why is my weight going UP?
sbernardo123
Posts: 18 Member
ive been at it for 2 weeks (i know, not a long time yet), and for the past 2 days my weight has gone UP instead of DOWN! I've been staying within my calorie limits, and have been getting in 30-40 minutes of walking each day (for someone with arthritis & fibromyalgia, that's a lot, even though it doesn't look it).. and my weight is going up. It was going steadily down, and I'm doing the same stuff I was before, so why is my weight going up now? It's pretty disheartening to look at the scale and see it going in the wrong direction.
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Replies
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because weight fluctuates, 2 days is not enough time for any sort of trend to show (I've been cutting for 2 years). If you get depressed over numbers fluctuating only weigh yourself once a week.3
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Weight loss isn't linear. You need to look at the overall weight trend over the weeks and months, not day-to-day.1
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Weight fluctuates, and as above says, its all about the overall trend as the weeks and months pass.
Stick with it, you will get there.0 -
As a woman, many times our weight fluctuates. While it is good to weigh everyday, especially during maintenance, many times watching the scale everyday can sabotage our efforts because of the disappointment when our weight fluctuates. If at the end of a week, it is going up reviewing your journal would be wise. However, even a week is not enough time to determine something is wrong due to hormonal changes our bodies go through.
Keep your head up, and keep tracking. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It can be done. It took me 1.5 years to lose 60 pounds, and I had many weeks like you are having. You can do it. Just keep your focus, and don't let 2 days or even two weeks get you down. I had a two month plateau during my journey, so I really understand how frustrating it can be when you are expecting the scale to be going down, and it is doing the opposite.2 -
With being female we get to experience weight gain once a month, anywhere from 2 pounds to 10! Some of us experience the weight gain 2 weeks before our periods are due, others experience it a couple of days prior. Over the next couple months will start to recognize the pattern, and you won't feel so panicked.
Isn't being a girl wonderful?1 -
Salty pretzels are making you retain water and you haven't pooped yet.
Pro tip: Only weigh once a week so that you can get a more accurate feel for the trend. Day to day fluctuations will make you go crazy.2 -
I'm in the same boat. Been exercising every day and eating well, and I'm up two pounds. Talk about a depressing way to start the morning. But, I remembered what everyone else above has said and I'm going to not stress and keep on keepin' on.1
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It's depressing but keep it up, it will work eventually if the numbers are right. Science doesn't lie.0
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Today I weigh 5 pounds less than I did last Friday and I didn't do anything different. I've been at it awhile. I'm in my 40s and I measure how I'm doing by my average highest weight. My highest weight continues to trend downward and that's over a long period of time.0
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Use an app like Libra to graph your daily weight, and show the overall downward trend.
I weigh right in the morning after going to the washroom. Every day. And this app truly keeps me sane through the daily fluctuations.0 -
I agree whole heartedly with everyone who said that weight loss isnt linear. I know it can be discouraging, but give it time. I was just recently incredibly stressed about my weight going up with a new diet change. I decided to track my weight every day for 30 days, and what I found was it goes up and down and up and down-- normally goes up when I make any changes to diet or exercise routines. Once I tracked it for 30 days, I discovered that although there are highs and lows, I have actually lost what averages out to 1.5 pounds per week- exactly what my MFP is set to! Since I proved that fact to myself, I have been able to see the bigger picture and dont stress too much about daily weigh ins. As long as you are making the choice to eat better and move more, you are doing something right!3
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have you ever noticed a lot of people with chronic pain issues truggle with weight probs? I think its more than just being sedintary and/or comfort/boredom eating. Ive been trying for a year to lose weight and only lost 10lbs. Im in the same situation with fibro , myofacial pain syndrome arthritis and others. I supsect the chronic pain is the culprit. it causes stress which causes cortisol, and I think our bodies are in crisis so go into a protective state like 'starvation mode' to keep weight on. if you think about it from a biology stand point, an injured animal cant easily find food or compete with resources, so mabee this is some kind of evolutionary adaptaion to hang onto reserves. not sure if this is correct or what to do about it if this is the case. I try to do things to relieve stress and pain but I have no solutions for that so am kind of stuck as to what to do.0
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sbernardo123 wrote: »ive been at it for 2 weeks (i know, not a long time yet), and for the past 2 days my weight has gone UP instead of DOWN! I've been staying within my calorie limits, and have been getting in 30-40 minutes of walking each day (for someone with arthritis & fibromyalgia, that's a lot, even though it doesn't look it).. and my weight is going up. It was going steadily down, and I'm doing the same stuff I was before, so why is my weight going up now? It's pretty disheartening to look at the scale and see it going in the wrong direction.
Can you give us an idea of what you are eating each day?
Are you weighing and measuring what you eat/drink?
You should be able to lose weight even without any exercise if you are staying within a certain caloric range.
Keep in mind that your body is doing it's own thing as well. It's not just about the fact you are trying to lose weight so there are things going on in there that you can't control that may affect your weight.
You've been at it for only 2 weeks. Have you lost anything at all before these last 2 days? If so then that's a loss. You can gain for many reasons, you may be retaining water, had a higher than usual sodium filled meal, etc. Give it some time. It takes a while to get in to a good routine and to be able to look back at how you are doing and compare the days to one another. Keep at it! Good luck!1 -
Weight loss isn't linear. You need to look at the overall weight trend over the weeks and months, not day-to-day.
I agree.
I weigh daily but I put my numbers in on a happy scale app on my phone. That way I can look back at the fluctuations and that helps put things in to perspective.0 -
crickets.....0
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ive been using happy scale. it's an app that you can plug your weight into everyday and it graphs a trend line so even if you stay the same or even go up a little it will continue to show the trending down line:) I like it.
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Eh my weight goes up and down all the time. I only actually log my weight on Sunday because that's my weigh in day and I log even if it goes up because I like to see my overall trend. Bodies fluctuate so much so I really wouldn't get hung up on the number. Especially after only two days.0
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If you want to weigh yourself daily, I suggest using a weight tracking app like @tiffanifair suggested (I use Libra). Its a great tool to show how your weight fluctuates from day to day! But, if the up and down drives you crazy, then stick to once a week0
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have you ever noticed a lot of people with chronic pain issues truggle with weight probs? I think its more than just being sedintary and/or comfort/boredom eating. Ive been trying for a year to lose weight and only lost 10lbs. Im in the same situation with fibro , myofacial pain syndrome arthritis and others. I supsect the chronic pain is the culprit. it causes stress which causes cortisol, and I think our bodies are in crisis so go into a protective state like 'starvation mode' to keep weight on. if you think about it from a biology stand point, an injured animal cant easily find food or compete with resources, so mabee this is some kind of evolutionary adaptaion to hang onto reserves. not sure if this is correct or what to do about it if this is the case. I try to do things to relieve stress and pain but I have no solutions for that so am kind of stuck as to what to do.
Many folks on here have lost weight successfully with chronic pain issues. Being sedentary is probably way less important than what that person is eating, and being accurate in their logging.
If you are concerned you can start your own thread and I'm sure people will offer helpful suggestions. Generally you would be asked to open your food diary and people will look over what you are doing and go from there. If you are already at a healthy weight range, 10 lbs in a year isn't at all bad. Most people's issues stem from not using a food scale to weigh all their solid food, or poorly logging.0 -
When my weight goes up for no reason over a few days I know it's time for my monthly. When my monthly comes on it stabilizes and then drops towards the end of my cycle.0
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Weight can fluctuate for MANY reasons.
Since you've only been at it two weeks, it is difficult to say that the weight fluctuation is fat related at all. Weight can Some popular reasons weight fluctuates:
1. Increased sodium causes excess water retention
2. Increased food intake over previous day (can even still be in deficit) causes water retention to process food
3. Increased physical activity using water to repair minor damages to tissues
4. For women: Menstrual cycle is about to begin
5. Dehydration event (binge drinking, excess sweating, etc.) causes water loss
Al this involves water. I can fluctuate 5 pounds in a single day based solely on water. In fact, I know if the scale will go up or down in the morning based on what I did yesterday.
When you weigh yourself, try weighing at the same time every time you weigh, once a week or once a day. Keep at your plan, and overall you'll head in the right direction.1 -
2 weeks is the blink of an eye. It took Odysseus 20 years to get home from the Trojan War.0
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have you ever noticed a lot of people with chronic pain issues truggle with weight probs? I think its more than just being sedintary and/or comfort/boredom eating. Ive been trying for a year to lose weight and only lost 10lbs. Im in the same situation with fibro , myofacial pain syndrome arthritis and others. I supsect the chronic pain is the culprit. it causes stress which causes cortisol, and I think our bodies are in crisis so go into a protective state like 'starvation mode' to keep weight on. if you think about it from a biology stand point, an injured animal cant easily find food or compete with resources, so mabee this is some kind of evolutionary adaptaion to hang onto reserves. not sure if this is correct or what to do about it if this is the case. I try to do things to relieve stress and pain but I have no solutions for that so am kind of stuck as to what to do.
If only those starving African children could be more stressed out! Then they wouldn't lose so much weight!3 -
have you ever noticed a lot of people with chronic pain issues truggle with weight probs? I think its more than just being sedintary and/or comfort/boredom eating. Ive been trying for a year to lose weight and only lost 10lbs. Im in the same situation with fibro , myofacial pain syndrome arthritis and others. I supsect the chronic pain is the culprit. it causes stress which causes cortisol, and I think our bodies are in crisis so go into a protective state like 'starvation mode' to keep weight on. if you think about it from a biology stand point, an injured animal cant easily find food or compete with resources, so mabee this is some kind of evolutionary adaptaion to hang onto reserves. not sure if this is correct or what to do about it if this is the case. I try to do things to relieve stress and pain but I have no solutions for that so am kind of stuck as to what to do.
I have the reverse problem -when my rheumatoid arthritis is active I drop weight without trying-while it feels like I'm eating normally, and I'm certainly moving less, I just don't have the energy or inclination to either prepare food or eat it when I'm sore and suffering from that total awful lethargy that the active autoimmune disease involves. When the disease inhibiting drugs are working my weight bounces back up very quickly (which is why I am back counting calories again as my knees would appreciate carrying less of me around on top of them)0 -
try measuring your waist as well
lost only 0.2 kg this week by .83 cm off my waist so technically I made very good progress
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I gain before my period and at ovulation. (And lose it plus more a few days later)0
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@sbernardo123 - where are you in your menstrual cycle? I gain at ovulation and right before my TOM.0
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Do not weigh everyday! Fluctuations are normally especially within your menstrual cycle. These fluctuations are super demotivating.
If you weigh weeks you'll be giving yourself enough time to lose a decent amount which should then be apparent on the scales even within fluctuations providing you're losing a decent bit each week.0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Salty pretzels are making you retain water and you haven't pooped yet.
Pro tip: Only weigh once a week so that you can get a more accurate feel for the trend. Day to day fluctuations will make you go crazy.
I actually get more accurate data for the trend when I weigh everyday since doing it just once a week would leave the numbers vulnerable to a possible high day. That said, I don't obsess over fluctuation day to day. It's just data to me. For people that are emotionally invested in the numbers, weighing fewer times might be better for their mental health despite that it's a less accurate representation of the fluctuations.
OP, if weighing stresses you out, do it less. But if you are now armed with the knowledge that it's normal for the numbers to go up and down, that it doesn't necessarily mean you're gaining fat weight and can now divorce your emotions from the scale numbers, you can keep weighing yourself daily.2
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