Suddenly gaining back weight but nothing has changed- help help help :(

Bulldogs1717
Bulldogs1717 Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there

I started working on losing 5 pounds a few months ago to prepare for a trip I have coming up to Mexico. I have always been very active (6 days a week runner- 20ish miles a week, and 3-4 days a week weight training). i have been consistently eating at a 250 calorie deficit. However, in the past month I have gained that weight back. I literally weighed 10 lbs more over one week, following the same diet and exercise plan I have had all along. I Think some of this may be water retention, but why?? I feel so bloated and bad about myself and I do not know what I'm doing wrong, as I have been very diligent with tracking and actually LOVE to exercise, so that's never been an issue. Any ideas on what coul dbe going wrong? Is it stress or hormonal? What can I do? I'm trying not to panic but I'm just so frustrated.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Kim

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Have you been weighing daily in a trending app like Happy Scale? This is how I learned I retain water when I ovulate as well as premenstrually.

    If I have something hormonal going on plus a high sodium meal plus a new exercise program, etc., I could easily put on quite a few pounds.
  • Bulldogs1717
    Bulldogs1717 Posts: 47 Member
    Thank you for the quick reply. How can I quickly determine if the problem is hormonal? I can certainly watch sodium intake....
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    Thank you for the quick reply. How can I quickly determine if the problem is hormonal? I can certainly watch sodium intake....

    Do you use a period tracker app? Line up ovulation and/or PMS with your weight gain. Do they match up? If yes, there’s your answer. But you can’t really do much about it. Avoid super salty stuff and drink enough water, that’s about it. Your body’s gonna do what it does.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    edited February 2021
    Do you feel bloated because you see a high number, or are you actually feeling bloated? If you're feeling bloated in actual fact, and if feeling like this is not something that is "usual" for you, and if there exists no easily discernible reasonable explanation, a visit to your gp may not be a terrible idea...
  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 178 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Do you feel bloated because you see a high number, or are you actually feeling bloated? If you're feeling bloated in actual fact, and if feeling like this is not something that is "usual" for you, and if there exists no easily discernible reasonable explanation, a visit to your gp may not be a terrible idea...
    That’s what I was thinking as well. That’s a lot of water weight gain for a week when nothing else has changed in her routine.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Do you feel bloated because you see a high number, or are you actually feeling bloated? If you're feeling bloated in actual fact, and if feeling like this is not something that is "usual" for you, and if there exists no easily discernible reasonable explanation, a visit to your gp may not be a terrible idea...

    Kim - the above made me wonder - are you still having regular bowel movements or are you newly constipated?
  • Bulldogs1717
    Bulldogs1717 Posts: 47 Member
    I am regularly constipated honestly- why?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    edited February 2021
    .
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    I am regularly constipated honestly- why?
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    .... and if there exists no easily discernible reasonable explanation, a visit to your gp may not be a terrible idea...

    If I weigh myself, eat a lb of roast lamb and a lb of watermelon, and weigh myself again immediately after, I will weigh 2lbs more.

    That would be a reasonable explanation. But, for 10lbs this is quite stretched

    Especially if this is sudden and there exist no exercise or time of the month or additional issues that can readily come to mind as explanations for a non health related water weight gain.

    So only you know how common this is for you and whether you have already discussed it with your doctor.

    If I, personally, had 3 days of constipation and a 10lb unexpected gain, you better believe I would be knocking at the doctor's door to find out the underlying cause.

    This would be relatively early intervention as compared to others.

    The short timeline would be because my personal norm includes using the washroom at least once a day, so 72 hours would be unusual and alarming for me. And because a 10lb change is larger than any of my previous water weight swings. So again, something out of the ordinary for me.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    edited February 2021
    . double.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Are you doing keto?

    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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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    I am regularly constipated honestly- why?

    Retained waste, above normal amounts, adds weight on the scale. How could it not?

    Regular constipation is concerning. It can have negative health effects, long term. Have you sought medical advice? Tried dietary changes?

    Absent a triggering health problem, some dietary factors to consider are:

    * Getting enough fiber (both soluble and insoluble)
    * Staying adequately hydrated (through reasonable consumption of water or other fluids, including those in foods)
    * Getting enough dietary fat. (This one can be a common problem when people try to lose weight, especially if they add lots of fiber-containing veggies and things, but cut fat too low because fat is calorie dense.)
    * Not dietary, but exercise can be a factor, maybe especially middle-moving kinds of things.
    * For some people who may be deficient, certain micronutrients matter (such as magnesium)
    * For some people, probiotic foods are helpful, such as live-culture yogurt, raw sauerkraut or kim chi, kombucha, etc.

    Whether or not the constipation is part of your current weight gain picture, I hope you're not putting up with frequent constipation, and not talking to a doctor about it.

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