Regaining weight

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morganpalmer9
morganpalmer9 Posts: 73 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've hit my goal weight, and actually have gone a bit under even but it seems if I have one cheat day or take a day or two off the gym I immediately regain 3+ pounds, which I know doesn't sound like a lot but it's pretty noticeable to me on my frame. I've only been dieting/working out for three months, will this eventually stop happening? Or am I doomed to have to work out and never have a cheat day?

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  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Weight naturally fluctuates.
    That one cheat day for example might have more sodium rich food. That will lead to extra water retention. So yes the number on the scale is higher, but it could all be water weight.
    Also, if you're a woman (can't see in the app) the hormones and monthly cycle also influence weight and water retention.
    Set an acceptable weight range for yourself and aim to stay within it. Fluctuations within that range should be no cause for concern.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Weight naturally fluctuates. Especially you eat lots of salt or have a high carb day (both make me hold water.) You don't have to meet your goals every day, but you DO have to meet them every week. There are no cheat days - you can't cheat your body. But you should average at or under your calorie goal or you will gain weight. Always hitting the week's goal allows that to happen naturally.

    The big difference between being at a deficit and maintaining, IMHO, is that when you go over at a deficit, you stop losing weight. When you go over while maintaining, you're going to gain. So you HAVE to meet those goals on average. Not every single day, but over time.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Weight gained from cheat days is typically water weight... unless you ate 3500 extra calories then yeah, there could be some fat in there.

    I still have 'cheat' days (just days when I eat too much), I just eat less the rest of the time to compensate.
  • stormyview
    stormyview Posts: 81 Member
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    Have you increased your calories to maintenance yet? Many (maybe most) people experience a weight gain of 2-7 pounds when they up their calories to maintenance levels. This is your body replenishing glycogen stores in your muscles and liver.

    What happens sometimes is that people up their calories from the diet level, see a fast gain of about five pounds, and freak out thinking that they've gained weight. Well, they've gained weight, but it's water for glycogen storage. If they continue to eat at maintenance, their weight should stabilize at the slightly higher weight. However, it's really easy to panic and drop calorie levels again. This is how some people end up thinking they can only eat some small amount of calories per day--because every time they eat over that level, they get a glycogen bump and the scale moves up pretty dramatically in a day or two. If you're relatively lean, you will likely notice your clothes are tighter too--it's between half a size and a whole size difference for me!

    This is why many people recommend dieting to 3-5 pounds below your desired weight. Then when you get the glycogen replenishment, you won't find yourself higher than you'd like.

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