Gained 10lb in a weekend after going out to eat... two months of clean diet later, it's still there
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opalneria
Posts: 12 Member
Hi, so here is a bit of a mystery.
To get this addressed right off the bat, I weigh and record everything that I eat, and I eat prepared food MAYBE once a month and only from places that report calorie breakdowns. I know that I'm not eating more than I think I am day to day. Likewise, I do my best to underestimate calorie burn from my workouts. If I do 45 minutes on the elliptical, I will report 30, etc, since I suspect MFP always overestimates calorie burn.
I've been losing weight slowly/steadily for years. It has taken me a lot longer than expected - I am 5'7" and for example, at 150 eating about 1200 will result in my losing MAYBE one lb per month, more likely half a pound. I want to emphasize this so that you know just how big a deal 10 lb is for me - that's around a year or more of dieting for me.
And so I don't get any 'starvation diet' nonsense, I alternate 1200 with maintenance weeks of 1600. I even had my body composition professionally tested so that I would be picking the correct calorie goals for both weight loss and maintenance cycles, and have been following their advice to the letter; my BMR is only 1300 (once again, professionally measured) so 1200 is not starvation for me; rather, this explains why 1200 is such a slow weight loss for me; it's only a 400 deficit from my maintenance.
In mid-May, I was very excited as I was finally within striking distance of my goal weight, 130 lb. I was at 138. I went out on a date to a place called MELT, had half a sandwich (Cuban War Pig), some fries (about half the order served), and a gin fizz (drank it all). I assumed that would probably be calorie-dense, but since I was eating 1200 the rest of the week and getting exercise regularly, I hoped it wouldn't possibly make me gain anything, at least not more than a pound if anything.
The problem is, I weighed myself two days later and I was 150 lb!! Same scale. I double-checked with other scales, they all reported the same thing. I had somehow gained 12lb in two days, despite my only sin being one meal out.
I am not hiding or lying anything. ONE meal out. I want to emphasize this, since I know I will get some snotty people trying to say that I'm lying or fudging the truth, but that's not the case. ONE MEAL OUT was the only thing I ate that wasn't recorded and within my calorie budget.
I thought that maybe it was just bloat, retaining water, something... maybe since I haven't been drinking much alcohol in the past year, my body was reacting weirdly to the alcohol. So I just stayed the course of 1200 net calories and exercising, fully expecting to see my body return to around 138-140 within a week or so...
It's now August. 2 and a half MONTHS later.
I have managed to lose two pounds. I am 148 now. You heard me: that 12 lb gain was REAL and permanent. I have since been eating very clean and exercising; I even spent all of July doing a program where I cut out processed carbs, grains, dairy, and added sugar, just to try and see if I had developed any new food sensitivities that could have caused that 12 lb gain overnight. I averaged 1200-1300 calories per day and worked out (pilates, nothing too strenuous as tbh I found myself quite tired during this diet plan) - I did not lose a single pound or inch during all of July.
I even tried doing a colon cleanse in late June just in case somehow I had a bunch of waste buildup. As expected, because I really think colon cleanses are kind of unnecessary, I lose a couple pounds during the process and they came right back. Not surprising, but I bring it up just in case someone thought that might be the issue.
If I continue losing weight at this rate, I will not be back to my May weight for another 10 months. I am so discouraged because all that work was lost overnight and I still cannot grasp why. I feel like there's no possible way that one dinner out had 12 pounds worth of calories - surely if even half portions of their dinners were causing diners to gain 12lb, they'd be out of business, right? xD
But I'm feeling so hopeless. I've been working to lose these 30lb for years now, and I was so close, but it's like my body just was like 'no, you know what, screw you' and suddenly undid an entire year of work.
HOW did this happen?? How do I avoid it happening again? It seems too heartbreaking that I can work so hard, eating clean and exercising and following professional advisement but I can't even go out to eat once on a date without setting myself back an entire year of progress. By all accounts scientifically, THIS SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way that meal was 42k calories, and yet... to be holding onto that weight over two months later, it's pretty clear that was a REAL, LEGITIMATE weight gain. I just can't figure out why.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this before? What could be going on? What else can I do?? Do I need to just never go out to eat for the rest of my life to avoid this again? I've been turning down dates all June/July because I'm afraid to drink and eat out now, and it's making me come off as really snobby/demanding, I'm afraid... most guys don't want to come up with a first date more involved than dinner and drinks, so when I try to come up with some excuse about being on a 'reset diet' or something and could we maybe think of something else to do, I think they just decide I'm too much work. Likewise, it's harder to see my friends since so much of social activity for my age group revolves around food and drink. I want to be able to participate, but after what happened in May, I'm too scared of what the consequences might be for one night out.
Thank you for reading this. I want to reiterate that I am 100% sure I am measuring calorie intake correctly: I weigh my food, cook everything myself, and record EVERYTHING. Once again, also reiterating that I am following a professionally advised cutting/maintenance calorie goal cycle based on having my body composition measured in one of those fancy chambers by a pro trainer. I say this because I am looking for possible new feedback, not people ignoring those two facts and telling me that I am eating too little/not reporting my calories accurately.
If anyone has any ideas as to what could have possibly happened here, please let me know. Thank you.
To get this addressed right off the bat, I weigh and record everything that I eat, and I eat prepared food MAYBE once a month and only from places that report calorie breakdowns. I know that I'm not eating more than I think I am day to day. Likewise, I do my best to underestimate calorie burn from my workouts. If I do 45 minutes on the elliptical, I will report 30, etc, since I suspect MFP always overestimates calorie burn.
I've been losing weight slowly/steadily for years. It has taken me a lot longer than expected - I am 5'7" and for example, at 150 eating about 1200 will result in my losing MAYBE one lb per month, more likely half a pound. I want to emphasize this so that you know just how big a deal 10 lb is for me - that's around a year or more of dieting for me.
And so I don't get any 'starvation diet' nonsense, I alternate 1200 with maintenance weeks of 1600. I even had my body composition professionally tested so that I would be picking the correct calorie goals for both weight loss and maintenance cycles, and have been following their advice to the letter; my BMR is only 1300 (once again, professionally measured) so 1200 is not starvation for me; rather, this explains why 1200 is such a slow weight loss for me; it's only a 400 deficit from my maintenance.
In mid-May, I was very excited as I was finally within striking distance of my goal weight, 130 lb. I was at 138. I went out on a date to a place called MELT, had half a sandwich (Cuban War Pig), some fries (about half the order served), and a gin fizz (drank it all). I assumed that would probably be calorie-dense, but since I was eating 1200 the rest of the week and getting exercise regularly, I hoped it wouldn't possibly make me gain anything, at least not more than a pound if anything.
The problem is, I weighed myself two days later and I was 150 lb!! Same scale. I double-checked with other scales, they all reported the same thing. I had somehow gained 12lb in two days, despite my only sin being one meal out.
I am not hiding or lying anything. ONE meal out. I want to emphasize this, since I know I will get some snotty people trying to say that I'm lying or fudging the truth, but that's not the case. ONE MEAL OUT was the only thing I ate that wasn't recorded and within my calorie budget.
I thought that maybe it was just bloat, retaining water, something... maybe since I haven't been drinking much alcohol in the past year, my body was reacting weirdly to the alcohol. So I just stayed the course of 1200 net calories and exercising, fully expecting to see my body return to around 138-140 within a week or so...
It's now August. 2 and a half MONTHS later.
I have managed to lose two pounds. I am 148 now. You heard me: that 12 lb gain was REAL and permanent. I have since been eating very clean and exercising; I even spent all of July doing a program where I cut out processed carbs, grains, dairy, and added sugar, just to try and see if I had developed any new food sensitivities that could have caused that 12 lb gain overnight. I averaged 1200-1300 calories per day and worked out (pilates, nothing too strenuous as tbh I found myself quite tired during this diet plan) - I did not lose a single pound or inch during all of July.
I even tried doing a colon cleanse in late June just in case somehow I had a bunch of waste buildup. As expected, because I really think colon cleanses are kind of unnecessary, I lose a couple pounds during the process and they came right back. Not surprising, but I bring it up just in case someone thought that might be the issue.
If I continue losing weight at this rate, I will not be back to my May weight for another 10 months. I am so discouraged because all that work was lost overnight and I still cannot grasp why. I feel like there's no possible way that one dinner out had 12 pounds worth of calories - surely if even half portions of their dinners were causing diners to gain 12lb, they'd be out of business, right? xD
But I'm feeling so hopeless. I've been working to lose these 30lb for years now, and I was so close, but it's like my body just was like 'no, you know what, screw you' and suddenly undid an entire year of work.
HOW did this happen?? How do I avoid it happening again? It seems too heartbreaking that I can work so hard, eating clean and exercising and following professional advisement but I can't even go out to eat once on a date without setting myself back an entire year of progress. By all accounts scientifically, THIS SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way that meal was 42k calories, and yet... to be holding onto that weight over two months later, it's pretty clear that was a REAL, LEGITIMATE weight gain. I just can't figure out why.
Has anyone ever experienced something like this before? What could be going on? What else can I do?? Do I need to just never go out to eat for the rest of my life to avoid this again? I've been turning down dates all June/July because I'm afraid to drink and eat out now, and it's making me come off as really snobby/demanding, I'm afraid... most guys don't want to come up with a first date more involved than dinner and drinks, so when I try to come up with some excuse about being on a 'reset diet' or something and could we maybe think of something else to do, I think they just decide I'm too much work. Likewise, it's harder to see my friends since so much of social activity for my age group revolves around food and drink. I want to be able to participate, but after what happened in May, I'm too scared of what the consequences might be for one night out.
Thank you for reading this. I want to reiterate that I am 100% sure I am measuring calorie intake correctly: I weigh my food, cook everything myself, and record EVERYTHING. Once again, also reiterating that I am following a professionally advised cutting/maintenance calorie goal cycle based on having my body composition measured in one of those fancy chambers by a pro trainer. I say this because I am looking for possible new feedback, not people ignoring those two facts and telling me that I am eating too little/not reporting my calories accurately.
If anyone has any ideas as to what could have possibly happened here, please let me know. Thank you.
9
Replies
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Height and weight? Your diary is closed, if you would kindly open it we might be able to give more help.6
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As I mentioned already in the OP, I am 5'7" and 148 right now. I was 5'7" and 138 in May when this happened.
I choose to keep my diary closed for privacy reasons, sorry. This will not change. Sorry, but you can blame a past stalker who chose to harass me for such things for my being cagey about any sort of public food diaries.
You will just have to use the information I've provided, as I was quite detailed in my post about the calorie goals/plans I follow and what sort of diet I was following.9 -
TL/DR
Water weight gain, plus food still in your system.. as you need a surplus of 35,000 cals to gain 10lbs of fat7 -
That sucks, I can't for the life of me think why if you've been tracking 1200,
I agree with above, there maybe clues in your diary why this has happened if you set it to public someone might be able to shed some light and help out. x 2 -
TL/DR
Water weight gain, plus food still in your system.. as you need a surplus of 35,000 cals to gain 10lbs of fat
...Food still in my system two months later?animatorswearbras wrote: »That sucks, I can't for the life of me think why if you've been tracking 1200, I agree with above, there maybe clues in your diary why this has happened if you set it to public someone might be able to shed some light and help out. x
Once again, I will not be opening my diary. This is non-negotiable: I have been extremely transparent and accurate in my post (additionally, I followed a paid reset program for the month of July and logged the meal plan by ingredient; I would feel pretty crappy putting that information out there as I know the creator of said meal plan worked very hard). You can blame the sort of people who enjoy harassing others for this. I'm not willing to risk it again. At least with this post, I can remove it eventually.9 -
Have you talked to your doctor about this?
(Have you replaced the batteries in your scale or moved it? Are your clothes fitting tighter?)
One meal is certainly not going to make you gain 10-12 lbs of fat. If there is truly no explanation for the sudden gain other than one meal... yeah, I would be headed to the doctor to see if there is something going on.
Other things possibly worth mentioning
- are you using a food scale to ensure you are actually eating what you think?
-If you alternate between 1200/1600 calories, you're only in a deficit every other week, so it makes sense that you lose at a very slow rate doing that. Actually, If your TDEE (Maybe you meant BMR?) is really only 1300 you would really be over eating on the 1600 days....
But even then, those things are not going to cause a sudden huge weight gain. You would have to eat 42,000 calories in excess to gain 12 lbs, and you surely did not eat that much in one meal. There must be something else going on.7 -
Just spotted that you don't want to set to public, that's fine, but just go through yourself, did you log every day (I used to not bother weekends and wondered why I wasn't losing) did you weigh & measure, include drinks, alcohol, condiments, cooking oil sometimes you don't realise you've been a bit lax or failed to log, but without that information I don't think anyone can offer you an explanation. x6
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Have you seen a doctor? Unexplained weight gain or loss can be a sign of illness.15
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Do you think it could be a hormone imbalance? It's sort of strange that you could eat so healthily and not lose but one pound a month. And that 12 lb gain also suggests that it could be something with your hormones. Maybe get that checked out.1
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Has the heat increased where you are? I retain LOTS of water in the heat and carry that all through the summer months. Just a thought. For me it's hereditary. The water weight will drop off when the temperature comes back done towards fall.6
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animatorswearbras wrote: »Just spotted that you don't want to set to public, that's fine, but just go through yourself, did you log every day did you weigh, measure, include drinks, alcohol, condiments, cooking oil sometimes you don't realise you've been a bit lax or failed to log, but without that information I don't think anyone can offer you an explanation. x
Yes. I am on a very long streak of consistent MFP use! And as I said many times, I log everything, I measure everything. If people choose to ignore the information I've provided about what I was eating, I suppose that is their choice.TresaAswegan wrote: »Have you talked to your doctor about this?
(Have you replaced the batteries in your scale or moved it? Are your clothes fitting tighter?)
One meal is certainly not going to make you gain 10-12 lbs of fat. If there is truly no explanation for the sudden gain other than one meal... yeah, I would be headed to the doctor to see if there is something going on.
Other things possibly worth mentioning
- are you using a food scale to ensure you are actually eating what you think?
-If you alternate between 1200/1600 calories, you're only in a deficit every other week, so it makes sense that you lose at a very slow rate doing that. Actually, If your TDEE (Maybe you meant BMR?) is really only 1300 you would really be over eating on the 1600 days....
But even then, those things are not going to cause a sudden huge weight gain. You would have to eat 42,000 calories in excess to gain 12 lbs, and you surely did not eat that much in one meal. There must be something else going on.
I'm going to assume you only read the headline, as all of this is covered in my post. And yes, I immediately edited TDEE to BMR once I reread my post and noticed my typo. I'm not sure if it didn't refresh for everyone else?
6 -
This is heartbreaking for me to read, I can't imagine how you must feel. The only thing that I could think of is that even though you have retained it for 2 months, it's still water weight. Do you track your sodium intake by chance? that one meal may have been high in sodium and then it never got fully flushed out of your system.3
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Could you be pregnant?
15 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Have you seen a doctor? Unexplained weight gain or loss can be a sign of illness.
I've been to a doctor in early July, but she didn't seem to think it was particularly worrisome. It's possible that she just didn't take me seriously (as you can see the people already in this thread basically telling me it's impossible so it didn't happen, lol) and believed I was just exaggerating!
I was hoping to bring this up with her again at my next appt now that I've done the reset diet and had no effect. I figure that if I ate super clean for a month and nothing changed, there has to be something else going on, right?Do you think it could be a hormone imbalance? It's sort of strange that you could eat so healthily and not lose but one pound a month. And that 12 lb gain also suggests that it could be something with your hormones. Maybe get that checked out.
This is something I have wondered. I have another appointment coming up in August, so I will bring this up SPECIFICALLY with her. Is there a particular test that I should be requesting?Has the heat increased where you are? I retain LOTS of water in the heat and carry that all through the summer months. Just a thought. For me it's hereditary. The water weight will drop off when the temperature comes back done towards fall.
I drink tons of water, but I don't think I've increased the amount. I've always been a heavy water drinker though, and this summer has been a bit milder than usual (thank god lol). It's a thought, though. Thank you!
6 -
animatorswearbras wrote: »Just spotted that you don't want to set to public, that's fine, but just go through yourself, did you log every day did you weigh, measure, include drinks, alcohol, condiments, cooking oil sometimes you don't realise you've been a bit lax or failed to log, but without that information I don't think anyone can offer you an explanation. x
Yes. I am on a very long streak of consistent MFP use! And as I said many times, I log everything, I measure everything. If people choose to ignore the information I've provided about what I was eating, I suppose that is their choice.TresaAswegan wrote: »Have you talked to your doctor about this?
(Have you replaced the batteries in your scale or moved it? Are your clothes fitting tighter?)
One meal is certainly not going to make you gain 10-12 lbs of fat. If there is truly no explanation for the sudden gain other than one meal... yeah, I would be headed to the doctor to see if there is something going on.
Other things possibly worth mentioning
- are you using a food scale to ensure you are actually eating what you think?
-If you alternate between 1200/1600 calories, you're only in a deficit every other week, so it makes sense that you lose at a very slow rate doing that. Actually, If your TDEE (Maybe you meant BMR?) is really only 1300 you would really be over eating on the 1600 days....
But even then, those things are not going to cause a sudden huge weight gain. You would have to eat 42,000 calories in excess to gain 12 lbs, and you surely did not eat that much in one meal. There must be something else going on.
I'm going to assume you only read the headline, as all of this is covered in my post. And yes, I immediately edited TDEE to BMR once I reread my post and noticed my typo. I'm not sure if it didn't refresh for everyone else?
Steady on I'm just trying to think of reasons with the little info I have noones a perfect logger I certainly had imperfect logs and got frustrated until I properly scrutinised my diary. Good luck if you're going to bite everyones head off. 38 -
If I shot up 12 pounds after ONE meal out and it was still lingering after a week, I'd run to a doctor or even the emergency room. I wouldn't be riding it out. This is abnormal.6
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I think you need to see a doctor.
1 meal out (even at MELT...LOL) shouldn't add 12lbs. Or if it did, it should have gone away quickly if you followed the plan after that you described. Usually 12lbs adds a jean size (do the same clothes you had before this meal still fit?). I know, stupid questions, I'm just flabbergasted...
Have you tried another scale? I know mine goes bizzerk when I need to replace the batteries.
I'm spit balling here. Trying to think of something logical that could have happened.0 -
I'm not really sure how people here are going to be able to help. You're either not in a calorie deficit, although you believe to be, or there is something going on with you medically. That one meal didn't put 10 lbs on you.14
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Have you seen a doctor? Unexplained weight gain or loss can be a sign of illness.
I've been to a doctor in early July, but she didn't seem to think it was particularly worrisome. It's possible that she just didn't take me seriously (as you can see the people already in this thread basically telling me it's impossible so it didn't happen, lol) and believed I was just exaggerating!
I was hoping to bring this up with her again at my next appt now that I've done the reset diet and had no effect. I figure that if I ate super clean for a month and nothing changed, there has to be something else going on, right?Do you think it could be a hormone imbalance? It's sort of strange that you could eat so healthily and not lose but one pound a month. And that 12 lb gain also suggests that it could be something with your hormones. Maybe get that checked out.
This is something I have wondered. I have another appointment coming up in August, so I will bring this up SPECIFICALLY with her. Is there a particular test that I should be requesting?Has the heat increased where you are? I retain LOTS of water in the heat and carry that all through the summer months. Just a thought. For me it's hereditary. The water weight will drop off when the temperature comes back done towards fall.
I drink tons of water, but I don't think I've increased the amount. I've always been a heavy water drinker though, and this summer has been a bit milder than usual (thank god lol). It's a thought, though. Thank you!
My first thought was hypothyroidism because your symptoms sound like my sister's before she was diagnosed.3 -
work_on_it wrote: »Could you be pregnant?
No. Unless we've got some kind of immaculate conception going on ;3rebeccachobat wrote: »This is heartbreaking for me to read, I can't imagine how you must feel. The only thing that I could think of is that even though you have retained it for 2 months, it's still water weight. Do you track your sodium intake by chance? that one meal may have been high in sodium and then it never got fully flushed out of your system.
First, thank you for your empathy. I do track sodium as my doctor requests for me to get slightly more than most people - I have orthostatic hypotension and generally low blood pressure, so I've been going for around 3000-3500 per day rather than the MFP standard. I did struggle to keep up with the higher sodium goal during my July diet, which I think had something to do with my energy issues.
The food certainly had more salt than that, I'd wager, which is why I thought it surely must have just been salt/water bloat at first... the fact that it's lasted this long, through a clean diet, is what's throwing me off.amyrebeccah wrote: »I'll be honest. With as much as this is upsetting you, it sounds like you could probably use a diet break. I'm not saying this will change anything about your weight, but it might improve your mental outlook and allow you to reconnect a bit socially.
I've had a few friends say this, but it's a bit... it irks to know how close I was, only to have it set back so far. I feel personally offended, somehow, haha.3
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