Struggling to stay on track

laurenebargar
laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
So long story short I quit smoking at the end of November, the day I quit my weight was 166.8, immediately the next day my weight shot up to 174.8 and it has been fluctuating between 169-175 since then. I decided to go on a diet break which lasted 3 weeks. I use Libra and the trend was completely straight for three weeks. I got off my diet break and I got down to 169, today I weighed in again at 177! I've lost 50 lbs since I started in March of 2017 I know what to do now, I need to tighten up my logging however its frustrating that immediately after quitting smoking my weight shot up and didn't go back down, I know its normal to gain weight from eating more after quitting smoking, but the very next morning being up 8 pounds and it not going away is so frustrating. Just looking for some insight. I did start an exercise program but that was also at the end of November, and my clothes are all fitting the same. Any insight is seriously appreciated, Ive been trying to just let my body do its thing after quitting but its been months now and im getting so discouraged. :(

Replies

  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    First, congratulations on quitting smoking and losing 50 lbs - that's huge! Second, I think you might be conflating a few different things. If you started the exercise program at the same time as quitting smoking then the gain you saw on the scale could have been water retention from the new workout program, which is really common and can take a while (weeks, even!) to drop. You were probably also up non-fat weight during the diet break, some combo of water (especially if you'd been eating low carb), or higher sodium, or just more food in your digestive tract. Quitting smoking can lead to increased hunger, and of course as you lose weight, your maintenance calories go down, so it sounds like you know it might be time to tighten up your logging. Other than that, you just need to be patient. Are you using a trending app to track your weight? That can be a big help, too. Good luck - you can do this!
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    First, congratulations on quitting smoking and losing 50 lbs - that's huge! Second, I think you might be conflating a few different things. If you started the exercise program at the same time as quitting smoking then the gain you saw on the scale could have been water retention from the new workout program, which is really common and can take a while (weeks, even!) to drop. You were probably also up non-fat weight during the diet break, some combo of water (especially if you'd been eating low carb), or higher sodium, or just more food in your digestive tract. Quitting smoking can lead to increased hunger, and of course as you lose weight, your maintenance calories go down, so it sounds like you know it might be time to tighten up your logging. Other than that, you just need to be patient. Are you using a trending app to track your weight? That can be a big help, too. Good luck - you can do this!

    Yes im using Libra, and that some weeks is saying im losing (slowly) and then last week it said I was gaining .05 lbs a week. I know I had alot going on but it was almost three months ago, i really thought any water weight would be gone by now
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    edited January 2018
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    How is your tracking?

    Because yes, while water weight can last a while, it could be actual fat, if you're not tracking on point. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so if you don't have that, and you're not tracking accurately, creeping weight could certainly be a factor.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    kudos to you for kicking the habit. all those awful chemicals from smoking are leaving your body. keep eating healthy..exercise..drink lots of water and your body will react the way you want. just give it time and trust that logic dictates that you will start losing.
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
    Congrats on quitting and losing 50lbs!!! You smoked for years so you can’t expect your body to know what to do and readjust automatically. Give it time. Here is an article I found explaining quitting and the effects: https://caloriebee.com/misc/The-Truth-About-Gaining-Weight-When-You-Quit-Smoking
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    You mentioned starting exercise, which can also have a large effect on water retention. I took a week+ away from lifting and my weight dropped like a rock (5lbs in less than a week with a 200cal/day deficit) and stayed low for a few days until I got back to lifting last week, now back up 2.5-3 of those pounds. I could see where if you starting exercise coincided with when you quit smoking that sustained water retention from consistent exercise would make it seem like sustained water retention from quitting smoking alone. I have no scientific resources to back that up, just my own observations of when I'm exercising vs. not.

    You said yourself you could tighten up your logging. Are you also eating back 100% of exercise calories? If you're overestimating exercise burn and your logging isn't spot on I could see where that combo is killing most of your deficit and you're essentially operating at maintenance. I suggest objectively looking at one or both of these as potential roadblocks.

    Effectively, that's what I was dealing with for the first half of last year when I wasn't seeing any scale movement. My workouts were consistent, I used a Polar H7 HR monitor and was eating back all my exercise calories which totalled about 2300-2400/day, thinking I was at a deficit for at 0.5-1.0lb/week (Sedentary TDEE calculators all put my at ~2200, plus the 500-700 I was getting from an 75-90 minutes at the gym). Looking deeper into my logging habits I wasn't being as precise with some servings as I needed (relying on measuring cups and labels too often in lieu of my food scale). I also noticed rarely would I finish logging a weekend day. I started using my food scale more, really buttoned down my logging (coming up on a 200 day streak), and dropped my intake another few hundred calories and have seen consistent loss: 181lbs week of 7/23/17 to 172 this morning. I know it seems like slow loss but I'm at a healthy weight and under 15% body fat at 6'1" 172lbs.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.

    Three months is a long time, but what I was trying to get at in my earlier comment was that you might be chaining water weight - first there's the exercise weight, then the diet break weight, and who knows, maybe now you're over-stressed because you haven't been losing and that's causing more retention. The only thing that's clear is that you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat overnight. You might have gained some fat through overeating (both quitting smoking and exercise can stimulate your appetite), but tightening your logging should fix that. And patience!
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    How is your tracking?

    Because yes, while water weight can last a while, it could be actual fat, if you're not tracking on point. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so if you don't have that, and you're not tracking accurately, creeping weight could certainly be a factor.

    I've been tracking the same as I did when I was losing, so I realize I can start weighing everything, right now dinners are not weighed because my husband does all of the cooking and I didn't want to put that on him, but I can definitely improve upon that.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    You mentioned starting exercise, which can also have a large effect on water retention. I took a week+ away from lifting and my weight dropped like a rock (5lbs in less than a week with a 200cal/day deficit) and stayed low for a few days until I got back to lifting last week, now back up 2.5-3 of those pounds. I could see where if you starting exercise coincided with when you quit smoking that sustained water retention from consistent exercise would make it seem like sustained water retention from quitting smoking alone. I have no scientific resources to back that up, just my own observations of when I'm exercising vs. not.

    You said yourself you could tighten up your logging. Are you also eating back 100% of exercise calories? If you're overestimating exercise burn and your logging isn't spot on I could see where that combo is killing most of your deficit and you're essentially operating at maintenance. I suggest objectively looking at one or both of these as potential roadblocks.

    Effectively, that's what I was dealing with for the first half of last year when I wasn't seeing any scale movement. My workouts were consistent, I used a Polar H7 HR monitor and was eating back all my exercise calories which totalled about 2300-2400/day, thinking I was at a deficit for at 0.5-1.0lb/week (Sedentary TDEE calculators all put my at ~2200, plus the 500-700 I was getting from an 75-90 minutes at the gym). Looking deeper into my logging habits I wasn't being as precise with some servings as I needed (relying on measuring cups and labels too often in lieu of my food scale). I also noticed rarely would I finish logging a weekend day. I started using my food scale more, really buttoned down my logging (coming up on a 200 day streak), and dropped my intake another few hundred calories and have seen consistent loss: 181lbs week of 7/23/17 to 172 this morning. I know it seems like slow loss but I'm at a healthy weight and under 15% body fat at 6'1" 172lbs.

    Yeah when I started playing tennis I retained some water weight for about a month and then I dropped like 10 lbs. but that was pretty early on my weight loss. Im not eating all of my exercise calories back, my fitbit can add large adjustments some days, but I did maintain throughout my diet break so I now feel that I can trust my fitbit numbers at least somewhat.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.

    Three months is a long time, but what I was trying to get at in my earlier comment was that you might be chaining water weight - first there's the exercise weight, then the diet break weight, and who knows, maybe now you're over-stressed because you haven't been losing and that's causing more retention. The only thing that's clear is that you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat overnight. You might have gained some fat through overeating (both quitting smoking and exercise can stimulate your appetite), but tightening your logging should fix that. And patience!

    And this! You would be surprised at the amount of things that can drive water weight. A wise person on MFP told me up to 20 pounds was not unheard of -- and some days, I totally would not be surprised by that.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.

    Three months is a long time, but what I was trying to get at in my earlier comment was that you might be chaining water weight - first there's the exercise weight, then the diet break weight, and who knows, maybe now you're over-stressed because you haven't been losing and that's causing more retention. The only thing that's clear is that you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat overnight. You might have gained some fat through overeating (both quitting smoking and exercise can stimulate your appetite), but tightening your logging should fix that. And patience!

    That is very true, I can honestly deal with a fwe pounds of weight gain, if that is the case and get back on track losing I know how to lose the weight but besides quitting smoking I havent been eating more (that I noticed) and I've actually been going to the gym 4 times a week, when before I was just walking our dog a few miles each night, and now I do both. A few pounds would make sense, but 8 pounds just seems insane to me. Weighing every day is just getting to be so disappointing
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    megs_1985 wrote: »
    Congrats on quitting and losing 50lbs!!! You smoked for years so you can’t expect your body to know what to do and readjust automatically. Give it time. Here is an article I found explaining quitting and the effects: https://caloriebee.com/misc/The-Truth-About-Gaining-Weight-When-You-Quit-Smoking

    Thank you for the article Ill check it out. Ive seen a ton of articles on people gaining because of eating more which makes sense, but I couldnt find anything on water weight and whats actually happening after quitting.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.

    Three months is a long time, but what I was trying to get at in my earlier comment was that you might be chaining water weight - first there's the exercise weight, then the diet break weight, and who knows, maybe now you're over-stressed because you haven't been losing and that's causing more retention. The only thing that's clear is that you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat overnight. You might have gained some fat through overeating (both quitting smoking and exercise can stimulate your appetite), but tightening your logging should fix that. And patience!

    And this! You would be surprised at the amount of things that can drive water weight. A wise person on MFP told me up to 20 pounds was not unheard of -- and some days, I totally would not be surprised by that.

    Wow 20 pounds I might cry. lol Not that I let the scale dictate my life, there are plenty of Non scale victories to celebrate. I thought maybe I was just too stressed over it and thats what caused the diet break, however I didnt see a drop after that either. I also tried just telling myself that at least for the most part I was maintaining and thats something, but I still have over 20 lbs until im in the healthy BMI range so although weight loss should slow, it shouldnt stop at this point
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    But if you're holding onto water weight because you're eating high sodium foods, it's your time of the month, you're not drinking enough water... There are so many variables that go into water weight not to mention, as discussed the workout routine....

    Water weight plays such a big part of our journey we need to get used to it and just expect it to be there most of the time

    Yeah im definitely used to be being up around TOM and from salty foods etc, but its never lasted this long. It also seemed strange that it happened right after I quit smoking and I just havent gone back down. I mean Ive waited weeks for it to go down after a new exercise routine, but three months it just doesnt seem possible to still be water weight.

    Three months is a long time, but what I was trying to get at in my earlier comment was that you might be chaining water weight - first there's the exercise weight, then the diet break weight, and who knows, maybe now you're over-stressed because you haven't been losing and that's causing more retention. The only thing that's clear is that you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat overnight. You might have gained some fat through overeating (both quitting smoking and exercise can stimulate your appetite), but tightening your logging should fix that. And patience!

    And this! You would be surprised at the amount of things that can drive water weight. A wise person on MFP told me up to 20 pounds was not unheard of -- and some days, I totally would not be surprised by that.

    Wow 20 pounds I might cry. lol Not that I let the scale dictate my life, there are plenty of Non scale victories to celebrate. I thought maybe I was just too stressed over it and thats what caused the diet break, however I didnt see a drop after that either. I also tried just telling myself that at least for the most part I was maintaining and thats something, but I still have over 20 lbs until im in the healthy BMI range so although weight loss should slow, it shouldnt stop at this point

    Oh, I've had lots of crying. And ranting and raving and more crying again. It's hard -- because you know cognitively that it's not fat gain, but it's still awful and it still sucks.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.

    This is not a common observation, so it might be an unpopular opinion: I seem to gain a few pounds every time I start weight training (water weight for muscle repair), and hang onto them until I stop, as long as I keep the training volume (weight/reps) appropriately challenging via steady progression.

    As a rower who's lazy and doesn't much enjoy weight training (sigh), I typically only do it in my off-season, so I've had this cycle on repeat for years, including when logging carefully and accurately.

    If I'm in a calorie deficit, the fat lost will eventually outpace the held water, and the scale will start dropping again. The water weight doesn't worry me when it shows up, because I know it's how my healthy body operates.

    Just my experience.

    There may be more than exercise water weight happening for you, I don't know (never a steady smoker). But I wouldn't necessarily expect the exercise-related component to drop, if you keep challenging yourself. . . which would be a good plan.

    Congratulations on putting smoking behind you: That's a huge health victory!
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.

    This is not a common observation, so it might be an unpopular opinion: I seem to gain a few pounds every time I start weight training (water weight for muscle repair), and hang onto them until I stop, as long as I keep the training volume (weight/reps) appropriately challenging via steady progression.

    As a rower who's lazy and doesn't much enjoy weight training (sigh), I typically only do it in my off-season, so I've had this cycle on repeat for years, including when logging carefully and accurately.

    If I'm in a calorie deficit, the fat lost will eventually outpace the held water, and the scale will start dropping again. The water weight doesn't worry me when it shows up, because I know it's how my healthy body operates.

    Just my experience.

    There may be more than exercise water weight happening for you, I don't know (never a steady smoker). But I wouldn't necessarily expect the exercise-related component to drop, if you keep challenging yourself. . . which would be a good plan.

    Congratulations on putting smoking behind you: That's a huge health victory!

    Hmm thats definitely something I need to consider, and maybe it will just take more time for the weight loss to show, I also just dont want to get to the point where Ive just been spinning my wheels for months and months. Which I feel like I am already doing. I think I will start tightening up my logging even more, keep up with the exercise and check again in a few weeks. I really like the data points of weighing every day but at this point im not sure, maybe I need to stay away from the scale for awhile.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    I just want to congratulate you on quitting smoking. I understand the travails of slow/no weight loss -- it is maddeningly frustrating. But as the wise old saying goes, give it time. Maybe relax a bit on the scale stress and enjoy your ever-increasing health and wellness!
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    Congrats on quitting smoking and on the 50 lb loss! Both are great accomplishments. Based on the above comments the best place to start may be tightening up your logging. If your husband is cooking and you don't want to put it on him to weigh everything (my husband has told me that counting and weighing takes all the joy out of cooking for him, so I don't ask him to do that), consider overestimating dinner calories a bit more. My husband cooks a few times per week, usually before I'm even home from the office which makes it impossible to keep track of ingredients and amounts even if I wanted to. Things like roasted chicken aren't too difficult, but sauces, soups, etc. are really difficult. I try to find some entry in the database that is similar, and estimate high. Generally this seems to work pretty well to keep me on track and within my calorie goals on a weekly basis.

    I may have missed it, but I don't know how tall you are or how close to goal you are. For what it is worth, as I got smaller and closer to goal (aka less fat) the water weight I retained after exercise became a lot more significant/noticeable. I started a new exercise program weeks ago and the scale also hasn't budged in weeks - it's literally been exactly the same for 4 days in a row now. But, I've been tight with my logging and I know that in the next few weeks, it will even out and I'll see a good loss on the scale.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    murp4069 wrote: »
    Congrats on quitting smoking and on the 50 lb loss! Both are great accomplishments. Based on the above comments the best place to start may be tightening up your logging. If your husband is cooking and you don't want to put it on him to weigh everything (my husband has told me that counting and weighing takes all the joy out of cooking for him, so I don't ask him to do that), consider overestimating dinner calories a bit more. My husband cooks a few times per week, usually before I'm even home from the office which makes it impossible to keep track of ingredients and amounts even if I wanted to. Things like roasted chicken aren't too difficult, but sauces, soups, etc. are really difficult. I try to find some entry in the database that is similar, and estimate high. Generally this seems to work pretty well to keep me on track and within my calorie goals on a weekly basis.

    I may have missed it, but I don't know how tall you are or how close to goal you are. For what it is worth, as I got smaller and closer to goal (aka less fat) the water weight I retained after exercise became a lot more significant/noticeable. I started a new exercise program weeks ago and the scale also hasn't budged in weeks - it's literally been exactly the same for 4 days in a row now. But, I've been tight with my logging and I know that in the next few weeks, it will even out and I'll see a good loss on the scale.

    my stats are:
    Starting weight: 217
    Low weight (before quitting) 166.8
    Current weight 177
    Height: 5'4


    And I do over estimate but thats a great suggestion, and most of the time he will leave the recipes up and note any changes, he also tries not to add oil or butter etc to the meals unless he needs to. that is how I worked it before I would over estimate and breakfast and lunch + snacks are all weighed. I also normally make a low calorie soup I eat throughout the week if I am super hungry. And all of that is weighed as well!
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    murp4069 wrote: »
    Congrats on quitting smoking and on the 50 lb loss! Both are great accomplishments. Based on the above comments the best place to start may be tightening up your logging. If your husband is cooking and you don't want to put it on him to weigh everything (my husband has told me that counting and weighing takes all the joy out of cooking for him, so I don't ask him to do that), consider overestimating dinner calories a bit more. My husband cooks a few times per week, usually before I'm even home from the office which makes it impossible to keep track of ingredients and amounts even if I wanted to. Things like roasted chicken aren't too difficult, but sauces, soups, etc. are really difficult. I try to find some entry in the database that is similar, and estimate high. Generally this seems to work pretty well to keep me on track and within my calorie goals on a weekly basis.

    I may have missed it, but I don't know how tall you are or how close to goal you are. For what it is worth, as I got smaller and closer to goal (aka less fat) the water weight I retained after exercise became a lot more significant/noticeable. I started a new exercise program weeks ago and the scale also hasn't budged in weeks - it's literally been exactly the same for 4 days in a row now. But, I've been tight with my logging and I know that in the next few weeks, it will even out and I'll see a good loss on the scale.

    my stats are:
    Starting weight: 217
    Low weight (before quitting) 166.8
    Current weight 177
    Height: 5'4


    And I do over estimate but thats a great suggestion, and most of the time he will leave the recipes up and note any changes, he also tries not to add oil or butter etc to the meals unless he needs to. that is how I worked it before I would over estimate and breakfast and lunch + snacks are all weighed. I also normally make a low calorie soup I eat throughout the week if I am super hungry. And all of that is weighed as well!

    That's really nice of your husband! I wish I could get mine to do that!
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    murp4069 wrote: »
    murp4069 wrote: »
    Congrats on quitting smoking and on the 50 lb loss! Both are great accomplishments. Based on the above comments the best place to start may be tightening up your logging. If your husband is cooking and you don't want to put it on him to weigh everything (my husband has told me that counting and weighing takes all the joy out of cooking for him, so I don't ask him to do that), consider overestimating dinner calories a bit more. My husband cooks a few times per week, usually before I'm even home from the office which makes it impossible to keep track of ingredients and amounts even if I wanted to. Things like roasted chicken aren't too difficult, but sauces, soups, etc. are really difficult. I try to find some entry in the database that is similar, and estimate high. Generally this seems to work pretty well to keep me on track and within my calorie goals on a weekly basis.

    I may have missed it, but I don't know how tall you are or how close to goal you are. For what it is worth, as I got smaller and closer to goal (aka less fat) the water weight I retained after exercise became a lot more significant/noticeable. I started a new exercise program weeks ago and the scale also hasn't budged in weeks - it's literally been exactly the same for 4 days in a row now. But, I've been tight with my logging and I know that in the next few weeks, it will even out and I'll see a good loss on the scale.

    my stats are:
    Starting weight: 217
    Low weight (before quitting) 166.8
    Current weight 177
    Height: 5'4


    And I do over estimate but thats a great suggestion, and most of the time he will leave the recipes up and note any changes, he also tries not to add oil or butter etc to the meals unless he needs to. that is how I worked it before I would over estimate and breakfast and lunch + snacks are all weighed. I also normally make a low calorie soup I eat throughout the week if I am super hungry. And all of that is weighed as well!

    That's really nice of your husband! I wish I could get mine to do that!

    Haha Yes its nice but still not easy to track always! He really likes eating "healthy" (I know everyones definition is different) foods so the oil and butter is just as much for him as it is for me
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.
    yirara wrote: »
    Water weight.

    Think about it: 3500kcal equal 1lbs. 6lbs equal 21.000kcal. You cannot magically get 21.000kcal out of thin air to gain 6lbs of fat.

    It seems like an awfully long time to hold onto water weight is the only thing I was thinking.

    Think homeostasis. Every day your body tries to keep a steady state when it comes to electrolyte balance at the cellular level.

    The things your body responds to are things like hormone levels, sodium intake, potassium intake, insulin levels, protein levels, etc etc.

    Healthy functioning bodies retain water as do health compromised bodies retain water. Or vice versa, when it comes to dropping water weight.

    You cannot control all things responsible for water gains or water losses, and that is a good thing for survival's sake.

    Yes you can help get your body into a better balance by reducing a unhealthy sodium intake, reducing an unhealthy amount of food intake (including a "safe for you intake of calories, carbs, fats, proteins, etc) for instance.

    Staying active can help, by avoiding being too sedentry during the day, etc. And a healthy amount of water intake helps also.

    But in all it is a balancing act for your hard working body to maintain every second of the day. And some unhealthy folks have to take medications to get into a better balance or address water retention concerns.

    I would recommend to the OP not to weigh so frequently unless your dr says you need to, as it will drive you crazy watching your body's weight swings.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    I don't know how scientifically correct this is but Nicotine is a stimulant, and might affect bowel movements, much the same as caffeine does, if that's the case and you've quit perhaps, you're just "bunged up"? Try a little more fibre or a pro-biotic?
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