Understanding weight loss

GoMom2016
GoMom2016 Posts: 41 Member
edited December 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Last week I had a TERRIBLE week! It was like I just didn't want to log, so then I just ate bad. When I did my next Monday weight in, BAM! up 5 pounds! However, after hours worth of reading forums, I have come to understand that I didn't gain 5 lbs of fat in that week, that it was most likely water weight. Sure enough, 5 days later of eating on track, those 5 lbs are gone!!!

In the past, when my slip ups happened and I would gain, I would always give up out of frustration! Amazing what a little knowledge can do for a person!

What have you come to understand about weight lose that has helped you??

Replies

  • GoMom2016
    GoMom2016 Posts: 41 Member
    OOOOPS my whole post did not post!!
  • GoMom2016
    GoMom2016 Posts: 41 Member

    GoMom2016 wrote: »
    OOOOPS my whole post did not post!!
    Ok fixed it :)

  • carmkizzle
    carmkizzle Posts: 211 Member
    edited May 2016
    I'm sure you didn't eat enough that week to gain 5lbs of fat. We all struggle with having days where we go over our calorie allotment, but don't let it ruin the entire week. Consistently eating that way will cause problems, however. If I eat over my calories on Monday, then I'm going to eat a little less the next day, or just make sure I don't go over my daily calorie goal for the rest of the week.

    Take it day by day and make better choices on a consistent basis, be patient, and you will see results.
  • Etsar73
    Etsar73 Posts: 260 Member
    I did what you did over about 1 year, on and off because when I ate badly, I felt bad and stopped logging. After a while I would get back on the track until I did it again and derailed again. I lost some and gained some. It was only when I stopped feeling bad and accepting it as a part of my journey, that I continued logging everything, even bad days! That's when I REALLY started losing weight. It's great that you have come to this realisation so quickly, it took me ages! Congrats!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    For me the most important thing was learning that if I want to lose weight and keep it off it's something I must do for the rest of my life, but not something I have to do every day.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    This is definitely something people need to understand!

    The human body is around 60% water, and A LOT of things can alter how much we hold: More food needs more water to process it, more sodium needs more water to dilute it, hormonal situations just play with water to laugh at you.

    People can stay the same weight or even gain weight over the course of an entire month and actually be losing fat due to funky water weight situations.

    Aside from water, some people think 1 or 2 bad days has ruined everything... when in reality, it doesn't at all. Steadily losing 12 pounds over 3 months but gaining 1 or 2 from a vacation, wedding, holiday, etc. still means overall weight loss... but people get disheartened by the slight gain and freak out.
  • 42firm03
    42firm03 Posts: 115 Member
    The most important thing I've learned, aside from the most fundamental part of eating less than I burn equals loss, is that loss takes time.

    Patience and trusting the process to work over time is key. Others may want me to starve to lose weight fast because they see my weight as a crisis but if I'm going to do this long enough (forever) to lose, and then maintain that loss, then my deficit must be long term tolerable.

    Your week long snapshot is a prime example. If you look only at the scale numbers over a small span of time you will get discouraged.
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