Why did I gain 2 pounds overnight?
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Blessedbecca24
Posts: 10 Member
I’ve been eating around 800-1000 calories daily, I’m at 197 (from 240pounds) and just don’t have an appetite at all, at first I was excited because I was an emotional eater... now I feel maybe my metabolism is slowing or something because I run 4-8 miles a day (depending on what else is going on) and do in home strength training to firm up. I’ve been losing about a pound a day but today I stepped on my scale and was 2 whole pounds HEAVIER than the day before (I know you shouldn’t weigh daily but it motivates me to keep going) So my question is, is this inflammation, muscle, water (like the stuff saying I’m on the right track) or is it the food sitting there (maybe do a 24 hour water fast to clear things out, I’ve done water fasts in the past- longest was about a week) or is my body digesting slower for some reason now? Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Thank you for any insight you can give smile 😃
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Replies
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Have you been keeping an eye on how much you personally fluctuate weight? Everyone is different and there are so many factors.
Congrats on your success! Don’t let this deter you. Sorry for the TMO but I can easily fluctuate 2 pounds after a good poop.3 -
remyrunnels1 wrote: »I’ve been eating around 800-1000 calories daily, I’m at 197 (from 240pounds) and just don’t have an appetite at all, at first I was excited because I was an emotional eater... now I feel maybe my metabolism is slowing or something because I run 4-8 miles a day (depending on what else is going on) and do in home strength training to firm up. I’ve been losing about a pound a day but today I stepped on my scale and was 2 whole pounds HEAVIER than the day before (I know you shouldn’t weigh daily but it motivates me to keep going) So my question is, is this inflammation, muscle, water (like the stuff saying I’m on the right track) or is it the food sitting there (maybe do a 24 hour water fast to clear things out, I’ve done water fasts in the past- longest was about a week) or is my body digesting slower for some reason now? Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Thank you for any insight you can give smile 😃
For one, body weight fluctuates naturally....water retention/release, more/less inherent waste in your system, stress etc.
Secondly, what you're doing isn't healthy...crashing your diet and running 4-8 miles per day isn't healthy and will eventually catch up to you. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 Lbs per week depending on how heavy you are. I mentioned stress above...what you are doing is putting a lot of stress on your body and I would imagine your cortisol levels are through the roof.29 -
remyrunnels1 wrote: »I’ve been eating around 800-1000 calories daily, I’m at 197 (from 240pounds) and just don’t have an appetite at all, at first I was excited because I was an emotional eater... now I feel maybe my metabolism is slowing or something because I run 4-8 miles a day (depending on what else is going on) and do in home strength training to firm up. I’ve been losing about a pound a day but today I stepped on my scale and was 2 whole pounds HEAVIER than the day before (I know you shouldn’t weigh daily but it motivates me to keep going) So my question is, is this inflammation, muscle, water (like the stuff saying I’m on the right track) or is it the food sitting there (maybe do a 24 hour water fast to clear things out, I’ve done water fasts in the past- longest was about a week) or is my body digesting slower for some reason now? Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Thank you for any insight you can give smile 😃
Why are you eating so few calories? Losing 1 lb/day is not healthy. 1 lb/week, maybe 1.5lb/week, depending how much weight you still have to lose, is far more reasonable and sustainable. Water fasts are not healthy.
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I'm not answering your question, because there is another more pressing matter: you need to eat more!
Even an inactive sedentary woman shouldn't eat this little, let alone someone who's running 4-8 miles a day! And losing weight at a rate of one pound a day is way too fast! This is very dangerous behavior, you are endangering your health.
The last thing you should do is do a water fast, please don't.21 -
A few things, if you're running 4 miles or more a day you need to eat more.
2lbs overnight could be water, could be hormones, could be a period, could be the scales. None of that will matter if you don't have a better relationship with food, with your body and with eating. 800 calories isn't even enough for my child a day!9 -
I'm not answering your question, because there is another more pressing matter: you need to eat more!
Even an inactive sedentary woman shouldn't eat this little, let alone someone who's running 4-8 miles a day! And losing weight at a rate of one pound a day is way too fast! This is very dangerous behavior, you are endangering your health.
The last thing you should do is do a water fast, please don't.
I agree, with a caveat. OP should eat more IF she is currently weighing and logging everything she is currently eating. If she isn't weighing and logging everything, she should start there to insure she is actually eating the amount of calories she thinks she is.11 -
OP, what is your height? At 5’1, I eat more than you do and I consistently lose and I’m not running 4-8 miles a day. There are some days that I do not workout and on those days 1200 calories is the lowest I go.
Get a food scale, log what you’re eating, log log your exercise, and eat back half of the calories.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »I'm not answering your question, because there is another more pressing matter: you need to eat more!
Even an inactive sedentary woman shouldn't eat this little, let alone someone who's running 4-8 miles a day! And losing weight at a rate of one pound a day is way too fast! This is very dangerous behavior, you are endangering your health.
The last thing you should do is do a water fast, please don't.
I agree, with a caveat. OP should eat more IF she is currently weighing and logging everything she is currently eating. If she isn't weighing and logging everything, she should start there to insure she is actually eating the amount of calories she thinks she is.
Yeah but if her rate of loss is even close to accurate, 1 lb/day, she really is eating quite low and she said she's already lost ~43 lbs (although we don't know over what time period), suggesting this isn't just a big initial woosh.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »I'm not answering your question, because there is another more pressing matter: you need to eat more!
Even an inactive sedentary woman shouldn't eat this little, let alone someone who's running 4-8 miles a day! And losing weight at a rate of one pound a day is way too fast! This is very dangerous behavior, you are endangering your health.
The last thing you should do is do a water fast, please don't.
I agree, with a caveat. OP should eat more IF she is currently weighing and logging everything she is currently eating. If she isn't weighing and logging everything, she should start there to insure she is actually eating the amount of calories she thinks she is.
I agree with your caveat theoretically, but in this case she stated she was losing a pound a day, so clearly her calorie deficit is significant.
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remyrunnels1 wrote: »I’ve been eating around 800-1000 calories daily, I’m at 197 (from 240pounds) and just don’t have an appetite at all, at first I was excited because I was an emotional eater... now I feel maybe my metabolism is slowing or something because I run 4-8 miles a day (depending on what else is going on) and do in-home strength training to firm up. I’ve been losing about a pound a day but today I stepped on my scale and was 2 whole pounds HEAVIER than the day before (I know you shouldn’t weigh daily but it motivates me to keep going) So my question is, is this inflammation, muscle, water (like the stuff saying I’m on the right track) or is it the food sitting there (maybe do a 24-hour water fast to clear things out, I’ve done water fasts in the past- longest was about a week) or is my body digesting slower for some reason now? Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Thank you for any insight you can give smile 😃
like everyone else said you need to eat more. what you are losing right now is not just fat and water you are losing muscle mass and are going to cause major issues for yourself. it's great you are running that much but you need to eat to support it and get the proteins needed to retain muscle mass. definitely do not do a water fast. a 2 lb or more swing can happen during a 24 hour period. I get the scale is an inspiration, but it is just as inspirational to see that weekly number (which should really top out at a 1-2 pounds - that is the goal for long term healthy loss
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You run 4-8 miles a day and do resistance training and you're eating 800-1000 calories per day ???
I humbly suggest the following two steps:
1. Give thanks to your God or gods or deity of choice that you have not already had a serious health crisis from such severe calorie restriction, which by the way can materialize instantaneously despite feeling healthy right up until that moment.
2. Immediately ramp up your calories to a safe, sane, and reasonable level, such as the level you'd get from using the MFP goals tool.
Compared to the obvious elephant in the room here, water retention issues and being up a pound or two overnight are irrelevant.
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remyrunnels1 wrote: »I’ve been eating around 800-1000 calories daily, I’m at 197 (from 240pounds) and just don’t have an appetite at all, at first I was excited because I was an emotional eater... now I feel maybe my metabolism is slowing or something because I run 4-8 miles a day (depending on what else is going on) and do in home strength training to firm up. I’ve been losing about a pound a day but today I stepped on my scale and was 2 whole pounds HEAVIER than the day before (I know you shouldn’t weigh daily but it motivates me to keep going) So my question is, is this inflammation, muscle, water (like the stuff saying I’m on the right track) or is it the food sitting there (maybe do a 24 hour water fast to clear things out, I’ve done water fasts in the past- longest was about a week) or is my body digesting slower for some reason now? Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Thank you for any insight you can give smile 😃
- Eat more.
- Do not try and force the scale downward. If you have inflammation your body NEEDS to retain water.
- Eat more.
- Only weigh daily if you can handle it.
- Eat more.
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There is nothing wrong with weighing daily if that is what you want to do. What you shouldn't be doing is only eating 800-1000 calories per day. Especially if you are running 4 miles per day. One pound per day is not a healthy weight loss.9
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Many of us weigh daily and use an app such as Happy Scale to smooth out normal fluctuations.
Your extreme calorie deficit is severely stressing your body, and you could be retaining water due to that.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/
...a group of women who scored higher on dietary restraint scores showed elevated baseline cortisol levels. By itself this might not be problematic, but as often as not, these types of dieters are drawn to extreme approaches to dieting.
They throw in a lot of intense exercise, try to cut calories very hard (and this often backfires if disinhibition is high; when these folks break they break) and cortisol levels go through the roof. That often causes cortisol mediated water retention (there are other mechanisms for this, mind you, leptin actually inhibits cortisol release and as it drops on a diet, cortisol levels go up further). Weight and fat loss appear to have stopped or at least slowed significantly. This is compounded even further in female dieters due to the vagaries of their menstrual cycle where water balance is changing enormously week to week anyhow.
And invariably, this type of psychology responds to the stall by going even harder. They attempt to cut calories harder, they start doing more activity. The cycle continues and gets worse. Harder dieting means more cortisol means more water retention means more dieting. Which backfires (other problems come in the long-term with this approach but you’ll have to wait for the book to read about that).
When what they should do is take a day or two off (even one day off from training, at least in men, lets cortisol drop significantly). Raise calories, especially from carbohydrates. This helps cortisol to drop. More than that they need to find a way to freaking chill out. Meditation, yoga, get a massage... Get in the bath, candles, a little Enya, a glass of wine, have some you-time but please just chill.6 -
Thank you for your concern. I am eating enough, I feel full every day. My biggest thing now is to listen to my body and I eat when I feel hungry. I have just become vegetarian (Thanksgiving 2019) the weight didn’t come off all at once, I have been working on weight loss for years now. What started my -1 pound a day was changing my beliefs! (Believe it or not) it was around the same time I gave up meat. Something inside clicked and I said, “I’m worth it!” So I began caring for myself not because I wanted to be skinny (even in my teens as a size 4, I have always had a huge bottom and have come to terms with the fact that I am very curvy and will never be “skinny” ) I’m 5’4 and very overweight. So I started by cutting portions to kids sized plates, wasn’t counting calories then just watching portions (over the course of about a year I lost 20-30 pounds or so) then last thanksgiving, I started watching steps (10k was my goal) but after a week of making that I added MyFitnessPal and began counting every calorie. As a SAHM of 3 homeschooled littles I’m always busy so I knew I had to do it at home. So I began running while I was doing dishes (it is apparently very funny because for the first few days I had my whole family laughing 😂) but I stuck with that and got down under 200 around the first of this month! That motivated me on a whole new level ( I made a promise to my body to not ever see THAT number again.) water fasts are healthy and again, I always listen to my body, on that 5 day fast I was aiming for 7 days but started feeling dizzy so I ate vegetable soup then moved on to fruit and veggies the next day. I know the actual fat I personally carry is from my emotions. That’s what I’ve been working on. I’m not obsessed with losing weight for others, I’m focused on getting healthy for me. So I will not hurt my body anymore than I did in the past (by allowing my emotions to be pushed down by food.) I only wrote this to see if anyone experienced anything similar. Thank you to the person who suggested maybe I need to wait til I have a bowl movement (there’s just no nice way of saying that is there 😂) because I did eat “heavy” food yesterday compared to the standard salad and veggies! (The kids wanted pizza so I had two slices and had a cupcake with them so that was a lot of processed food high in sugar too now that I’m thinking of it! Also, I drink a TON of water to help rid toxins that I know I have built up. I run so much but not all at once, like a mile here, two miles there throughout the day when I have time because it relaxes me, I put in my earphones and just zone out ❤️ I also track everything! 😂 my phone looks like I’m a scientist or something with all my graphs. I can see what I eat, how much I eat, when I exercise and all that. Maybe I’ll start to ease my calories back up but now that I’m at peace emotionally, I don’t have the urge to over eat. It reminds me of Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager (the best Star Trek EVER!) when she says she doesn’t require nourishment at this time. Anyway, thank you again for replying. You are all so sweet to have answered so wholeheartedly. 🤗 😘1
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remyrunnels1 wrote: »Thank you for your concern. I am eating enough, I feel full every day. My biggest thing now is to listen to my body and I eat when I feel hungry.
[snip]
No, you are not eating enough. Please reread the thread.
Many of us have hunger cues that are broken - that can lead to both overeating, and, in your case, undereating.17 -
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remyrunnels1 wrote: »Thank you for your concern. I am eating enough, I feel full every day. My biggest thing now is to listen to my body and I eat when I feel hungry. I have just become vegetarian (Thanksgiving 2019) the weight didn’t come off all at once, I have been working on weight loss for years now. What started my -1 pound a day was changing my beliefs! (Believe it or not) it was around the same time I gave up meat. Something inside clicked and I said, “I’m worth it!” So I began caring for myself not because I wanted to be skinny (even in my teens as a size 4, I have always had a huge bottom and have come to terms with the fact that I am very curvy and will never be “skinny” ) I’m 5’4 and very overweight. So I started by cutting portions to kids sized plates, wasn’t counting calories then just watching portions (over the course of about a year I lost 20-30 pounds or so) then last thanksgiving, I started watching steps (10k was my goal) but after a week of making that I added MyFitnessPal and began counting every calorie. As a SAHM of 3 homeschooled littles I’m always busy so I knew I had to do it at home. So I began running while I was doing dishes (it is apparently very funny because for the first few days I had my whole family laughing 😂) but I stuck with that and got down under 200 around the first of this month! That motivated me on a whole new level ( I made a promise to my body to not ever see THAT number again.) water fasts are healthy and again, I always listen to my body, on that 5 day fast I was aiming for 7 days but started feeling dizzy so I ate vegetable soup then moved on to fruit and veggies the next day. I know the actual fat I personally carry is from my emotions. That’s what I’ve been working on. I’m not obsessed with losing weight for others, I’m focused on getting healthy for me. So I will not hurt my body anymore than I did in the past (by allowing my emotions to be pushed down by food.) I only wrote this to see if anyone experienced anything similar. Thank you to the person who suggested maybe I need to wait til I have a bowl movement (there’s just no nice way of saying that is there 😂) because I did eat “heavy” food yesterday compared to the standard salad and veggies! (The kids wanted pizza so I had two slices and had a cupcake with them so that was a lot of processed food high in sugar too now that I’m thinking of it! Also, I drink a TON of water to help rid toxins that I know I have built up. I run so much but not all at once, like a mile here, two miles there throughout the day when I have time because it relaxes me, I put in my earphones and just zone out ❤️ I also track everything! 😂 my phone looks like I’m a scientist or something with all my graphs. I can see what I eat, how much I eat, when I exercise and all that. Maybe I’ll start to ease my calories back up but now that I’m at peace emotionally, I don’t have the urge to over eat. It reminds me of Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager (the best Star Trek EVER!) when she says she doesn’t require nourishment at this time. Anyway, thank you again for replying. You are all so sweet to have answered so wholeheartedly. 🤗 😘
There is so much wrong in here that I don't even know where to start, but if you are accurately tracking your intake then no, you are not eating enough.18 -
Denial isn't a big river in Egypt.7
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