Gained 10 pounds after 4 days of post-dinner snacking???

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julievillarreal3
julievillarreal3 Posts: 4 Member
edited August 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been in a calorie deficit for almost a year now and for the most part, I've been really good at sticking to it. Prior to this week, my weight loss has been steady as binge-eating has never been an issue of mine. This week, however, has been especially challenging as I've developed intense cravings for sweet and salty foods. After 4 consecutive days of late-night snacking, the scale has skyrocketed +10 pounds! I'm hoping someone can offer me advice as to what I should do (aside from getting back on track with my diet). Theoretically, how many calories would one need to consume to gain 10 pounds of fat within this short of a time period?

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  • siobhanaoife
    siobhanaoife Posts: 150 Member
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    Theoretically you have to consume 3500 calories in excess of what you burn in order to gain 10 pounds, regardless of timeframe.

    My guess is that the salt intake has you retaining more water, in addition to whatever fat you may have stored. Plus, ahem, residual food in your GI tract.

    What you should do is go back to the calorie deficit and stop binging. If you want to indulge, you could deliberately have some days where you eat (and measure, and log) however much of what you crave to be at maintenance instead of a deficit. But that doesn't work for everyone; for some folks the way to not eat chips, chocolate, whatever the craving is, is not to have it in the house.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
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    Depending on the amount of salt you might be holding some extra water. Reduce your sodium drink some water and weigh yourself in the mornings after going to the bathroom. Happens to me after just one salty meal.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,189 Member
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    As others have said, largely water weight. (The 10 pounds = roughly 35,000 calories idea is the correct one.) If you haven't read it already, this would be informative:

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

    For amusement value, I'd suggest this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope
  • party_lots99
    party_lots99 Posts: 23 Member
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    lgfrie wrote: »
    To gain 10 pounds, you'd have to eat 35,000 calories above maintenance. A pound of fat = 3,500 calories.

    Needless to say, you didn't eat 35,000 calories over maintenance in four days.

    Most likely, depending on what was in those binges, you gained a pound or two of fat. You're carrying a lot of water because of extra carb and sodium consumption. Most of the water will drain off in 3-4 days. A bit of water - a final pound, more or less, might take a few more days after that.

    The important point here is GET BACK ON PLAN. NOW. You had your fun, now pull the plug on the binging. I've done it myself. I've gained that 1-2 pounds from 3-4 day binges. So. Many. Times. It isn't the end of the world. You don't need to beat yourself up. You don't need to feel guilty. You don't need to wonder if you screwed up your diet or wonder how to get back on track. All you need to do is get up tomorrow morning and get back on plan. Whatever weight you gained will be re-lost in a few days, a week at most.

    Love love love this last paragraph!
  • Jessie24330
    Jessie24330 Posts: 224 Member
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    10 pounds in four days plus salty and sweet cravings this week. Your profile picture points toward you being female. I'd venture to guess that the cravings are period related and the gain is water retention related for the same reason (different women retain at different times but usually in the week leading up to it and/or at ovulation time) plus the increased salt intake. Try increasing your intake of water and making sure your snacks are staying in your calorie goal.
  • catmama256
    catmama256 Posts: 38 Member
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    siobhanaoife wrote: »
    Theoretically you have to consume 3500 calories in excess of what you burn in order to gain 10 pounds, regardless of timeframe.

    My guess is that the salt intake has you retaining more water, in addition to whatever fat you may have stored. Plus, ahem, residual food in your GI tract.

    What you should do is go back to the calorie deficit and stop binging. If you want to indulge, you could deliberately have some days where you eat (and measure, and log) however much of what you crave to be at maintenance instead of a deficit. But that doesn't work for everyone; for some folks the way to not eat chips, chocolate, whatever the craving is, is not to have it in the house.

    Wrong. You have to consume 3500 calories to gain a pound not ten pounds

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,529 Member
    edited August 2020
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    In four days, it's likely 8-9lbs of water.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,981 Member
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    siobhanaoife wrote: »
    Theoretically you have to consume 3500 35,000 calories in excess of what you burn in order to gain 10 pounds, regardless of timeframe.

    My guess is that the salt intake has you retaining more water, in addition to whatever fat you may have stored. Plus, ahem, residual food in your GI tract.

    What you should do is go back to the calorie deficit and stop binging. If you want to indulge, you could deliberately have some days where you eat (and measure, and log) however much of what you crave to be at maintenance instead of a deficit. But that doesn't work for everyone; for some folks the way to not eat chips, chocolate, whatever the craving is, is not to have it in the house.

    FIFY
  • StevefromMichigan
    StevefromMichigan Posts: 462 Member
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    I have had similar fluctuations when deviating form my normal diet/deficit. I have found that most of the time it relates to the sodium and excess water retention, as others have mentioned. Excess stomach/digestion system content can also be a factor.

    I find that once I right the ship, it usually takes about 3 days to get back to normal.

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