Bizarre weigh ins - makes no sense! 2lbs gain overnight?
phwdjones
Posts: 37 Member
Hi guys,
I'm 26, male, 192.2lbs (or so I thought till this morning!)
The scales are really angering me lately.
I've been in a consistent calorie deficit over the past week and every time I weighed in I was getting lighter.
On Sunday morn I was 192.2. That night I went out, had beers and too many cals (2700). Next day I wake up and I'm still 192.2. This was awesome!
Yet last night I ate 1900 cals, but when I weighed in just now I'm 194!!
What gives? Hugely demotivating to see 2lbs extra on the scale in the morning on an empty stomach.
My libido is tanking from the deficit yet I'm barely losing weight and many days in the morning I weigh in 2-3+ lbs heavier for no apparent reason. Help please!
I'm 26, male, 192.2lbs (or so I thought till this morning!)
The scales are really angering me lately.
I've been in a consistent calorie deficit over the past week and every time I weighed in I was getting lighter.
On Sunday morn I was 192.2. That night I went out, had beers and too many cals (2700). Next day I wake up and I'm still 192.2. This was awesome!
Yet last night I ate 1900 cals, but when I weighed in just now I'm 194!!
What gives? Hugely demotivating to see 2lbs extra on the scale in the morning on an empty stomach.
My libido is tanking from the deficit yet I'm barely losing weight and many days in the morning I weigh in 2-3+ lbs heavier for no apparent reason. Help please!
5
Replies
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Weight loss isn't linear. Most likely it's fluid retention, for who knows why. It will balance out in a day or two. You would have had to eat 7000 calories over maintenance to gain two lbs of fat.
How big is your deficit that it's affecting your libido? 1900 cals isn't a lot for a male, unless you're not particularly tall. My guess is that your deficit is too aggressive.13 -
water weight from the beer...
how much weight have you lost in the last 6 weeks?3 -
Many things can influence this. If you've started a new work out you will retain water to assist your muscles to heal. Also, beer is a diuretic, this means you drop water weight as it dehydrates you. Lastly a sodium or carb heavy meal can affect your water retention as well. It's water weight, man.1
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In response to the guy asking about my weight
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »Weight loss isn't linear. Most likely it's fluid retention, for who knows why. It will balance out in a day or two. You would have had to eat 7000 calories over maintenance to gain two lbs of fat.
How big is your deficit that it's affecting your libido? 1900 cals isn't a lot for a male, unless you're not particularly tall. My guess is that your deficit is too aggressive.
Why would I retain more water on a day when I drank zero alcohol and was under 2000 cals??? Of all the times the scale should've gone up it should've been yesterday (the day after drinking)
5 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Weight loss isn't linear. Most likely it's fluid retention, for who knows why. It will balance out in a day or two. You would have had to eat 7000 calories over maintenance to gain two lbs of fat.
How big is your deficit that it's affecting your libido? 1900 cals isn't a lot for a male, unless you're not particularly tall. My guess is that your deficit is too aggressive.
Why would I retain more water on a day when I drank zero alcohol and was under 2000 cals??? Of all the times the scale should've gone up it should've been yesterday (the day after drinking)
weight gain doesn't always show up for me straight away....
were you hungover after the beer?6 -
*kitten* (needs to) happen.
Weight fluxuates.
Maybe................
Need to Poop.
Need to Pee.
Need to cut back on sodium intake ( sodium = water retention.
And keep in mind even water has weight.
1 pint = 1 pound.
So basically if you've eaten it, and haven't eliminated it yet , it's shows up on the scale.
1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Weight loss isn't linear. Most likely it's fluid retention, for who knows why. It will balance out in a day or two. You would have had to eat 7000 calories over maintenance to gain two lbs of fat.
How big is your deficit that it's affecting your libido? 1900 cals isn't a lot for a male, unless you're not particularly tall. My guess is that your deficit is too aggressive.
Why would I retain more water on a day when I drank zero alcohol and was under 2000 cals??? Of all the times the scale should've gone up it should've been yesterday (the day after drinking)
weight gain doesn't always show up for me straight away....
were you hungover after the beer?
hmm.
Not really, I had 2 pints and a bottle of Sol, nothing crazy.
I guess im just frustrated with my overall progress. It's taken me over 3 months just to lose about 10 pounds. I thought i'd be at 180 by now MINIMUM.
I've changed my diet and reduced my portion sizes and I'm just not being rewarded for the work I put in.1 -
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Again, how big is your deficit? 500 cals? 1000 cals?1
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TavistockToad wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Weight loss isn't linear. Most likely it's fluid retention, for who knows why. It will balance out in a day or two. You would have had to eat 7000 calories over maintenance to gain two lbs of fat.
How big is your deficit that it's affecting your libido? 1900 cals isn't a lot for a male, unless you're not particularly tall. My guess is that your deficit is too aggressive.
Why would I retain more water on a day when I drank zero alcohol and was under 2000 cals??? Of all the times the scale should've gone up it should've been yesterday (the day after drinking)
weight gain doesn't always show up for me straight away....
were you hungover after the beer?
hmm.
Not really, I had 2 pints and a bottle of Sol, nothing crazy.
I guess im just frustrated with my overall progress. It's taken me over 3 months just to lose about 10 pounds. I thought i'd be at 180 by now MINIMUM.
I've changed my diet and reduced my portion sizes and I'm just not being rewarded for the work I put in.
you use scales to measure everything you eat?0 -
SODIUM
SODIUM
SODIUM
How much sodium have you recently consumed ?4 -
Opening your diary might help....0
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Just saw a post of yours in another thread. You're 6'1", ~192 lb and walking 3-4 miles a day, only eating 1800 cals a day. No wonder your libido is tanking. You're obviously not eating your exercise calories back and therefore under eating. You simply cannot sustain that kind of deficit when you're only 10lb above the top end of BMI. Reset your weekly weight loss goal to 1 lb per week, log your exercise and eat 50-75% of those calories back. Weigh your food and log meticulously ensuring you're using accurate database entries.11
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I know full well how the scales can get annoying but trust your instincts I knew I had lost weight but sometimes just keep weighing yourself, I had put 2 lbs on recently but I knew I could not have due to my restricted diet ( I have a faulty gallbladder ) I have a very sluggish digestive system due to my illness and constipation and water retention plays a big part in it for me, you could be consuming too many carbs or sodium which can have an impact on weight, make sure the food you are logging is accurate in the system as sometimes it can be wrong so compare food labels with the system, weighing/measuring can make a huge difference also, you'd be surprised how different you think it weighs to actually weighing it, I made a few mistakes a long time ago due to this, especially bananas lol I used to just put them down as 100g.... sometimes bananas can weigh anywhere between 60g - 200g maybe more... anyway plus the less you weigh the harder it can be to lose weight (sometimes) I would put if you haven't already to lose 1lb per week and see if it makes a difference. I wish you all the best.
Edit: maybe lay off the burgers and what are you doing with the eggs as you have just put eggs, are you frying them? boiling them, poaching? scrambling? also maybe make sure fat, carbs, sodium, etc are not in the red, it can make a difference, even switching to reduced fat versions of things or wheat versions of things can make a huge difference.0 -
Diary is open
Yes I meticulously weigh everything. Its taking the fun out of food actually.1 -
Debbie_Ferr wrote: »SODIUM
SODIUM
SODIUM
How much sodium have you recently consumed ?
My diary is open. I guess I consume a fair amount.0 -
Okay, you have a lot of days with nothing logged at all, or only partially logged (either that or you've severely under eaten those days). You need to log properly, it's very easy to completely wipe out your deficit.
The big weight fluctuations I would say are sodium-related, some days you are really high.
Other than that, what I said in my previous post about needing to eat more still applies. You're eating less than me a lot of days, a female who is 7 inches shorter than you. I know everyone wants to be slim, like, yesterday, but it's a marathon, not a sprint.8 -
RamboKitty87 wrote: »I know full well how the scales can get annoying but trust your instincts I knew I had lost weight but sometimes just keep weighing yourself, I had put 2 lbs on recently but I knew I could not have due to my restricted diet ( I have a faulty gallbladder ) I have a very sluggish digestive system due to my illness and constipation and water retention plays a big part in it for me, you could be consuming too many carbs or sodium which can have an impact on weight, make sure the food you are logging is accurate in the system as sometimes it can be wrong so compare food labels with the system, weighing/measuring can make a huge difference also, you'd be surprised how different you think it weighs to actually weighing it, I made a few mistakes a long time ago due to this, especially bananas lol I used to just put them down as 100g.... sometimes bananas can weigh anywhere between 60g - 200g maybe more... anyway plus the less you weigh the harder it can be to lose weight (sometimes) I would put if you haven't already to lose 1lb per week and see if it makes a difference. I wish you all the best.
Edit: maybe lay off the burgers and what are you doing with the eggs as you have just put eggs, are you frying them? boiling them, poaching? scrambling? also maybe make sure fat, carbs, sodium, etc are not in the red, it can make a difference, even switching to reduced fat versions of things or wheat versions of things can make a huge difference.
Thank you. With my eggs I usually scramble with a bit of frylight (the 1kcal cooking spray).
I find burgers are very satiating for me and help me feel like I'm not on a diet! Stupid really but hey, after trying to lose weight so long I need home comforts.1 -
RamboKitty87 wrote: »I know full well how the scales can get annoying but trust your instincts I knew I had lost weight but sometimes just keep weighing yourself, I had put 2 lbs on recently but I knew I could not have due to my restricted diet ( I have a faulty gallbladder ) I have a very sluggish digestive system due to my illness and constipation and water retention plays a big part in it for me, you could be consuming too many carbs or sodium which can have an impact on weight, make sure the food you are logging is accurate in the system as sometimes it can be wrong so compare food labels with the system, weighing/measuring can make a huge difference also, you'd be surprised how different you think it weighs to actually weighing it, I made a few mistakes a long time ago due to this, especially bananas lol I used to just put them down as 100g.... sometimes bananas can weigh anywhere between 60g - 200g maybe more... anyway plus the less you weigh the harder it can be to lose weight (sometimes) I would put if you haven't already to lose 1lb per week and see if it makes a difference. I wish you all the best.
Edit: maybe lay off the burgers and what are you doing with the eggs as you have just put eggs, are you frying them? boiling them, poaching? scrambling? also maybe make sure fat, carbs, sodium, etc are not in the red, it can make a difference, even switching to reduced fat versions of things or wheat versions of things can make a huge difference.
Thank you. With my eggs I usually scramble with a bit of frylight (the 1kcal cooking spray).
I find burgers are very satiating for me and help me feel like I'm not on a diet! Stupid really but hey, after trying to lose weight so long I need home comforts.
There's nothing wrong with having your burgers so long as they fit your calories. If they're what is pushing your sodium up, make sure to drink plenty of water those days to help flush the excess out. And you can ignore that stuff about fats and carbs as well. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat, and neither do carbs. Carbs are only an issue if you have a medical reason to keep them lower.
And if you raise your calories to a more sensible level, you'll feel a whole lot less like you're on a diet. This doesn't have to be a miserable experience.7 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »RamboKitty87 wrote: »I know full well how the scales can get annoying but trust your instincts I knew I had lost weight but sometimes just keep weighing yourself, I had put 2 lbs on recently but I knew I could not have due to my restricted diet ( I have a faulty gallbladder ) I have a very sluggish digestive system due to my illness and constipation and water retention plays a big part in it for me, you could be consuming too many carbs or sodium which can have an impact on weight, make sure the food you are logging is accurate in the system as sometimes it can be wrong so compare food labels with the system, weighing/measuring can make a huge difference also, you'd be surprised how different you think it weighs to actually weighing it, I made a few mistakes a long time ago due to this, especially bananas lol I used to just put them down as 100g.... sometimes bananas can weigh anywhere between 60g - 200g maybe more... anyway plus the less you weigh the harder it can be to lose weight (sometimes) I would put if you haven't already to lose 1lb per week and see if it makes a difference. I wish you all the best.
Edit: maybe lay off the burgers and what are you doing with the eggs as you have just put eggs, are you frying them? boiling them, poaching? scrambling? also maybe make sure fat, carbs, sodium, etc are not in the red, it can make a difference, even switching to reduced fat versions of things or wheat versions of things can make a huge difference.
Thank you. With my eggs I usually scramble with a bit of frylight (the 1kcal cooking spray).
I find burgers are very satiating for me and help me feel like I'm not on a diet! Stupid really but hey, after trying to lose weight so long I need home comforts.
There's nothing wrong with having your burgers so long as they fit your calories. If they're what is pushing your sodium up, make sure to drink plenty of water those days to help flush the excess out. And you can ignore that stuff about fats and carbs as well. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat, and neither do carbs. Carbs are only an issue if you have a medical reason to keep them lower.
And if you raise your calories to a more sensible level, you'll feel a whole lot less like you're on a diet. This doesn't have to be a miserable experience.
It seemingly does have to be miserable, because whenever I raise my calories above 2000 my weight loss stalls!
And yes, I try very hard to keep everything within calorie limits!
Thanks
5 -
your sodium is very high most days, which is fine in of itself, but if you're not well hydrated then it will make fluctuations worse.
i agree with re-setting your calorie goal to be more reasonable - i would even go to lose 0.5lb per week.
whats your exercise routine? are you strength training to help retain muscle?
you might want to eat a bit of veg every so often too.... :laugh:6 -
..
1 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »RamboKitty87 wrote: »I know full well how the scales can get annoying but trust your instincts I knew I had lost weight but sometimes just keep weighing yourself, I had put 2 lbs on recently but I knew I could not have due to my restricted diet ( I have a faulty gallbladder ) I have a very sluggish digestive system due to my illness and constipation and water retention plays a big part in it for me, you could be consuming too many carbs or sodium which can have an impact on weight, make sure the food you are logging is accurate in the system as sometimes it can be wrong so compare food labels with the system, weighing/measuring can make a huge difference also, you'd be surprised how different you think it weighs to actually weighing it, I made a few mistakes a long time ago due to this, especially bananas lol I used to just put them down as 100g.... sometimes bananas can weigh anywhere between 60g - 200g maybe more... anyway plus the less you weigh the harder it can be to lose weight (sometimes) I would put if you haven't already to lose 1lb per week and see if it makes a difference. I wish you all the best.
Edit: maybe lay off the burgers and what are you doing with the eggs as you have just put eggs, are you frying them? boiling them, poaching? scrambling? also maybe make sure fat, carbs, sodium, etc are not in the red, it can make a difference, even switching to reduced fat versions of things or wheat versions of things can make a huge difference.
Thank you. With my eggs I usually scramble with a bit of frylight (the 1kcal cooking spray).
I find burgers are very satiating for me and help me feel like I'm not on a diet! Stupid really but hey, after trying to lose weight so long I need home comforts.
There's nothing wrong with having your burgers so long as they fit your calories. If they're what is pushing your sodium up, make sure to drink plenty of water those days to help flush the excess out. And you can ignore that stuff about fats and carbs as well. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat, and neither do carbs. Carbs are only an issue if you have a medical reason to keep them lower.
And if you raise your calories to a more sensible level, you'll feel a whole lot less like you're on a diet. This doesn't have to be a miserable experience.
It seemingly does have to be miserable, because whenever I raise my calories above 2000 my weight loss stalls!
And yes, I try very hard to keep everything within calorie limits!
Thanks
how long have you tried 2000 for?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »your sodium is very high most days, which is fine in of itself, but if you're not well hydrated then it will make fluctuations worse.
i agree with re-setting your calorie goal to be more reasonable - i would even go to lose 0.5lb per week.
whats your exercise routine? are you strength training to help retain muscle?
you might want to eat a bit of veg every so often too.... :laugh:
I eat veg, just dont track it in diary.
I used to lift alot while bulking, put on a good amount of muscle but a ton of fat too. I work out 2-3x a week trying to maintain my strength on all my lifts.2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »your sodium is very high most days, which is fine in of itself, but if you're not well hydrated then it will make fluctuations worse.
i agree with re-setting your calorie goal to be more reasonable - i would even go to lose 0.5lb per week.
whats your exercise routine? are you strength training to help retain muscle?
you might want to eat a bit of veg every so often too.... :laugh:
I eat veg, just dont track it in diary.
I used to lift alot while bulking, put on a good amount of muscle but a ton of fat too. I work out 2-3x a week trying to maintain my strength on all my lifts.
ok, so start tracking everything, all the food, all the exercise.... then you have some actual data to work with.10 -
Yet last night I ate 1900 cals, but when I weighed in just now I'm 194!!
What gives? Hugely demotivating to see 2lbs extra on the scale in the morning on an empty stomach.
This is the central question of your post. And it's a very simple answer, answered early on. It is fluid retention. Or water weight or whatever you want to call it. There is absolutely zero reason to tweak anything at all based on a 2 (or even 5) pound daily fluctuation. Your body has been doing this you whole life, even when you weren't paying attention to it.
Water retention varies for many reasons and your body has automatic mechanisms for doing it. Almost all of those reasons are good ones. If you are eating at a deficit, it is not possible to gain fat at the same time.
To give you an example, I'm 5'11", male, 54, 192.2 pounds (low) to 196.5 pounds (high) at the moment. Yes, my weight is a range, not a number. 2000 calories per day at my current activity level is about right for a 1 lb per week loss.
I can weigh up to 5 pounds more this morning than I did yesterday afternoon. That's 5 times greater than my weekly weight loss goal. Further, I can (and have seen this many times) be 4-5 pounds less half way through the day than I was early in the morning - when the supposed lightest conditions are supposed to be. Anyway, if that 5 pounds extra I have this morning was fat, I would have had to eat 17,500 calories over maintenance. Your fluctuations will hide fat loss. They can also exaggerate fat loss - as I am also pretty confident that you haven't lost 4.8 pounds of fat in 6 days. You likely lost some water weight.
The lesson here, and the main answer to your question, is that you need enough time to see a slow loss and see an actual trend. At your size, and hopefully with a modest goal, you just have to be patient and trust the process. Your frustration is with something that is absolutely normal.8 -
I agree with those saying just pay attention to the overall trend-I'm on week 7 and have lost 7 pounds- but it goes up and down like you mentioned- maybe try the app "Happy Scale" as it keeps an average trend and allows you to set mini-goals. First 2 weeks I had no loss at all then it started dropping- I've also noticed that some mornings I just feel more bloated and don't weigh in on those days anymore- I know the scale will show fluid retention, I can just feel it.0
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It's taken over 3 months just to lose 10 lbs, but nearly 5 of those were lost in the last week (from your fitness tracker)?!?!? And you only have 10 lbs or more to lose anyways?
One word: patience.6
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