.

    Thank you DangerousDUCK. Well that definitely helped me a lot.

    No problem glad if I helped :)

This discussion has been closed.

Categories