1 Cheat = 2lbs

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  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    I gained 4 lbs from a cheat meal yesterday. It'll go down, keep chugging!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    Where's that thread on how sodium affects your weight...

    This one? http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10615700/biochemistry-answers-for-common-weight-loss-questions-sodium-warning-long-and-nerdy/p1
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
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    pippin44 wrote: »
    Can you please help me understand the scale?
    I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day....I log everything I eat.
    2 days ago, I went out to a restaurant and had a "cheat" -- I had a vinagrette dressing on the salad (not on the side) and I shared in a German/Bavarian Pretzel with dipping sauces -- I still tried to log my meal using items that seemed close to matching using MFP. My calories for the day were around 2600.
    The next day, I was back on my usual routine.
    2 days later -- I get on the scale and I am up 2 lbs.
    I don't understand it.
    Why does this happen???
    I find it very discouraging.....
    WHile it's not good for me -- I am very motivated/fixated on the number on the scale and how my "skinny" jeans fit.

    Likely most of that 2 pound scale increase is due to water retention. Pretzels are high in sodium. Condiments can also be high in sodium. Just continue to log ALL YOUR FOOD INTAKE accurately. Even your cheat foods. Cut back on sodium intake if your dr says you should try it.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I second the recommendation that you add the Happy Scale app to your phone. It's magical and removes the stress of whatever scary number pops up on your scale every morning. Really.

    Take photos of yourself, front, back and sides. Next month do the same. See the difference? You'll probably be able to tell that you've changed your body shape following the whole MFP thing. Another cool phone app is PicsArt. You can upload your before/after photos next to each other in a collage. Wow, the improvements you'll see!

    Good luck!
  • staraly
    staraly Posts: 54 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    pippin44 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone....
    I totally understand that I didn't gain 2 lbs of "fat" in one meal -- but am struggling to understand how 2 days later, I would still see a 2lb increase...
    It's really frustrating to me -- esp since I am complete motivated by the STUPID number on the scale.
    I appreciate your insights in putting context around it!

    And the pretzel was more like the size of the bicycle wheel, not the whole bike.....
    You may want to consider using a weight trend app such as Happy Scale (iOS), Libra (Android) or trendweight.com (web). It's less disturbing/upsetting to some because it allows you to keep an eye on the overall trend rather than the (perfectly normal) daily fluctuations. The trend over time is what matters.

    I've been using Libra for daily weighing to try and figure out if certain foods were behind my seesawing weight loss struggle (I weigh all my food and log meticulously). I also have to watch out for foods which trigger inflammation as I have Hashimotos, Systemic Nickel Allergy and a dysfunctional gallbladder. Inflammation is another factor that can cause a stubborn spike on the scales and identifying your triggers can help control it. My big trigger was egg yolks. Since I IDed and elimated them, the roller coaster trend has changed to a nice, steady downwards one.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,739 Member
    edited March 2018
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    1 Cheat = 2 lbs because cheating is expensive!!!

    But, if you enjoy occasionally eating out and having a pretzel,
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    You may want to consider using a weight trend app such as Happy Scale (iOS), Libra (Android) or trendweight.com (web).

    It's less disturbing/upsetting to some because it allows you to keep an eye on the overall trend rather than the (perfectly normal) daily fluctuations.

    The trend over time is what matters.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    It can take 3 to 4 days for sodium weight to disappear.
    I'm currently seeing the 6th day of a water weight spike since adding new exercise - this is normal. The scale number will drop soon.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 787 Member
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    It takes me 3 days to lose water weight from a high carb/salty meal. St patricks day had me 2lbs up until Tuesday. I ate under maintenance, but that day I had 3 ciders, sausage pizza, and cheese sticks.
  • mwillder1
    mwillder1 Posts: 24 Member
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    I had chips and queso with my salad Saturday night; boom, up 2.2lbs on Sunday. It's taken me until yesterday (Thursday) to go back to where I was before, so 4-5 days. That's the 2nd time that's happened--drastic water weight gain--since I've been using MFP for the past 6 months, so I didn't freak out too much about it. Knowledge is power.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Honestly, you're lucky it was only 2 lbs, for reasons already discussed, lol.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I'm in maintenance, which gives me a different perspective on weight fluctuations now than I had when I was losing weight, and maybe it will be helpful for folks who are losing.

    I use Happy Scale to track my weight each day and make sure my trend line stays within my maintenance range.
    Here is what that trend line always looks like: It's highest on Sunday or Monday, slowly decreases over the week, reaches a low point around Friday, and then increases quickly over the weekend. This is true almost every week, despite the fact that I do not go over my calorie budget for the week.

    Why? Because we almost never go out to eat during the week, but we usually go out on Saturday, Sunday, or both. Even though those restaurant meals are within my calorie budget, they still cause me to gain water weight that takes several days to go away. (Additionally, I do my long runs on the weekend, and that intense exercise can also contribute to water weight gain.) The water weight goes away on its own; I make no effort to drink large amounts of water or do other things to try to get rid of it.

    Removing weight loss from the equation really helped me understand this cycle in a way I didn't understand when I was losing weight, because it was hard for me to separate "real" weight change (i.e., fat loss or gain) from water weight fluctuation. I'm okay with those fluctuations now that I can see the pattern and understand that the extra water is going to be gone within a few days. However, it's very hard to see that when you're in the middle of weight loss.

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