Help with unexpected weight gain

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Hi,

Please refer to the attached image tracking my weight in the past week.

Just a quick overview, I was in LA from the 27 of December to the 2nd of January.

My exercise schedule looked like this:

28 Dec: Pilates Platinum
29 Dec: Hike 2.5hours
30 Dec: Soulcycle
31 Dec: Surfing lesson 45min
1 Dec: Rest
2 Dec: Pilates Platinum

On the 2nd of January, I was 45kg, which has been my weight for the past 4months +/- 300g.

I reached London after an 11 hour flight on the 3rd of January, and went back to my normal exercise schedule that consists of Pilates, TRX class, and one cardio session a week (either an easy run/ versaclimber or walking) and on occasion a HIIT session (1/month).

On the 4th of January I did a pilates class and on the 5th of January a TRX class. My weight shot up to 47.2kg. I attributed the weight gain to water retention after the 11 hour flight back to London. However, it's been a week now, and my weight stabilized at 46kg (see attached).

I don't understand the sudden weight gain of 1kg in a week. There is no way that this can be attributed to food because it would require me eating an excess of 1000 cals a day which I did not do. I did indulge in LA but like any other normal person.

The uncertainty/unknown is what fuels my anxiety and it doesn't seem to be going away. I have this irrational fear that once my weight goes up unexplainably, it will keep on doing so. I thought I'd rely on on others to help me understand, so that I can stop obsessing over this unexplained weight gain and calm down about it.

I would also love to know how to loose it without cutting out anything from my diet. Maybe its just a matter of getting back to my regular exercise schedule / eating etc.?

Thank you,
Matchapple

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    weight is not linear.

    whenever we deviate from our normal schedules, our weight fluctuates (as it does every day, anyways).

    air travel doesnt help.

    relax.

    my normal weight has a 5 pound range it fluctuates within.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    water weight from the flight probably.
  • SLLeask
    SLLeask Posts: 489 Member
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    1kg is absolutely nothing in terms of weight fluctuation, it is very normal. Is it your TOM? I fluctuate several kilos around that time. You say you did indulge whilst you were away, it is quite possible you ate more than you thought, 1000 calories is pretty easy to do, especially if you are eating out. A single milkshake can have that in it! Restaurant food often also has a lot of salt in it, so it could be water retention from that. It might be water retention from the exercise you have done. Also, How tall are you? 45kgs seems a very low weight unless you are very tiny? How many calories do you eat in a day? I am guessing you don't have a whole lot of wiggle room in your calorie allowance.

    I would wait at the very minimum another week or so before you start panicking you have put a kilo of fat on.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
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    You haven't suddenly gained 1kg, your picture shows your trend weight has increased around 0.5kg. That's well within the realms of normal fluctuations, your weight is a range rather than a fixed figure. It can also sometimes take a while for water retention to clear, so if you've over-indulged, flown and returned to exercising after a break, that's 3 things right there that can cause weight spikes.

    Are you logging your food at all? You don't mention this in your post. If you're not logging or not logging accurately it's fairly easy to underestimate your intake by a couple of hundred calories per day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Weight loss isn't linear... you'll randomly lose and gain water weight.

    Also, it's all about diet. You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat too much, you will gain.
  • Jingsi84
    Jingsi84 Posts: 127 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Also, it's all about diet. You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat too much, you will gain.

    This
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Weight loss isn't linear... you'll randomly lose and gain water weight.

    Also, it's all about diet. You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat too much, you will gain.

    It depends. If you train like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt, you can eat like they do.

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I would suggest getting back to your normal schedule for a while and see what happens before getting upset over 1kg gain. It will likely sort itself out.
  • seekingdaintiness
    seekingdaintiness Posts: 137 Member
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    That's a pretty small weight gain to be upset about.. however I would probably chalk it up to some water retention, maybe due to the flight, but maybe also due to exercise which can swell the muscles.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Weight loss isn't linear... you'll randomly lose and gain water weight.

    Also, it's all about diet. You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat too much, you will gain.

    It depends. If you train like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt, you can eat like they do.

    ... you'll still gain if you eat too much. Even if you burn 4000 calories a day, if you eat 4500... you'll gain.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Weight loss isn't linear... you'll randomly lose and gain water weight.

    Also, it's all about diet. You can exercise as much as you want, but if you eat too much, you will gain.

    It depends. If you train like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt, you can eat like they do.

    ... you'll still gain if you eat too much. Even if you burn 4000 calories a day, if you eat 4500... you'll gain.

    OK, that's Michael Phelps breakfast.... During training/competition he eats between 10 and 15000 daily
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
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    Weight fluctuations are normal, if you've been travelling by air, you retain water, if you've been eating out, sodium counts are higher, you retain water. Not knowing if you're male or female, but under the assumption that it is the latter...could be TOM/ovulation? Give it a week or so to let your system settle down regardless and good on you for exercising while away...I rarely do that! ;)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    45kgs, is that a typo?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,662 Member
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    45kgs, is that a typo?

    Looking at the image of multiple weight ins posted above... not a typo.

    However I note that if the OP is below 155cm (5ft 1") it would be within the normal weight range as opposed to being in the under-weight range... and given the OP's concern with the ~2% weight gain of 1kg, one would assume that she is well below that height.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    45kgs, is that a typo?

    Looking at the image of multiple weight ins posted above... not a typo.

    However I note that if the OP is below 155cm (5ft 1") it would be within the normal weight range as opposed to being in the under-weight range... and given the OP's concern with the ~2% weight gain of 1kg, one would assume that she is well below that height.

    Good points Pav. I still find it hard to wrap my head around a grown adult weighing so little. But i was 5"8 as a teenager, so the last time i weighed 45kgs would have been when i was a child lol