Up 5 lbs in one night? Is this normal after a large meal?

Verity1111
Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
edited December 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I hate a lot of crap food yesterday - full of salt and grease and what not. I'm sure it wasn't enough to gain 1lb though so definitely not 5 (in the way of calories in a 24hr period and I hadnt eaten all day). So is this "normal" for me to gain that? Should it shed in the next few days?
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Replies

  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Thank you both! I think mine used to fall off in a few days or a week...but 5lbs is a lot to go up in a day so I was kind of shocked lol. Hopefully you're right and it falls off @avskk I drink a lot of water anyway, so maybe that will help speed up the process.
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    Completely normal. I go up three to six pounds after a day of increased eating
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    Completely normal. I go up three to six pounds after a day of increased eating

    Thank you for the reassurance!! I lost 9lbs in the last 3 weeks. I don't want them back. lol.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I'm up a couple pounds more than I "should" be today. More food and more waste in my system than usual. Totally normal.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    I fluctuate that much all the time. There's no way you gained 5lb of fat unless you ate 17500 calories over maintenance. It's just water. Either wrapped up in your glycogen stores, which will run down in a day or two if you stick to your usual deficit, or retained due to the extra salt, which will be peed out quite quickly if you drink plenty. Nothing to concern yourself about at all.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    Completely normal. I go up three to six pounds after a day of increased eating

    Thank you for the reassurance!! I lost 9lbs in the last 3 weeks. I don't want them back. lol.

    So...are you eating at such a deficit that you are trying to lose 3 pounds/week?
  • NancyYale
    NancyYale Posts: 171 Member
    Yep. Salty huge meal can = 5 pounds. Happens to me often. 3 days at my usual deficit and it pees away.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I can easily go up five pounds after Chinese food and if I'm ovulating or premenstrual.
  • micayla75
    micayla75 Posts: 219 Member
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    Completely normal. I go up three to six pounds after a day of increased eating

    Thank you for the reassurance!! I lost 9lbs in the last 3 weeks. I don't want them back. lol.

    So...are you eating at such a deficit that you are trying to lose 3 pounds/week?

    I am assuming she lost 9 pounds in her first 3 weeks, which isn't all that uncommon for someone who just started losing weight.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Omg yes, we had a holiday weekend here two weeks ago and I'm still trying to refuse the effects of it :(
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Yep a night out to dinner and add dessert = 5 or pounds more for me.. Takes about 4 days to even back out.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    Completely normal. I go up three to six pounds after a day of increased eating

    Thank you for the reassurance!! I lost 9lbs in the last 3 weeks. I don't want them back. lol.

    So...are you eating at such a deficit that you are trying to lose 3 pounds/week?

    Um not really no. I ate fast food every single day for one of those weeks. I was not planning on it, but it kind of happened. I was trying to eat a deficit and I did on the other days.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Also Im starting over 200lbs so losing 3lbs a week isnt that serious
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    Also Im starting over 200lbs so losing 3lbs a week isnt that serious

    Thanks for clarifying.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    Also Im starting over 200lbs so losing 3lbs a week isnt that serious

    Thanks for clarifying.

    No problem. I'm also only 26 and my metabolic rate has always been kind of quick. So I probably lose easier than some people.
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    Yes. Salt. Carb load. Drink lots of water. Eat sensibly. You'll lose it in a few days.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Water weight. I was up 9lbs on sunday after my re-feed day.
  • joburnolt
    joburnolt Posts: 16 Member
    It's a combination of water weight, and glycogen being stored. Ever notice how if you don't eat carbs for several days, then have a large carb-packed meal, you're muscles seem to "inflate?" That's your glycogen stores refilling, and causes your weight to fluctuate significantly.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    joburnolt wrote: »
    you're muscles seem to "inflate?" .

    As the OP is an overweight woman, I don't think she will notice this.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    This is probably a little odd, but while I used to be up three pounds (like clockwork) any time I overate significantly and the pounds were gone again in about four days, now that I'm 50 lbs. smaller, I am generally up five pounds (again, routinely...no matter what I overate with, sodium or not, carby or more heavy on protein, etc.) if I have a big "overeat" and it takes about a week to come off.

    But yes, it comes off.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I can only say that it is normal for me to gain 4-5 lbs after a higher than normal day of carbs and sodium. It takes me 2-3 weeks to lose it.

    It also takes me a couple of weeks to lose after a big overindulgence. I notice that lots of people on this site say they lose after a few days. I'm not that fortunate.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    My weight fluctuates ~5-6 lbs throughout the day just from water weight. Increase your water intake and you'll be back to normal in 3-5 days.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited November 2016
    Your body maintains a certain electrolyte balance. When you injest an electrolyte like sodium to keep that balance your body needs to retain additional water to keep the concentrations the same. Just a small amount of salt comes with a huge amount of retained water, on the order of something like 1 gram salt to 1 kilogram of water.

    Similarly carbohydrates require water to solubilize and store as well. So for every gram of carbohydrate you typically are going to retain something like 3g of water but that is such a small amount relative to salt that salt is generally what causes sudden water retention.

    If you ate higher salt meals yesterday than you usually do that can very easily lead to an additional 5 pounds of retained water. You will start to expell that along with the sodium and your weight will normalize over the next few days. If you want to expidite that just drink a lot of water.
  • amberlyda1
    amberlyda1 Posts: 154 Member
    Salt. This happens to me all the time. My weakness is salt. It doesnt help that I retain water weight like a champ. All it takes is a high sodium soup/ a few pickles/ handful of chips/ refined carbs, and I will weigh a few more pounds more the next day.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited November 2016
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I can only say that it is normal for me to gain 4-5 lbs after a higher than normal day of carbs and sodium. It takes me 2-3 weeks to lose it.

    It also takes me a couple of weeks to lose after a big overindulgence. I notice that lots of people on this site say they lose after a few days. I'm not that fortunate.

    Yep. For me, it is a big deterrent to overindulging and even just plain indulging at times.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    edited November 2016
    I went up about 4 lb yesterday - after eating a bunch of Chinese food Saturday night. A day later, I'm 0.4 lb lighter than when I weighed in last week.


    edited to clarify the time frame.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,795 Member
    I'm glad to hear this too. I went to a BBQ saturday nite & the next day i gained 2 lbs. I only went over my calories by 300, but it was hot dogs & sausage, lots of salt
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