How much does food weigh?

kimber_av
kimber_av Posts: 98
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
Not looking for exact number lol.

Here's the deal. Tuesday I allowed myself a cheat and brought my hair dresser and myself chick fil a breakfast as a thank you for squeezing me in. I knew it would be a lot and I'd make up for it later.

So Thursday I weigh myself just curious (weigh ins are friday). I'm up 1lb. WHAT?! One day of 1700 cals and I went up! no way. Not possible. I rationalized that it was the heavy fast food in my system.
Skipped weigh in on friday.

hopped on the scale today. DOWN 3LBS FROM THURSDAY. WHHHHATTTT???
Either fast food is very heavy and slow moving. or my scale is delusional.

any insight?

Replies

  • biddysaurus
    biddysaurus Posts: 156 Member
    fast food is often full of salt which makes you retain water. ;) Congrats on being down 3 lbs since then! yay!!
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
    Sodium and water retention would be my guess.
  • SunshineKisses_2012
    SunshineKisses_2012 Posts: 471 Member
    The one pound gain could have been from the sodium in the Chick Fil A.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    i hope this is a silly post!
  • kimber_av
    kimber_av Posts: 98
    i hope this is a silly post!

    haha Yeah its in a humorous manner. I know its heavy and full of sodium which will make the scale go up. just amazed at how drastically ONE meal can change things. just sharing with others and seeing if anyone else experienced this. one meal may seem to be HORRIBLE. but i'm proof that- it'll pass through haha.

    the human body and how it reacts to food is quite interesting
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Fast food by the way is likely to be lighter due to higher fat content and less filling and water rich foods like fresh fruit and veg. If you're getting worried by a weekly fluctuation of a lb you need to straighten head out... could be anything...you were dehydrated on last weigh in, heavy exercise led to more tissue inflammation and water retention. too much sodium may mean you're holding water. But seriously...asking how much food weighs in relation to a lb of weight!?! That's ~454grams... a small standard sized drinks bottle weighs more you could have had 2 extra cups of coffee that day...

    Without being mean (and it's good for you to know these things!) reality check! Don't worry about it!
  • yieldguru
    yieldguru Posts: 9 Member
    If Chick-Fil-A was more carbs than what you might eat on a normal day than you are retaining water. For each gram of carb you eat you retain somewhere around 2.1grams of water. So even though the actual food amount was not a pound, your body retained the water. In general I have not found salt to be a huge retainer of water. It's usually the carbs. That's why on low carb diets there is a big water weight loss. On regular diets somewhat initial loss just because the amount of food (generally carbs) is less. It should go away in about 2 days. I love Pasta and it's one reason I don't eat it because my weight is just out of the world for the next couple of days.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    If you're getting worried by a weekly fluctuation of a lb you need to straighten head out...
    I took this question as the OP being curious, not that she was worried at all. And a pound might not be much to you, but speaking as someone who (being very short) can only lose half a pound a week at the very most, a pound is quite a lot - losing 1lb is the best result I can expect after two weeks of strict dietary control and hard exercise.

    I have found my body's reactions to various things to be interesting, especially in regard to an excess of sodium, then again, I'm a bit of a geek that way. Normally my sodium intake is low, for health reasons, but a gain due to a lot of salt in a meal I didn't cook myself is irrelevant to my weight loss as it's a temporary water retention, not a "fat" gain.

    Kimber, good for you for wanting to learn about how your body works. Information is power. :)
  • harriet_tubman
    harriet_tubman Posts: 52
    water retention. also, chick fil isn't THAT bad for you.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Not looking for exact number lol.

    Here's the deal. Tuesday I allowed myself a cheat and brought my hair dresser and myself chick fil a breakfast as a thank you for squeezing me in. I knew it would be a lot and I'd make up for it later.

    So Thursday I weigh myself just curious (weigh ins are friday). I'm up 1lb. WHAT?! One day of 1700 cals and I went up! no way. Not possible. I rationalized that it was the heavy fast food in my system.
    Skipped weigh in on friday.

    hopped on the scale today. DOWN 3LBS FROM THURSDAY. WHHHHATTTT???
    Either fast food is very heavy and slow moving. or my scale is delusional.

    any insight?


    Wt Loss is NOT an exact science. Sure the "Formula" says, in - out =X, BUT NONE of that is true. The equation forgot about us being HUMAN. It is what it is! Stop making a big deal out of it when the numbers don't add up.
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
    I'll concur with the others in saying that it was the sodium that caused you to retain water. Just remember every pint of water is 1 pound and every gallon is 8 pounds. (adds up fast doesn't it)
  • kimber_av
    kimber_av Posts: 98
    TourThePast - thank you for seeing the light hearted curiosity in my post. Gracious day I didn't think I'd get a lecture and told to stop making a big deal. Just found the happenings interesting figured i'd share and see if other people noticed how different foods can change things for a few days becuse of how our bodies react to them. *sigh* Everyone takes such little comments so seriously and seem offended. I'm a well educated individual just making a casual comment. It wasn't so serious.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    first I will answer as MFP Moderator-let's stop here on any attacking or insulting type responses. EVERYONE is at a different level on MFP and may not know these things. When someone asks a question, please answer like the other person in such a way that you do not need a caveat such as "not being mean":heart:
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Now as MFP AWTY, 3 yrs on and 36 lbs gone. 12 lbs back on:grumble: always learning, always willing to learn.

    I ate Skyline Chili as a 'treat' in the middle of my strictest caloric restriction days. I am not kidding when I say I was up 6 pounds for a week. I am sure my body was not used to this fat, salt, MSG and anything else fake in the prep, as I had been eating really clean.

    Now I am eating at maint. cals, trying to get back on the bandwagon here-and when I ate the same meal I was up a few pounds.

    I found this curious at the least, given I am still ME!:wink:

    Funny how our bodies respond to food, huh?:flowerforyou:
  • kimber_av
    kimber_av Posts: 98
    first I will answer as MFP Moderator-let's stop here on any attacking or insulting type responses. EVERYONE is at a different level on MFP and may not know these things. When someone asks a question, please answer like the other person in such a way that you do not need a caveat such as "not being mean":heart:
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Now as MFP AWTY, 3 yrs on and 36 lbs gone. 12 lbs back on:grumble: always learning, always willing to learn.

    I ate Skyline Chili as a 'treat' in the middle of my strictest caloric restriction days. I am not kidding when I say I was up 6 pounds for a week. I am sure my body was not used to this fat, salt, MSG and anything else fake in the prep, as I had been eating really clean.

    Now I am eating at maint. cals, trying to get back on the bandwagon here-and when I ate the same meal I was up a few pounds.

    I found this curious at the least, given I am still ME!:wink:

    Funny how our bodies respond to food, huh?:flowerforyou:


    Thank you!
    and that is the point of my post. it is amazing how our bodies will become so used to eating better and one "bad/unhealthy" meal will send it into a tizzie! It shows how well tuned our bodies are to stimuli it encounters. Not only did I bloat from the meal I felt sluggish and unmotivated. As a Psychology major it really sparked my interest how our negative physical reactions to a stimuli can cause a negative mental reaction. Which we are all aware of but it was such a clear case that I observed. Amazing.
  • lyddsmom
    lyddsmom Posts: 96
    I have found the fluctuations on the scale curious too. The closer I get to my goal weight, the less I rely on the scale because it seems to go up and down in a very random way. I have been working out much heavier on certain days and that seems to make the fluctuations worse. Instead of relying only on the scale, I base my success more on how I look and feel. My pants fit more comfortably and I just feel healthier. When I weigh myself everyday, it just makes me want to cry and then eat something sweet and bad for me. I know that the fluctuations on the scale are not truly always an indication of fat gain or loss, but it is still hard to see the numbers go up instead of down.
  • kimber_av
    kimber_av Posts: 98
    I have found the fluctuations on the scale curious too. The closer I get to my goal weight, the less I rely on the scale because it seems to go up and down in a very random way. I have been working out much heavier on certain days and that seems to make the fluctuations worse. Instead of relying only on the scale, I base my success more on how I look and feel. My pants fit more comfortably and I just feel healthier. When I weigh myself everyday, it just makes me want to cry and then eat something sweet and bad for me. I know that the fluctuations on the scale are not truly always an indication of fat gain or loss, but it is still hard to see the numbers go up instead of down.

    yes it can be a bit disheartening. That is why I stick to weighing only ONCE a week (normally, this week was an exception). On a set day, set time etc. and even still I focus more on a range 2lbs range up or down because fluctuations are inevitable. Good for you for knowing yourself and turning to how you feel rather than a scale. The scale relationship is always a love/hate one. Keep your head up!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    first I will answer as MFP Moderator-let's stop here on any attacking or insulting type responses. EVERYONE is at a different level on MFP and may not know these things. When someone asks a question, please answer like the other person in such a way that you do not need a caveat such as "not being mean":heart:
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Now as MFP AWTY, 3 yrs on and 36 lbs gone. 12 lbs back on:grumble: always learning, always willing to learn.

    I ate Skyline Chili as a 'treat' in the middle of my strictest caloric restriction days. I am not kidding when I say I was up 6 pounds for a week. I am sure my body was not used to this fat, salt, MSG and anything else fake in the prep, as I had been eating really clean.

    Now I am eating at maint. cals, trying to get back on the bandwagon here-and when I ate the same meal I was up a few pounds.

    I found this curious at the least, given I am still ME!:wink:

    Funny how our bodies respond to food, huh?:flowerforyou:


    Thank you!
    and that is the point of my post. it is amazing how our bodies will become so used to eating better and one "bad/unhealthy" meal will send it into a tizzie! It shows how well tuned our bodies are to stimuli it encounters. Not only did I bloat from the meal I felt sluggish and unmotivated. As a Psychology major it really sparked my interest how our negative physical reactions to a stimuli can cause a negative mental reaction. Which we are all aware of but it was such a clear case that I observed. Amazing.

    Exactly! It is like a never ending cycle. I KNOW if I eat well and exercise, I will feel better. Period. Nothing else to say. When I ate that Chili (look up Skyline Chili and your eyes will pop out!!) Even now that I am less than even good on the eating scale, my body was PO'd the next day. I was tired, crampy, yucky feeling. Out bodies do not like the crud we feed it? They will tell us. Then my mind says "I feel so cruddy I deserve a pc of cake!" Seriously, I DO this!

    I am glad you posted because it reminds me that today I am on the right track. I awoke feeling refreshed and this is from eating right and walking yesterday.

    A few more days of this and the cycle is broken........for a while anyway :wink:
  • Otrepsi
    Otrepsi Posts: 24 Member
    Another thing that people forget that can make you gain water weight is intense strength training. Muscles hold onto water in order to repair themselves. I did a session of 30DS last Friday evening, then went out to a Chinese buffet Saturday evening. It made my muscles really sore for several days because I'm not used to that type of work-out.

    I weigh myself every morning (and sometimes a couple times during the day) just to see how my body fluctuates, but the only day that counts is Saturday morning. I gained 4 pounds of water weight from Saturday to Sunday! I attributed half to the work-out and half to the sodium from Chinese, since I've noted over the months that I usually have about a 1.5 pound gain the day after Chinese food.

    I was back down to my Saturday morning weight by the following Wednesday, and by Saturday I had lost another 1.5 pounds overall.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories