is it water retention? how do you maintain your weight?

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LisaBrown1094
LisaBrown1094 Posts: 14 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi Guys, while I'm still quite far from the maintenance stage, I've noticed that if I get a bit off track on Friday nights, I gain over 2 pounds in just 24 hours! Now, I'm assuming this is water retention from the extra salt I've eaten, but the dramatic weight gain scares me and makes me think that there's no way I could ever up my calories in a maintenance stage because of how sensitive my body is to certain foods. How do you handle maintaining weight? I knew this would be a never ending journey, but it's really shocking to gain over 2 pounds in 24 hours! Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks!
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Replies

  • peppermintcaroline
    peppermintcaroline Posts: 151 Member
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    Everybody is different, however weight as far as I've experienced it is not linear. During my period I often gain 5-6 pounds, and then rapidly lose that right after my period is over. Or if I eat a large meal, drink a lot of water, exercise late, etc, etc. I try to take it with a grain of salt, and when I am maintaining I tend to think of it as a weight range rather than an exact number (ie: stay between 110-115). Also, scales can be innacurate, so I try not to weigh myself on friends' scales. In my opinion 2 lbs is well within the normal weight fluctuation from day to day. Good luck with your journey and try not to stress the numbers too much!
  • LisaBrown1094
    LisaBrown1094 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks! I am really trying to make a lifestyle change and feel like I have derailed myself lately. My employer just announced a complete reorganization (no idea what that means for me yet) and I got hit with a really bad cold, making exercise hard to accomplish and comfort foods and alcohol so enticing! I am back on track as of right now, but I think I've gotten a little bit obsessive in weighing myself. I just recently hit my first goal of getting under 200 pounds and to see that number creep up on the scale even just a little scares me. I guess I'm just shocked that weight can fluctuate like that in 24 hours.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Personally I discount spikes that are likely due to water weight when determining if I'm outside my desired range. I look instead at the trend line, which tends to be at the midpoint (since I have spikes and valleys if water weight).
  • Wd011000
    Wd011000 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have a minimum 5 pound swing, seriously can gain, lose, and regain that 5# within 24 hours. I am fairly close to my goal weight, so I decided that this month I'd start tracking my weight daily to try to determine what/why the fluctuations are occurring--overate on the weekend, hormones, etc. I know there are different opinions on how often you should weigh yourself, but my intention is just to get a better feel for what my body is actually doing and why so I can start to plan my maintenance strategy.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    2 pounds is shocking? I can gain and lose 8 lbs overnight.

    If you're tracking and in maintenance, you should know you didn't eat an extra 7,000 calories and even if you did it wouldn't show up on the scale as fat in the matter of an evening. So, common sense.
  • Akmauser
    Akmauser Posts: 51 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Every Saturday we take the kids over to my mothers for half a day. My mom buys us all lunch and whatever snacks we want (usually ice cream). This is where my scale is located to reduce the temptation of weighing myself after every meal.

    Anyways, this last Saturday before heading out for food I weighed myself in at 262.4, and after returning with food weighed in at 272.2! Only had a medium pop (which is too sweet now), BBQ pork sandwich and small fries.

    Really worried me and weighed myself over and over for about 15 minutes, but only once did it come back 2 pounds less.

    I would not worry about a couple pounds here and there.

    Edit: I am clearly not in maintenance mode, but thought it would be nice to share. I used to run track many years ago and would see large temporary gains every now and then.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Does anyone have the link to the video of the guy who weighs himself throughout the day showing how quickly weight can fluctuate?

    I fluctuate 5 lbs between 8am and noon. It's back down the next morning, but I can fluctuate 2 lbs from one morning to the next. That happens for a few days, then it starts dropping down again.

    Remember that the scale weight is a combination of fat, muscle, bones, body fluids, undigested food, waste, etc. It is best to not attach TOO much significance to it, since we are mainly interested in losing fat.
  • LisaBrown1094
    LisaBrown1094 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks, all. I feel much better after reading all your posts.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    When I first got into maintenance mode, I did something that made me feel silly and stupid at the time BUT it truly set my mind at ease. Typically, first thing in the morning you go potty right? Well, before I did, I would weigh myself first and then weigh after my potty break. A bit TMI but if it was just #1 built up over the night, I might show about a 1 lb weight loss after the potty break. However, if it was #1 and #2, I would often see anywhere from 1-3 lbs weight loss!

    Just by bodily functions alone, you can easily fluctuate several pounds. This would not include water weight gained from a hard workout or too much Chinese takeout! It just amazes me about what our bodies are truly capable of which is why a 5 lb range of maintenance is a good guideline to follow.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I agree, a 2 lb jump after indulging like that is most likely water weight and very normal. I wouldn't worry about that. It might help you (if you don't already) to use an app like Happy Scale or Libra since it will show your trend line so you know better how to interpret minor fluctuations.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I make pizza often, and my pizza has 2.33 grams of sodium in the crust. I drink a big glass of water before the pizza, another after the pizza, and another some time before bed. All that water near the time of taking in all that sodium seems to help flush out the sodium before the morning weigh in, although the price of it is interrupted sleep.
  • thechaoswithinme
    thechaoswithinme Posts: 66 Member
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    Yes I've experienced gain two lbs in 24 hours quite a lot.. it all depends on alcohol intake. Processed foods with a lot of sodium, don't get to worked up. Just go back to your normal eating habits and the scale should go back to normal over time... I've lost 127lbs in a years time and I've seen my weight go up and down because of certain foods
  • thechaoswithinme
    thechaoswithinme Posts: 66 Member
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    Right now I'm trying to maintain my weight and it goes up two lbs when I eat past a certain time. Or eat junk food.. I always gain two lbs the day after I don't drink because of water Retention
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Totally normal, you'll get used to it. Focus on learning great habits while losing.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I'm 5'2" and and gain 2# over night, usually related to something I ate that was salty, whether chips or Thai food or Chinese food, etc. I hate to see it, but it does come back down in a few days.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    You need to change your attitude as far as the weight number. Please don't be fixated on a specific number. Your body will be in fluctuation on a daily basis depending on what you eat how much you drank how hard your workout is the type of foods you eat weather temperatures for a woman the closer you get to TOM a whole bunch of factors will influence your weight.

    To put things in perspective I have access to scales at work period during the course of the day to educate myself I weighed myself at different times and my weight fluctuate anywhere from two to four pounds during the day depending on what I ate my bathroom movements and a whole bunch of different factors.

    You really have to look at the weight loss and once you go into maintenance as a long-term trending process. To put things in perspective I've been in maintenance for the past eight months. In October my weight was 208 whet on vacation in October. Ate too much drink too much had a great time came back weighed myself probably somewhere around 210 -215 give or take. Took me about two to four weeks to go back in that 208 range. Same thing went on another vacation in January for a week when I came back my weight was around 214. Took me a couple weeks to drop that I'm around 208 right now.

    Not bragging but I could probably gain 5 pounds in a couple hours so I got you beat there. You really have to see how your clothes feel. It's a great indicator. went out for my daughter's birthday last weekend came in to work on Monday was somewhere around 2:12 by Friday I was around that 208 range it's basically water weight period to put things in perspective

    Sorry for the long post but hope this helps
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
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    I agree with a lot of the people on here. A weight range, rather than a goal number, is the best way to go. You have to choose what works for you. I am 5'0" and a 2 lb. range is what works for me because I am small. I also set myself a "scream weight", meaning a number that I will not go over if it stays around for more than a few days. I take into account salt, water, waste, and fluctuations, which can occur sometimes by the hour. I can gain 4 lbs. overnight, and I do watch that carefully, because if it isn't gone in a few days, it means a gain and I need to go back to eating at my weight loss calories again. One thing that helps me a lot and may help you is to use a weight trending app. I love my Happy Scale app. It allows you to see what your moving average is, i.e., your weight trend, and makes you less crazy when those weird gains happen. Hope this helps.

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