Gained a lb in a day, stayed within calories?

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Hey there! So I stayed within my calories yesterday, drank tons of water, and I've been exercising about 5 days a week. I power walk for 30 minutes, bike 4-6 miles (rotating on days), and then do legs weights and abs. I weight 183.6 currently and am trying to get to 150 for my goal weight right now. Yesterday I was 182.8 and then today I'm back to 183.6. Why did I gain weight when I didn't change anything?

So confused... I never eat back my exercise calories either. I also do musical theatre so I was in a show all weekend which kept me pretty active and off my butt.

Replies

  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
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    Try to figure out your salt intake yesterday. It may take a few days for your body to let go of the water and the salt.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    Since a pound is 3600 calories and you didn't consume an excess of 3600 calories in one day, its something else! Most likely suspect: water.
  • carolinefaith
    carolinefaith Posts: 46 Member
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    Okay you are staying under your calorie goals but what kind of food are you eating? you should be eating all lean meat, fruits (not after 6PM), veggies, and only 2 starches per day. If you are still eating unhealthy foods you will not lose the weight you want to get rid of :)
  • carolinefaith
    carolinefaith Posts: 46 Member
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    Okay you are staying under your calorie goals but what kind of food are you eating? you should be eating all lean meat, fruits (not after 6PM), veggies, and only 2 starches per day. If you are still eating unhealthy foods you will not lose the weight you want to get rid of :)
  • moylie
    moylie Posts: 195
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    Two words: water weight. Personally, I never weigh myself more than once a week, and under the exact same conditions (first thing in the am, after peeing, completely naked). You weight fluctuates daily based on water weight, and other factors. Don't stress yourself by relying on what the scale says. Take your measurements, stick to what you're doing w/ MFP guidelines, and you'll be fine. If you've been at the same weight or gaining after a couple weeks, then it's time to re-evaluate your goals and food & exercise plan. Hang in there!
  • bigdawg025
    bigdawg025 Posts: 774 Member
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    You didn't "gain" anything. You will always see fluctuations like that when you weight yourself daily. Water weight levels change... how many times you use the bathroom, etc. It's normal fluctuation. That's why it's suggested to only weigh yourself weekly.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Never judge what you're doing by one day's weight change. Your body goes through a lot of changes from day to day and water retention can cause fluctuations hour by hour, let alone day to day. Also, if it's that time of month, you'll probably gain a little (for me lately, it's more like 5-10 pounds) of water weight and then shed it all when it's over.

    If a daily weight fluctuation is going to bother you, don't weigh yourself every day. Most people swear by one day a week weigh ins, at the same time of day on their weigh in day.

    I, personally, weigh myself daily, but it doesn't bother me to see it go up one day and down the next as long as I am seeing an overall downward trend.
  • Dippydog
    Dippydog Posts: 154
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    Are you netting at least 1200 calories per day? If not, you are going into starvation mode.

    Also....is it your 'TOM'? That could be it, too.
  • pbinkins
    pbinkins Posts: 3
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    It's probably water weight and muscle! I've read to weight yourself at the same time each weigh in to obtain an accurate count. And to also not panic when your weight starts to fluctuates as this may be this issue. I would not worry as long as you know you're doing everything right! Keep up the good work!
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    okay. it's just a pound. It's not a big deal. Don't freak out.

    My weight fluctuates up and down 7 pounds everyday.

    I just record every loss as a loss and ignore what the scale says otherwise.

    Scales are evil, so don't freak out.

    This happens to everyone.

    Stop letting the scale control you!

    You didn't gain a pound of fat over night.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    You didn't "gain" anything. You will always see fluctuations like that when you weight yourself daily. Water weight levels change... how many times you use the bathroom, etc. It's normal fluctuation. That's why it's suggested to only weigh yourself weekly.

    This!
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    Day to day fluctuations are normal. (Saturday I weighed 153. Sunday 150. Today 153. I think there's a glitch in the Matrix.) It could be any number of things. Look for a downward trend over time, or better yet - take a hammer to your scale and go by how your clothes fit. Whenever I get down on myself about the numbers on the scale, I try on a pair of pants (or something else) that I KNOW didn't fit before I started getting healthy.
  • daynawright
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    Just remember that muscle weighs more than fat! You can also retain weight if you haven't gotten rid of your "waste" lately. A good BM will remove ounces from your weight!
  • loopy_levi
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    your weight can increase and decrease throughout the week thats why you should only really weigh yourself and record it once a week so its more accurate. you'll probably find you havent put on that pound at all :-) xx
  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
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    I agree with the others.. water. This happens to me a lot. If I don't take enough in over a day or two or maybe eat out and get too much sodium - I gain.

    And like barbiex3 says, - it's cool. It happens to all of us. :wink:

    I accept that the scale is not always going to be my friend. The goal for me is to figure it out - why this and why that. The more I question, the more I learn about the process and that will lead to the results I want.

    :flowerforyou:
  • amalzingsong
    amalzingsong Posts: 62 Member
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    Thanks for all your help! My thing is that I use the "Lose it!" program on my phone to keep track of my calories because I had all my food input in it before I knew of MFP. My calories on that is a little higher than 1200 and fluctuates as I lose or gain weight. Maybe I should stop using that program? It's helped me lose the weight.

    As for eating "healthy", I'm choosing healthier options a lot but I still eat what I want as long as it's in my calorie rang. If it's not I look for foods that are. I saw somewhere on here it's okay to eat what you want as long as it's under your calories for the day.
  • thejnine
    thejnine Posts: 1
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    I just had the same thing happen to me! I ate just under my 1200 calories yesterday. This morning I was 1 pound heavier. I never stopped to think about the water/salt consumption I had yesterday. I love this site- everyone is so helpful :) Thanks to "amaizingsong" for asking the question first and to everyone that answered!
  • darlynnwd
    darlynnwd Posts: 43
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    okay. it's just a pound. It's not a big deal. Don't freak out.

    My weight fluctuates up and down 7 pounds everyday.

    I just record every loss as a loss and ignore what the scale says otherwise.

    Scales are evil, so don't freak out.

    This happens to everyone.

    Stop letting the scale control you!

    You didn't gain a pound of fat over night.


    I need to remember this too! :) Thanks, barbiex3!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Thanks for all your help! My thing is that I use the "Lose it!" program on my phone to keep track of my calories because I had all my food input in it before I knew of MFP. My calories on that is a little higher than 1200 and fluctuates as I lose or gain weight. Maybe I should stop using that program? It's helped me lose the weight.

    As for eating "healthy", I'm choosing healthier options a lot but I still eat what I want as long as it's in my calorie rang. If it's not I look for foods that are. I saw somewhere on here it's okay to eat what you want as long as it's under your calories for the day.

    Keep in mind that the more weight you lose, the less calories you'll be able to eat and still lose weight. You'll have less mass and less mass burns fewer calories. If you're plateauing, it may be time to readjust your goals.
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
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    Weight Fluxuates when you weigh daily: Thursday 196.5, Friday 197, Saturday 196.0, Sunday 195.5, Monday 195.0, Tuesday 196.0. Yu will need to take the fluxuations or only weigh yourself once a week. Took many factors. I ate correctly all of those days and worked-out all but one of those days. I drank 8+ glasses of water. It just shifts.