what did I DO :(
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lane220
Posts: 11 Member
hi all. the past few days (specifically-sunday, monday, tuesday, and yesterday) I had cheat days. all four of those days. I had gone on a mini vacation with family, and didn’t do much moving around any of these days besides sunday, probably only burned 300-400 cals but exercise and then whatever I burn just by living. the difference between these cheat days and others, besides the fact it was 4 whole days, is that I was eating a *kitten* ton more calories than usual. i’m talking like 3k a day .... maybe more? on each of these days. this is mainly because, instead of consuming real or healthier foods in large quantities, I was mainly only eating extremely unhealthy SNACKS and large amounts of them. that’s mainly how the calories racked up, but i was also just eating a lot of food as well. so today i’m back to my regular diet (i aim for 1500 cals consumed a day) and exercise but while I understand I 100% gained a few pounds, christ, I didn’t expect it to be this VISIBLE? I was too scared to check out the scale (I hadn’t seen it since before I left for vaca) but I knew I needed to just to compare what it’ll be a few days or a week from now. but, again, looking in the mirror , it is visible, i swear. I don’t know many many pounds, obviously-or realistically- even if I ate 3500 calories on each of those days the MOST gained could be what 3-4 pounds? well, before I left, I was at 137. now, today i’m back right? ok, scale says 149. 4 days - well obviously I over did it, especially for someone trying to lose weight. but 4 days- almost 13 pounds up on the scale, and I can SEE gain in my legs mainly, but also arms a little, as well as stomach/hip area. like I said, I get a few pounds right. but how did 4 days, at most 4 lbs, leave me not only looking larger but also sending the scale up THAT much? I know a few lbs have to be water weight, and I expect to see that go away over the next week or so. but does that explain the visible gain? does +4 lbs change this much about a body? even though I did this to myself, I guess I just didn’t expect this much of a mess up. sorry for such a long post. not sure what to do or how to feel here.
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Replies
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Were those snacks sodium heavy?6
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@L1zardQueen lots of chips, fast foods, TONS of sugar. I was eating so much in fact that I avoided logging my food- but I know i had anexcessive amount of sugar and i’m sure tons and tons of salt.5
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I've had multi-day vacations or celebrations that left me looking visibly swollen, especially if it involved high sodium, extra alcohol, or dehydrating activities (air travel, lots of time in the sun, etc).
It can be quite jarring, but know that it's impossible to do REAL damage to your long-term weight in just a few days. Get back on plan (be kind to yourself, no need for extra restriction), make sure you're drinking water/lower calorie beverages when you're thirsty, get enough sleep, get some activity (again, be kind to yourself, keep it in your usual realm of exercise), and give it a few days. That's usually enough for me.
I had a trip to see family last year where took a flight there and back, ran a marathon, drank a lot, hardly slept, and ate all the foods (also, as is common for some people when traveling, things were not exactly . . . moving regularly while I was away). Came back FIFTEEN POUNDS heavier than I left. Wish I had thought to video my face when I stepped on the scale. It took eight days, but everything got back to normal.15 -
It's almost all water weight. You would have to have eaten 10,000+ calories per day for several days to gain 13 pounds of fat. Probably gained a bit of fat, but it will come off again if you get back on track.9
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For me salt and sugar puff me up like an oompa-loompa. The good news is it's gone in a few days. Hydrate and take a breath
It'll fall right off.
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Salt causes water retention. Sugar causes inflammation (same thing, just semantics) travel and stress will also cause it...
So.
All you can do is move forward with your weight loss plans. It will drop back off. I've done the same thing in the past. It will be okay.
What I'd like to caution against is trying to over-restrict or over-exercise. It's going to be fine, it will drop back off. I'd say give it 7-10 days at your reasonable before-vacay food and exercise levels. 10 -
I expect more people will respond to this thread- but I just wanted to let those of you who have already know that you never disappoint and always give such helpful responses. thank you all so much!12
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What did you do? You spent time with family and ate more than you usually do for a few days.
That’s it really, not a big deal in the long term, hopefully it was enjoyable family time, that’s really precious, especially at this time when the world is so messed up.
Just go back to your usual healthier choices and everything will be fine!
It’s easy to overdramatise things in the moment, but health and weight are long term things, short term blips don’t have to change things, as long as you keep them short term.5 -
Not just sugar, but carbs generally (and of course sodium) increase water retention. So do lots of other things. What you're seeing on the scale (and your body) is classic water retention, not fat.
It's really not worth worrying about. Just get back on your routine, and - as others have said - in a week or so, things will be back in a saner-feeling spot.
You might find this thread fun, it's a "case history" of a long weekend, overeating maybe more than you did, with estimated calories and scale weights, day by day, afterward:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope#latest
And, if you haven't read this article yet, I highly recommend it:
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations
Once you know what bodyfat effect your over-maintenance days had, it's probable that you'll learn it only delayed reaching goal weight by a few days, at most. Sometimes, for a special occasion/vacation, that's worth it, IMO. I still think that, even in maintenance, when overindulgence commits me to a temporary return to deficit, if things get out of hand on the scale. NBD.
Don't be fussed. Being stressed about it burns no extra calories, and feels icky, besides. Just get on with your healthy routine. You'll be fine.9 -
also note that increased carb intake will also lead to more water retention as the body needs more water to process those carbs. So less activity + more food that is high in sodium and carbs = massive water weight gain.
ESPECIALLY the fact that you are seeing/feeling it. Take a deep breath, get back on track, and give it a few days up to 2 or 3 weeks. Stick to your routine and it will come back off, I promise.
I gained around 10 lbs when I took a vacation the week of the 10th, ending on the 16th. It took 10 days (until today) to get the water weight off.2 -
What did you do? You enjoyed life, you enjoyed your family and you enjoyed food and beverages because you (like the rest of us) are human and are not machines.
As others have said, this is almost all (possibly entirely) water retention and not actual fat. Pick yourself up and get back to your normal routine and you should be back to normal in a week or so.
Don’t beat yourself up!!!!2 -
I did the same thing last month, but it was 7 days and I probably ate more than 3,000 a day bc alcohol too. I was up 4-5 pounds after getting home and getting back on track several days (I also didn’t weigh myself for a few days) but most came off in couple weeks, although it took 4-5 weeks to really get back to my lowest weight.
There is NO way you gained fat - you know the science - it’s just impossible. it can just take a while for your body to return to normal. Be kind to yourself, get back into your habits, and see where you are in 3-4 weeks. If you weigh yourself every day you may want to switch to weekly for now so you can focus on your habits and not the scale.0 -
Don’t stress, I’m petite. 5”2 and under 120lbs. I can spike up 5lbs overnight from wine, cheese and additional carbs. Like you and others said a lot of it is water...glycogen from carbs can will make the scale go up. My 5lbs can take 3-5 days to come off.0
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Oh definitely sounds like a lot of water retention and that can DEFINITELY show up. Many competitive body builders go through extreme dehydration because of this.
Also, don't forget gut bacteria probably also had a feast and produced extra waste (gas) which may contribute to slight bloating and visual size increase.
Some small diet breaks can actually help kick off faster loss. So, don't feel bad about it at all. Gotta enjoy the vacations when they come!2 -
^^ @cerad2 3 -
I spent the month of December in Germany, visiting Christmas markets and attending my daughter’s wedding. Our Airbnb host plied us home baked holiday goodies, I tried all the market stall goodies (omfg.... ham handbrot with sour cream was scandalously good) , the apartment was next door to a lovely bakery, and the wedding dinner was an eight course traditional local German menu. Not to mention a passel of great restaurant meals after my other daughter and SIL joined us. And did I mention that Germany’s Milka brand Trioladen is like the best chocolate in the world, and comes in huge bars over there. I ate it all.
I threw caution to the winds. I still logged religiously, so I’d know exactly where the fault lay, but other than walking and the occasional jog, didn’t exercise.
On the plane home, I calculated how many calories above maintenance I’d eaten, and divided by 3500. To my amazement, my weigh in was exactly that many number of pounds heavier than the day I left.
I came home a lot heavier, but the day I got home snapped back to my original plan that had worked so well. It took a few weeks to get back to par, but I did.
Similar experience last spring when we did a culture tour of Ukraine and Georgia. The food over there is unbelievably good, and if you don’t eat seconds and thirds, your hosts get teary eyed and hurt.
It’s not the end all be all to fall off. Just resolve to have a good time, revel in the family time, savor it instead of reverting to face stuffing (that reminder is for me and not a slam at anyone else- I’m a mindless face stiffer). Then resolve to whip yourself back on plan.
It’s not necessary to have the violent whip-back OMG! I’VE FALLEN OF THE WAGON AND CAN NEVER RIDE AGAIN reaction.
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I am guessing this is mostly due to sodium and water retention, and possibly additional content in your digestive system. I have always found that once I get back on track, things usually settle back down quickly after 3-4 days. Don't sweat it...just get back on the wagon.0
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@springlering62 You ride on, girl! 👍🏻2
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