Gaining weight when calorie deficient

scottfitzx · October 2018

I’ve been using the app for more than a week now and everyday except for one, I’ve been calorie deficient (and the one day over was just barely over). I’ve gained 3 lbs however! Do you have to bee eating the right foods, as well as being calorie deficient? For example, yesterday I had a small Diet Coke (0 calories) and 2 glasses of white wine. Even though I was under my calories goal by 400, I was up 2 lbs today. Direct correlation? I’m guessing that I need to be calorie deficient and eat the goal balance of fat, carbs, and protein, not just be deficient. What’s your experience?

kimny72 · October 2018

It is typical to have weight fluctuations in the short term that have nothing to do with fat - water weight due to food or exercise choices, digestion, etc. Your weight will always fluctuate from day to day to some extent. You need to give it longer than a week to see a trend over time.

Also check out this thread, logging is a skill that requires some practice:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

Be patient and good luck

jflongo · October 2018

scottfitzx wrote: »

I’ve been using the app for more than a week now and everyday except for one, I’ve been calorie deficient (and the one day over was just barely over). I’ve gained 3 lbs however! Do you have to bee eating the right foods, as well as being calorie deficient? For example, yesterday I had a small Diet Coke (0 calories) and 2 glasses of white wine. Even though I was under my calories goal by 400, I was up 2 lbs today. Direct correlation? I’m guessing that I need to be calorie deficient and eat the goal balance of fat, carbs, and protein, not just be deficient. What’s your experience?

Weigh yourself once per week, let's say Monday morning, after you use the bathroom, and have not eat or drank anything yet.

cathipa · October 2018

Are you logging everything you consume and using correct entries (i.e. no homemade or generic)? How are you measuring your food/beverages? Gaining may not all be fat. Can also be due to high sodium, not enough water, new activity, no bowel movements, stress...many factors play into weight fluctuations.

cwolfman13 · October 2018

What time of day are you weighing in? Have you eaten or drank anything? Are you wearing clothes? Have you used the restroom?

Typically people weigh in first thing in the morning before they've eaten and after using the restroom. Beyond that, body weight fluctuates up and down due to a variety of factors. A calorie deficit is all that is required to lose fat.

jjpptt2 · October 2018

kimny72 wrote: »

It is typical to have weight fluctuations in the short term that have nothing to do with fat - water weight due to food or exercise choices, digestion, etc. Your weight will always fluctuate from day to day to some extent. You need to give it longer than a week to see a trend over time.

Also check out this thread, logging is a skill that requires some practice:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

Be patient and good luck

Agreed.

And to add, a weight trending app like libra or happy scale can be very helpful.

quiksylver296 · October 2018

One more thing to read, OP.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

nvmomketo · October 2018

If you were in a deficit, then it's just water weight.

I was up 3 lbs this week. I did eat a bit more on Thanksgiving, but not an extra 10,00 kcal.

It was water retention from more carbs than normal and the wine. A few days later, most of it has already dropped off.

Do make sure you are actually in a deficit by weighing your food. Eyeballing and just going by approximate serving size can add quite a few extra calories.

try2again · October 2018

Too early to tell, and alcohol is a typical culprit in water retention.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

Also, you shouldn't be eating 400 calories under your MFP recommendation.

scottfitzx · October 2018

Thanks all. I’ll just be patient and continue to be consistent with my logging and weighing in.

Gaining weight when calorie deficient

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