Feeling "fluffy" - Is it fat gain? Regarding weight fluctuations over one month.

geiznekcm
geiznekcm Posts: 1,357 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a personal (and, I admit, somewhat vain and odd) question for anyone here willing to answer:

(Please forgive me for imposing and appearing arrogant, among other things, before I continue. It is never my intention to intrude, nor drive people to focus on physical attributes that some might associate with their own inferiorities. Our bodies are a blessing.)

Does anyone feel "soft" or "fluffy", less lean every so often throughout their fat loss journey? For people who record their body weight, could you share what a regular fluctuation is (specifically trends from one month to the next)?

I don't track my weight daily (personal preference), but only know it after regular check-ups with my physician. As of yesterday, the scale indicated an increase of five pounds from one month ago. Is that normal?

Also, from your perspective, how much fat does one gain before it becomes visible to themselves? What about to peers?

I do not measure my body in any way, apart from comparing my current reflection and interpretation of my physical size to that of the past. I do feel like I am not as slender or "lean", and "softer" than what I was before.

I honestly am not certain how much, if at all, my caloric intake has increased, but I don't think I have changed my lifestyle that much since then. The majority of my daily intake comprises (VERY voluminous amounts of) leafy greens, vegetables (i.e. cucumbers, cruciferous vegetables, pickles, zucchini), lean proteins (i.e. egg whites, tuna, chicken and turkey breast), and fruits (i.e. watermelon, berries, grapes, apples). Each of these is typical of my everyday consumption. I am coping with joint aches and pains, so the most amount of physical "activity" I get is a three-mile walk, at least three times per week. So, I don't consider that exercise at all.


I am sorry if I have provided either too much or not enough information to make it possible to help me. I am not looking for professional, personal counsel, of course. MyFitnessPal community is incredible, but it is not equivalent to the support you can get with a personal physician.

I welcome and value any constructive comments, experiences, and knowledge you have to offer.

Thank you, All. God bless Everyone (: I appreciate you, and am cheering you on!

Replies

  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    It's normal for weight to fluctuate around 5 pounds daily, so it might depend on your water intake, how much water your body is retaining, when you last ate, and for women, it can be different depending on where she is in her monthly cycle. Do you lift?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    If you are a woman with a menstrual cycle, being premenstrual can explain both feeling odd and the scale going up.
  • geiznekcm
    geiznekcm Posts: 1,357 Member
    Trechechus wrote: »
    It's normal for weight to fluctuate around 5 pounds daily, so it might depend on your water intake, how much water your body is retaining, when you last ate, and for women, it can be different depending on where she is in her monthly cycle. Do you lift?

    Wow -- thank you so much for responding. I am very impressed at how attentive you all are here. Thank you.

    I am not menstruating, and do not have a cycle. I also do not lift. Do you have any further advice for me? Any theories?
    I am sorry to keep bothering. Thank you for being so accepting.
  • geiznekcm
    geiznekcm Posts: 1,357 Member
    edited June 2019
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    If you are a woman with a menstrual cycle, being premenstrual can explain both feeling odd and the scale going up.
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    If you are a woman with a menstrual cycle, being premenstrual can explain both feeling odd and the scale going up.

    Thank you, too, for being quick to respond. This community is remarkable.

    I don't have a cycle. I don't want to, as it doesn't reflect my goals, but I might need to just accept the reality of fat gain. . . .Do you have any other takes on my anecdote? I apologize for asking so much from you. Thank you, again.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    At home you weigh naked first thing in the morning. At the doctors office, you have on clothes and may have eaten breakfast and drank coffee. Presto - 5 lbs.
    I’m going tomorrow and will face the same - although I do have actual weight gained since last visit, it will still be higher than my home weight that morning.
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
    So, unless you’re wearing the exact same clothes at the doctor at the same time of day (after eating the same amount of food, etc) there is going to be variance in that number and I wouldn’t think anything of a 5lb difference in the reading. However, if you are noticing your body feeling/looking different and/or clothes not fitting, then you may have had some portion creep that has made you gain some weight back. (When not paying attention, I have gained weight with a similar way of eating as you)

    I’m at a normal weight for my height and I definitely notice 5lbs in either direction.

    If it’s something that’s bothering you, it may be worth tracking calories for a couple weeks just to see where you are.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Also, if you've strayed from your normal diet and eaten out at a restaurant or have eaten more carbs than normal you might be retaining water weight.

    I know your preference isn't to track your weight daily or your caloric intake, but you might consider downloading a weight-trending app (like Happy Scale) and weighing yourself regularly--you can see if the fluctuations are within the error bars or if they are real weight gain and nip any negative trends in the bud. Personally I don't weigh all of my food every day (history of eating disorders--I find it a little triggering), but I do o.k. with Happy Scale.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    geiznekcm wrote: »
    Trechechus wrote: »
    It's normal for weight to fluctuate around 5 pounds daily, so it might depend on your water intake, how much water your body is retaining, when you last ate, and for women, it can be different depending on where she is in her monthly cycle. Do you lift?

    Wow -- thank you so much for responding. I am very impressed at how attentive you all are here. Thank you.

    I am not menstruating, and do not have a cycle. I also do not lift. Do you have any further advice for me? Any theories?
    I am sorry to keep bothering. Thank you for being so accepting.

    Ok, here's another reason why daily weight fluctuates. Your bowel movements. How much stool is in your system when you get weighed? Hey, you wanted "further advice or theories". 😃
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    I find, as a female, unless i'm weighing every day to see my trend I get random "weird" numbers on the scale - for example - recently I haven't been weighing daily and i'm on a bulk. Last time I weighed last week sometime (I'm weighing just when I feel like it, not being consistent on a special day even though Friday is my official check-in day) - I was 67.5kg. I had a minor heart attack when I saw that, but didn't decide to eat less or anything like that. In actual fact, I've been eating MORE because I know I am going to start my cut cycle after next week is over so it's a bit of a green card to eat as much as I can before I have to be hungry (bad mindset, I know, working on that) - ANYHOO - point was - today I weighed myself and i'm 66.3kg.

    Now - I know that I DEFINITELY did NOT eat less calories over this last week. No way in hell. So how come i'm lighter?

    That's where all the fluctuation factors come in. It could be that last week my 67.5kg was due to sodium bloat or something like that, or TOTM hormonal stuff and in reality I wasn't that "fat". Or it could be that for some reason today I don't know, I did a big poo or something before weighing myself. Who knows?

    But I do find that when I weigh daily I get a better overall picture of the non-linear weight loss.

    Especially as someone with not much weight to lose. I think when you have heaps of weight to lose it's possibly not so necessary to weigh daily. I don't know - i'm guessing people - GUESSING. Let me know if i'm guessing right or wrong and why.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    edited June 2019
    Sometimes when I eat lots of fruits and vegetables I'm "fluffier" too,one time after eating salad for lunch and dinner my grandson thought I was having a baby too like his mom was getting ready to :o
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