Help! Weight is not going down, it's going up!

pattilindley wrote: »

I have stuck to my 1230 calorie allowance religiously. I am usually below that. This weekend I had a crazy schedule so I wasn't able to eat three meals, just snacked on fruit and nuts until I had a good meal at about 4pm. My total calories were only 1,000-1100 Saturday and Sunday. When I weighed Monday the scale showed I had gained two pounds. I tried not to freak out but today it shows the same thing. How is it possible to gain when I have eaten off my program at all! Not once in three months. I had lost 26 pounds Friday, now it shows 24 pounds. Help!!!

I can fluctuate up to 5 pounds in a single day. Obviously that's not fat, it's fluid. Time is your friend and your daily fluctuations are likely larger than the fat loss you would achieve in a week or two (or more). You may have actually lost more fat, but your scale isn't telling you that because fluid retention cycles based on your body's needs.

2 pounds fluctuation is normal. if you feel the need to weigh daily find a trending app for putting in your weight so you can see the long term trends. were the nuts salted? water weight? when I don't drink enough water I gain a bit.

example this weekend I ate saltier foods than normal so my weight difference between Friday and Monday was 2 pounds however my body fat percentage was lower on Monday than it was Friday. so I knew I was just retaining water. by this morning I'm down .3 from Fridays lowest reading.

point is one or two days is not a trend and you have to look over the long term.

Lesscookies wrote: »

You're eating more than you think.

This isn't a useful way to approach a temporary weight fluctuation.

Lesscookies wrote: »

You're eating more than you think.

If it were three weeks, likely...but three days?

OP, as others have stated weight loss isn't linear. Have you recently had a meal high in carbs or sodium? Are you at or nearing TOM? Did you increase your exercise?

pattilindley wrote: »

I'm very careful about what I eat. I measure out 10 almonds and put them in a separate snack bag. I'm 64 years old so no longer have TOM. One reason I try to stay at about 1100 calories is to allow for error in calorie measurements. I definitely don't drink enough water. Not even close. I have asthma so my only exercise is walking because anything strenuous leaves me gasping for breath. So far it has taken 15 months to lose 24 pounds. I am very discouraged. At this rate it will take this week to re lose those same two pounds.

Listen to the posters who are telling you it's water weight. Even if you were wildly off on your calorie count (and I'm assuming not) there's no way you gained any appreciable amount of fat. Give it a few days for the water to work it's way out and you'll find that you're right back on track.