Why do you gain weight after a carb/sugar binge?

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Lisa1971
Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing GREAT lately and then my daughter and I made some cupcakes for her bday and unfortunately, the cupcakes got the best of me! :mad: :explode:

That was on Thursday and now I'm up 5lbs! Is this fat or water rention and if it is water then why so much? How can I get rid of it and get back to normal and how long will this take?

I'm so angry at myself!!!!!

Thanks so much guys!

PS. I've been following a low carb diet 50-75g/day but this sugar/carb binge put me waaaaaaaaaaaaay over for the day.
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Replies

  • beerbomber
    beerbomber Posts: 184 Member
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    Its your body saying hahahahahahhahahahah sucker I got you I got you I got you *evil laugh*
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
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    It's water unless you ate 17500 calories over your maintenance in two days....
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
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    It's water unless you ate 17500 calories over your maintenance in two days....

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    BINGO!
  • SHERRYBERRY11
    SHERRYBERRY11 Posts: 54 Member
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    I dont understand the sugar thing either. This past week, I just started eatn weigh watchers ice cream (one giant ice cream sandwich a day) & Ive notice that this is the first week I havent lost any weight! Before this past week, the only sugar I would consume was from fruit or cereal. I dont get it! Its suppose to be ok to eat low fat ice cream rite? As long as you stay under your calorie intake rite?
  • muitobem
    muitobem Posts: 436 Member
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    Its just water retention..nothing to worry about..try something i tried to get rid of some bloating i had: I upped my protein, drank more water than usual..cut sugars and other carbs to almost non-existent for about two days and my bloat went away...
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    Its your body saying hahahahahahhahahahah sucker I got you I got you I got you *evil laugh*

    LMAO!!!!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Carbs are stored as glycogen, glycogen needs a lot of water for storage. When you cut way back on carbs, you lose a lot of water weight because your body is storing less. When you eat higher carbs after that, you gain the water weight back, as your glycogen stores increase.

    It's just water weight.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    Carbs are stored as glycogen, glycogen needs a lot of water for storage. When you cut way back on carbs, you lose a lot of water weight because your body is storing less. When you eat higher carbs after that, you gain the water weight back, as your glycogen stores increase.

    It's just water weight.

    Ahhhhhhh...makes perfect sense. Thanks so much!
  • nk17
    nk17 Posts: 141 Member
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    Another important point it to try to keep the carbs balanced throughout the day. Your carbs should look like this
    rather than this vvvvv. That keeps your glucose on an even keel and keeps your body from trying to play defense. That's why people who skip breakfast often have trouble losing.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Another important point it to try to keep the carbs balanced throughout the day. Your carbs should look like this
    rather than this vvvvv. That keeps your glucose on an even keel and keeps your body from trying to play defense. That's why people who skip breakfast often have trouble losing.


    nope
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    Another important point it to try to keep the carbs balanced throughout the day. Your carbs should look like this
    rather than this vvvvv. That keeps your glucose on an even keel and keeps your body from trying to play defense. That's why people who skip breakfast often have trouble losing.


    nope

    :huh:
  • bravozulu12
    bravozulu12 Posts: 5 Member
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    A one day binge usually results in a lot of calorie and sodium intake. Which will cause you to retain water and a little fat. Get back on the calorie restriction and works outs. You will return to your normal weight in 1-2 days.
  • javamonster
    javamonster Posts: 272 Member
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    I don't do the low carb thing, and I can have a sugar binge and it doesn't affect my weight at all. My friends will attest that my sugar binges are quite regular. :smile: I just limit my other (healthier) food intake to accommodate those cals.
  • Fergie2154
    Fergie2154 Posts: 59
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    A one day binge usually results in a lot of calorie and sodium intake. Which will cause you to retain water and a little fat. Get back on the calorie restriction and works outs. You will return to your normal weight in 1-2 days.

    Agree.

    Your body needs 3500 calories to add 1 lb and vice versa for shedding pounds. Many see the scale go up or down in a 1 day and feel they have lost or gain that 1 lb overnight. The body just doesn't work that way unless you engage in sports where you are burning that many calories per day... eg, Michael Phelps the olympic swimmer or someone who is exercising many hours per day (The biggest losers who are under strict medical attention, while on the show)

    Therefore, eating a cupcake or 2 one day cannot cause you to gain lbs of fat. Give yourself about 3 days on your normal healthy eating plan, drinking your required water and your weight will normalize when your body rids itself of the extra water it retained because of additional salt, etc.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    Another important point it to try to keep the carbs balanced throughout the day. Your carbs should look like this
    rather than this vvvvv. That keeps your glucose on an even keel and keeps your body from trying to play defense. That's why people who skip breakfast often have trouble losing.

    I have been skipping breakfast almost every day since I started dieting. Seems to be working fine for me.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    PS OP - I have read that low carbers are subject to WAY bigger water weight swings than other people so I'm sure that is all it is. Even eating regular amounts of carbs I find that I can swing a few pounds of water around pretty easily and its supposedly way worse if you're low carb. Don't worry about it.
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
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    While I did have some sugar yesterday. I decided to give myself a treat and ordered chicken parmesan for dinner, came with a salad and garlic knots oh and of course pasta. I ate maybe a third or less of the chicken and pasta (I did get whole wheat), and a little of the salad and 2 garlic knots. Well that meal must've been loaded with salt. I'm up 2 lb since yesterday. I know it's not fat, but weigh in is Monday and I'm going crazy. I'm going to be chugging water the next two days like it's going out of style. I have to get this water weight off.
    I was going to eat some more of the chicken today, but now I'll hold on eating that until after weigh in and eat my home made chicken. It's kind of funny how my eating now revolves around weigh in. Like, I will only eat chinese food in the beginning of the week, since I know it has a ton of sodium and that needs time to come off before I get on the scale...LOL

    I think I would be even more crazy if it was 5 lb! Good luck and chug lots of water.
  • WoWmamaErin
    WoWmamaErin Posts: 148 Member
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    I had a huge carb binge yesterday (candy, chocolate & chips) and put on 5.3 lbs overnight. I know it's mostly water weight and also the weight of the food as I haven't had a good... 'bathroom break' yet... lol... I've done it before and will expect it to come off in about 2 days. I'm also failry low carb so a good sugar binge usually messes with the scale for a few days... just don't let it mess with your head is all!
  • shydaisi
    shydaisi Posts: 833 Member
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    Another important point it to try to keep the carbs balanced throughout the day. Your carbs should look like this
    rather than this vvvvv. That keeps your glucose on an even keel and keeps your body from trying to play defense. That's why people who skip breakfast often have trouble losing.

    I have been losing steadily for 6 months (66 pounds) and regularly go without breakfast. It is a myth that eating breakfast boosts your metabolism. Eating enough food is what keeps your metabolism going. Losing weight is simply a calories in vs. calories out game.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Extra carbs (sugar, etc) that your body doesn't need at a specific point in time get converted to glycogen to be stored in your liver and muscles. But each gram of glycogen sucks in 3-4 grams of water to be held in the cell, so your body will retain that water until it lets the glycogen go..

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