Why’s my weight going up ? HELP

OldWardenPaul
OldWardenPaul Posts: 4 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi, I started my fitness pal a few days ago and regimentally been inputting all my meals meticulously accurate. I’m very active: and cycling athlete... burning sometimes in excess of 4000calories in a session...3- 4 x a week but even though I eat “healthy food” and to the proportions MFP recommends... I regularly don’t reach my target calories for that day. I’m drinking water, and don’t eat junk or booze... why is my weight fluctuating around 3kg day to day ? And not positively !!! It’s demoralising... why should I continuing this app !
Please someone who knows can you advise me ?
Ta
Paul

Replies

  • harper16
    harper16 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear. Some days I go up a lb, and the next day I'm down a lb. Using a weight trending app might help. Overall I'm down 15-16 lbs even with my weight showing an increase some days.
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    edited May 2020
    I tell people this a lot, but scales don't just weigh fat. They weigh water, undigested food, poop, lactic acid, glycogen, etc. Your total weight is all those things and can fluctuate as much as 10 pounds per day. You're only going to see meaningful change by watching trends over weeks and months. Changes day to day are meaningless. Weight loss is very, VERY slow. Your expectations need an adjustment.

    Also it's rather unlikely you'd burn 4000 calories in a session. Most people putting in solid steady effort burn around 300-400 calories an hour so unless you're really going 10 hours at a time, that's a huge overestimate. So if you're eating all your exercise back, you're eating too much.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited May 2020
    Well. For starters you're not burning 4000 calories a session. Not. Even. Close. So if you're eating back your exercise calories, you're eating too much.

    What makes you think you're burning 4000 calories a session?

    I feel like burning 4000 calories a session 4 times a week isn't even humanly possible. You'd have to do an "intense" workout for at least 10 hours if not more every other day. You'd collapse no matter your fitness.
  • OldWardenPaul
    OldWardenPaul Posts: 4 Member
    I’m a race cyclist who rides on average 5 hours at tempo... at very least, sometimes less mileage but higher bursts of intensities but never lower than zone 2. I generally cover 80-100 miles on a long session... and yes going from my training data my calories are as I listed. I hope this helps you understand my conundrum why my weight if fluctuating daily so oddly
  • OldWardenPaul
    OldWardenPaul Posts: 4 Member
    My data I relate to is a combination of power, heart rate and time, which reflects the efforts I’ve made.
    The calories burned I refer to come from the software I use specially for training... all of which are calculated on my personal specifics in coordination which my ride analysis. These are 3 sources ; separate data programs but all provide the same calorific figures.
    As an endurance cyclist I burn considerably more calories than an athlete who spends an hour visiting a gym or a step class.
    I’m keen to know why the weight fluctuates but the only response which I feel is constructive and informative is @quiksylver296 thank you.
    The other two rather dismissive of my physical training regimes.
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    OldWardenPaul wrote: »
    I’m a race cyclist who rides on average 5 hours at tempo... at very least, sometimes less mileage but higher bursts of intensities but never lower than zone 2. I generally cover 80-100 miles on a long session... and yes going from my training data my calories are as I listed. I hope this helps you understand my conundrum why my weight if fluctuating daily so oddly

    Again, it's not a conundrum. Your weight fluctuates due to water, other things in your body that aren't fat but have weight, and the fact that weight loss is slow and easily masked by the changing weights of all those other things.

    Especially because you exercise so much, which causes muscle damage, which results in extra water retention while healing. Different sodium levels in your diet will also affect water retention.

    I'm not dismissing your physical training, only stating that your burn is likely a bit lower than you think. The best software in the world is still only guessing how much you burn.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Terytha wrote: »
    OldWardenPaul wrote: »
    I’m a race cyclist who rides on average 5 hours at tempo... at very least, sometimes less mileage but higher bursts of intensities but never lower than zone 2. I generally cover 80-100 miles on a long session... and yes going from my training data my calories are as I listed. I hope this helps you understand my conundrum why my weight if fluctuating daily so oddly

    Again, it's not a conundrum. Your weight fluctuates due to water, other things in your body that aren't fat but have weight, and the fact that weight loss is slow and easily masked by the changing weights of all those other things.

    Especially because you exercise so much, which causes muscle damage, which results in extra water retention while healing. Different sodium levels in your diet will also affect water retention.

    I'm not dismissing your physical training, only stating that your burn is likely a bit lower than you think. The best software in the world is still only guessing how much you burn.

    I agree. Most calorie burn estimates are over estimates. Even if you think they're accurate, they rarely (read never) are.
  • OldWardenPaul
    OldWardenPaul Posts: 4 Member
    @Lietchi thank you, having been told in no uncertain terms by some previous “bloggers” my calories are completely wrong I’ve been doing some research into the software which generates my out put ... it appears they are a relative algorithm taking all factors into account but are not 100% ...I’ve learned now !
    But...
    in response to your constructive comments I’ve been on MFP for 14 days only... and I wasn’t expecting to see such major fluctuations. However! I suppose I have never really analysed my calories, weight, food intake, water consumption as detailed before joining. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see such massive rise in weight so quickly , especially as MFP has caused me to be a lot more conscious of over eating or eating the wrong macros !
    I am going to stick with it, but I am now drinking water like a fish to try to negate huge water retention fluctuations...
    thank you for taking the time and being a lot more sympathetic to the cause on something so sensitive/emotive at the moment 🙏🏻
    Paul
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Unless those bloggers have RD after their name I’d ignore...

Categories