Can I gain 5 lbs in a week?

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keelakay
keelakay Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am mortified by how my scale keeps reporting more and more weight. But it seems to fluctuate wildly. I have a very active job, walk 3-5 miles/day. I changed my activity level and bumped up from 1200 cals/day to 1370. I did that for two weeks, then back to 1200/day. I know I am bloated, and (tmi) chronically constipated - but five pounds gained?

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  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    5 lbs in total body weight? Yeah...heck I could do that overnight

    5 lbs in FAT? Probably not, unless you went on a major food bender.
  • ericafranz
    ericafranz Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes, I've seen fluctuations even larger depending on diet, exercise, salt intake, etc.

    Good to keep track of your overall measurements too and compare those with the scale; your weight can be very misleading.
  • ClimbingZack
    ClimbingZack Posts: 35 Member
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    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    5 lbs in total body weight? Yeah...heck I could do that overnight

    5 lbs in FAT? Probably not, unless you went on a major food bender.

    Yup. Water weight, digesting food, etc can easily see you hit a 5 lb "increase". But you're not fatter, your body just isn't processing and expelling your fuel like it should...
  • mallory_2014
    mallory_2014 Posts: 173 Member
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    Weight can fluctuate based on many things. Hormones, diet, salt intake, water intake, etc. With the sound of how active you are, 1,200 probably is not nearly enough calories either.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I can gain 5 lbs between breakfast and lunch. Fluctuations are normal.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    By eating 1370 calories a day? Come on, now...it's quite obviously water.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Daily, mainly, weigh-ins at maintenance

    Water
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  • bearabull
    bearabull Posts: 2 Member
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    This is common. You are drinking more water and your body is storing it. Your body is conditioned for scarce water and now that you are drinking more so it is storing it. Also, salt consumption will cause you to retain water. If this not a new diet - you need to increase water consumption to 8 glasses a day, and watch salt. I mean water - not coffee, or tea - WATER.

    This will reverse itself in about two weeks on a good diet and you will "lose" those 5 pounds. I always ignore the first 2-3 weeks of a diet. Track food and exercise of course , but ignore weight loss, weight gain, measurements etc.... After this time you get to your real state and from there all those numbers are more representative of what is happening to your body.

    The max a healthy person gains or loses in a week is about 2 pounds. If you are a small woman it's a little less and a large man a little more. Again, this is after the first 2-3 weeks. If this is not happening, look at water consumption first, calories consumed (Carbs and the type of carbs).

    If you still see this, then something else not diet or exercise may be going on - like your scale. If it's on an uneven surface you will get different readings, always weight yourself naked, and weekly on the same day/time. Move the scale and re-weigh. Make sure it's not sitting on the carpet.
  • keelakay
    keelakay Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi, thank you for your input. I promise to drink more water. As for MyFitness Pal, I've been using it for three years or so, and it has been effective.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
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    5lbs of body weight and 5lbs of fat are very different. I doubt you ate an excess of 17500 calories in a week. That'd be like eating 5000 calories a day.
    keelakay wrote: »
    I am mortified by how my scale keeps reporting more and more weight. But it seems to fluctuate wildly. I have a very active job, walk 3-5 miles/day. I changed my activity level and bumped up from 1200 cals/day to 1370. I did that for two weeks, then back to 1200/day. I know I am bloated, and (tmi) chronically constipated - but five pounds gained?

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