Completely Confused by 2 POUND gain, HELP!

spackham
spackham Posts: 252 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I have been on MFP for 9 months and have lost 50 pounds but am still in the overweight category. I woke up today with a 2 pound GAIN in one day. How is this possible? I have been logging everything, exercising hard (5 days a week) and am UNDER calories for a 1.5 loss per week goal. The high sodium yesterday is not quite accurate because I rinse and drain my beans in the Cooking Light recipe. If this were a one day event, I would not have worried but this has happened several times in the past few months and has been killing my motivation. Monday I decided to be vigilant in logging and staying under cals so I am really confused. I am starting to believe my body is refusing to drop into the healthy category. No comments on just accepting being fat the rest of my life, please, not matter how kindly you say it. I am fighting to not give in to that belief and reset to maintenance.

Replies

  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Stop weighing every day.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • taeliesyn
    taeliesyn Posts: 1,116 Member
    Stop weighing every day.

    I second this !

    Also pay close attention to your calories, you could be going a little too far under. Is the 1.5lb loss really the best option? Perhaps 1lb might work better for you.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
    It could be any number of things...too much sodium yesterday, not enough water, that TOM (I always gain a pound or two right before TOM, then when it's over, it disappears again), etc. My weight fluctuates by a pound or two from day to day. It's the long term you need to think about. Try only weighing yourself every couple of weeks instead. If you have to hide the scale or have a family member hide, do that. You'll drive yourself crazy weighing every day.
  • JoAnn73
    JoAnn73 Posts: 161 Member
    Weigh yourself once a week. In the morning Naked after you use the bathroom.
  • busterrocks
    busterrocks Posts: 35 Member
    I'm sorry that happened, it must be really frustrating. But don't let it detract from how far you've come, or derail your efforts!

    I agree that you should stop weighing yourself everyday, it will drive you batty! :smile:

    Here is an article that might help, called "why the scale lies"
    http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

    Good luck and hang in there!!
  • sailor1986
    sailor1986 Posts: 1
    You're probably gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat.
  • ImKindOfABigDeal40
    ImKindOfABigDeal40 Posts: 807 Member
    Scales are misleading. Depending on the time of day or weather you recently ate can all effect the scales. Also, if you have put on muscle, it can show up as a gain.
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
    I agree with the not weighing every day.
    This might help:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/scschenk/view/omg-how-did-i-gain-5-2-lbs-in-6-hours-156596


    P.S. Maybe you need to poop. :laugh:
  • ladivaboricua12
    ladivaboricua12 Posts: 1
    muscle weighs more then fat, do not weigh yourself daily.
  • NashvilleShelley
    NashvilleShelley Posts: 238
    Did you change your exercise? When I started the 30 day shred, I gained two pounds, but it went away in a few days. Just keep at it...the scale has to move down but sometimes not as fast as we would like it to! You know you can do this!!
  • Ambrogio1
    Ambrogio1 Posts: 518 Member
    Once a week weigh, I agree with that.

    Also maybe some out of the box ideas to mix your body up. ITs about catching it off guard.
    CarbCycle. 150 1 day 50 another. For example

    Or Spike Days. It got me out of my platuea. Thats to another member who pushed me to do it I have pished passed a weight I was at for a long time and have lost 3-5 lbs. GO low cals during week and then double them one day. Don't make it a pattern just do it once or twice. And you can do healthy spikes

    Cal Cycle. 1700 one day 2500 the next. at the end of the week have same caloric intake therfore you still are losing
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
    Are you drinking enough water? It might just be something weird your body is going though. Try to drink a gallon of water each day to flush out sodium that might be causing you to retain. Plus sometimes it takes awhile for your body to respond with weight loss to the hard work and effort you've been putting forth. Just stick with your plan and be sure you count everything you eat and drink and you should see a loss soon.
    Oh! Also you say you've lost 50 pounds. Could it be time to lower your daily calorie intake since you've had such a great weight loss?
  • Jackie9950
    Jackie9950 Posts: 374 Member
    I had the same thing happen to me last week. I was doing really well and I was losing weight each day and then BOOM, 2lb gain. I was discouraged but I kept up with my diet and the next day I dropped 2.5. I think mine had a lot to do with the TOM and sodium intake. I spend the day after drinking more than usual water to flush some of that sodium out and it seemed to have worked.

    I know they say not to weigh yourself each day but I need that encouragement to keep going. I might only post .2 or .3 lbs lost each day but I look forward to getting on the scale each day and seeing how I am doing. It's motivation for me.
  • mrdee555
    mrdee555 Posts: 178
    My weight is 4-6lbs heavier in the evening than the morning i only weight myself once a week at the same time in the same conditions, if ive ate somthing i shouldnt have my weight will be at least 2lbs heavier the next morning but its only water weight that can be lost the next day, the other thing is you do not look overweight imo. Go by measurments and what the mirror tells you weight isnt everything:)
  • DJStewie
    DJStewie Posts: 92 Member
    Don't worry about a 2 pound gain. Your body will fluctuate and the scale should be your least valuable measurment. I gained 3 pounds from yesterday and that was after one of the toughest workouts I have done in a long time.

    Don't get hung up on the numbers from day to day.
  • Shannoncore
    Shannoncore Posts: 135
    everybody has really good advice, but the most important thing is stop weighing your self every day. its great when it contiues to go down but the few times it jumps up can completely destroy your resolve. 2 lbs could be anything from needing to go to the bathroom to food you at yesterday still sitting in your digestive tract to TOM. don't sweat it too much weight in once a week if you absolutely have to and concentrate more on how your clothes feel then what the scale tells you because unless you have once of those super expensive scales that can tell you what your bmi is accurately and how much of that is water weight its the worst tool you can possible use while trying to lose weight. eat healthy, be healthy, be happy and live life because even if you are losing weight and you are miserable is it really worth it?
  • kln83
    kln83 Posts: 16 Member
    It sounds like you are doing an amazing job! There's many things that could be an issue. You mentioned sodium as one and plain old water retention. That could be it. Also, I don't know your workout routine, but maybe it's gotten too routine and you need to change things up a bit to challenge your body. Our muscles get conditioned to one thing and if we don't change it up, your weight loss will slow down or stop. Add resistance to your workouts. Do cardio with 1 lb weights in your hands or just something little to challenge your body. Also, being under your calories is great, but make sure you're not too much under your calories and sending your body into starvation mode. That will cause your weight loss to slow down too, even though you feel like it should be making it speed up. Those are just a few suggestions.

    On a personal note, I weigh myself every day and I don't have a problem with it. However, I do make sure to weigh myself in the morning, before breakfast, and without clothes. If the scale does show a gain, I just use it as motivation to work harder or think of things I could be doing differently. You can't let a couple pounds get you down. Even if it's a loss that you don't think is as much as it should be. THERE IS NO GIVING UP! You DO NOT have to settle with where you are at or resort to maintainence. 50 lbs is not an achievement to go un-noticed and neither will the next 10 lbs or the next 10 lbs after that. Stay strong and you will achieve your goals!
  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 600 Member
    muscle weighs more then fat, do not weigh yourself daily.

    No it doesn't...a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat!
  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 600 Member
    Don't gauge yourself on what you weighed yesterday or even last week. Look back to a month ago and see the progress you have made between then and now. That really keeps me motivated since there are some weeks that show a gain or a very tiny loss. Over a month you will really get a picture of your progress. I keep a chart in my walk in closet. When I get bummed about my clothes, I look at that and realize I am still making progress. I also still have my original pair of fat jeans, put those on and see how far you have come!
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