How the hell did that happen?

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unmitigatedbadassery
unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I weighed in this morning like every Saturday. My first mini-goal is to be down 25lbs. Last week I was down 24. I thought for sure I had this week in the bag. I have been just under on calories all week. I have maintained the same level of exercise (if not more) this week. How the hell did I gain 4lbs in a week?

I understand that muscle is more dense than fat, thus weighs more while taking up less space but at my current weight that shouldn't be an issue as far as the scale goes for a while. I also find it hard to believe that I packed on 4lbs of muscle this week.

I supposed it could be partially water but even that feels like a stretch. I know not to rely solely on the scale but at the same time at 300+ that's a pretty good indication things are headed in the right direction.

It's been, and will continue to be, a long day of disappointment.

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Your diary isn't public, but did you go out to eat yesterday or eat sodium laden foods? If I do, an extra 2-4 pounds sticks with me for about 2 days afterwards.
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    It's tough to judge your progress on weight. It could be due to numerous things that the number on the scale is higher.
    Bowel movements, water retention, time since last workout, time since last meal, amount of sleep, etc. etc....
    Could even be that last week's weigh-in was slightly off.
    Or that you ate more carbs than veggies this week.
    Y'know, these things happen. Just keep chugging on.
  • ripped4life1
    ripped4life1 Posts: 14
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    I'm sorry for your disappointment. If you have ever watched the biggest loser, a lot of times when the contestant had a bad week in 'weight loss' (not in their habits) the next week they pulled great numbers! A personal trainer at goals gym told me when you're not losing inches, you're usually losing weight, and when you're not losing weight, you're usually losing inches.

    I wouldn't throw the towel in just yet. Next week, you might be pleasantly surprised by the number the scale says. One day at a time, keep shining!! (-:
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    It's super frustrating and I sure do understand your disapointment but 4lbs could be anthing from water retention to other kinds of retention... Part of it could be muscel. You can't let that scale get you down. I'm not saying to not watch but can you check again tomorrow (I know some people try to only weigh on certain days but for the next few days I check in every day just to make darn sure you're headed in the right direction).
  • Josephine237
    Josephine237 Posts: 72 Member
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    Reduce your sodium intake to 1500mg, which is a very low salt diet...this helped me tremendously to stop water fluctuations.
  • ReadingGirl
    ReadingGirl Posts: 2
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    It is frustrating but hang in there and try not (I know it is hard) to let it get to you. I agree that in 2-3 days it will be off, probably just excess water. Good luck and keep plugging away!
  • trailriderdee
    trailriderdee Posts: 38
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    I bloated up 2.5 lbs this past Monday from a 100 cal bag of Jolly Time popcorn on Sunday. Took a couple days to recover from that...I'd say it's sodium and water, it'll come off!
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
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    Do you take rest days from working out. To many days of working those muscles can cause inflammation in the muscles. It is just water but your body will retain. I don't know about your food choices but don't stress, drink lots of water and maybe think about rest days.
  • emancipateurself
    emancipateurself Posts: 174 Member
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    Hey man it's ok....seriously it is...it will happen if you just stick with it it'll go down again...I'm still in a weight plateau for about a month and it's soo frustrating but sometimes the scale basically wants to mess with you....*shrugs*
  • babs23
    babs23 Posts: 86
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    Are you monitoring your sodium intake? Fluid shifts can make an enormous difference on the scale one day to the next. If you happened to eat something high in sodium last week, chances are you've retained water.

    The daily goal for sodium is something like 2500mgs. I recommend keeping your sodium between 1500 - 2000mgs a day. Also, start monitoring your potassium goal. Sodium and potassium act as a checks and balance system, so if you have a high sodium day, up your potassium to help balance it out. I started doing this and pretty much eliminated water retention issues.

    Good luck!

    (and like someone else said... make sure you poop before a weigh in :blushing: )
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    thanks everyone.
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    Thanks everyone. The general consensus seems to be that there is a high chance it's sodium/water related. I hop that's the case. I do want to make it VERY clear that I am not throwing in the towel. I was just venting.

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