So discouraged. :(

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avedagirl96
avedagirl96 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been working so hard. I have been staying at my 1290 calorie goal and excercising almost daily with high cardio.. and as of last friday I was 10 pounds lighter. Then this morning I weighed myself and it said that I had gained 7 pounds!! How is that possible? I have been eating carbs but I am staying within my limits. Please help me figure this out. I don't want to give up!

Replies

  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    Higher salt, higher sugar higher carbs than usual....also where are you in your cycle?

    Many reasons can cause a sudden gain and I suspect you have a combination of a couple of them.

    Also...have you moved your scales, most scales will show different readings if placed in a different place
  • sarajo16
    sarajo16 Posts: 142 Member
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    I fluctuate nearly daily on the scales! Weighed myself on Tues and I was 63.3kgs and this morning I was 63.8kgs. There's no way I've put up weight cos I know I've been healthy and worked out all week. I'm avoiding the scales! lol. If your working out and sticking your cals then there's no way you've put up weight! How do your clothes feel??
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I have been working so hard. I have been staying at my 1290 calorie goal and excercising almost daily with high cardio.. and as of last friday I was 10 pounds lighter. Then this morning I weighed myself and it said that I had gained 7 pounds!! How is that possible? I have been eating carbs but I am staying within my limits. Please help me figure this out. I don't want to give up!

    It is water weight or something else. To gain 7 pounds of fat you would have had to eat 24500 over your maintenance calories which depending on your weight loss goal would be 500-1000 calories over you 1290 per day goal. If you are going to be weighing every day, getting freaked out by fluctuations like this is going to happen regularly since your body weight will change a lot for various reasons that have nothing to do with putting on fat.
  • Perkygirl66
    Perkygirl66 Posts: 3
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    I can absolutely be up about 5 pounds right before in my cycle. I also agree, the sodium will retain water. I drink a lot of water, but on my cheat day allow myself a caffeine free diet coke, if I want one. I can always tell later that day that I am retaining water. Flush it out with more water. You also may need to lower your carbs, and up your fiber. Up the fiber to get more regular (if you're not) and lower the carbs by replacing with protein, fruits and veggies. Too many carbs even within your calorie limits can make a difference.

    First and foremost - don't give up! It can be very frustrating (I basically lose weight 2 weeks out of the month, gain a little, then maintain a week. So the process for me has been longer than I would like, but having been everything from a size 4 to a size 18 - I have yo-yo'd since having kids 17 years ago, I am hoping this is the last time and that I am actually going to continue living a clean healthy life.

    It truly is a lifestyle change and not just a "diet"
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
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    Cant tell, your diary is private!
  • katherinemm31
    katherinemm31 Posts: 163
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    Not to be gross, but I can gain 6-7 pounds just from not pooping for a couple of days. And if that happens around my period, I'm really in numeric trouble.

    As for water weight gain, I know which foods do that to me. Eating more salt? Are your feet swollen at all? If you wear rings, how are they fitting? Any puffy eyes?
  • avedagirl96
    avedagirl96 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you for the encouragement. I am going to assume that it is water weight. I will slack on the sodium. I guess I am close to my cycle. Since having my baby and my tubes tied I don't track my cycles anymore. That really helps me to feel much better!!
  • Mummsy
    Mummsy Posts: 347 Member
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    I know how you feel. Hang in there, make some adjustments and over time see what works for you the best! DON'T give up!
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    Do what I say, not what I do... :grumble:

    Don't weight yourself. Take measurements instead.

    I need to take my own advise though.

    Carbs can add weight though, so we don't know if you're eating too many of them....
    But lower that and measure yourself instead.

    Are you clothes feeling tight or anything like that? Women can gain up to 10 pounds in water weight.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    you can only give up if you let yourself give up. gaining doesn't mean you quit, it just means work harder to figure out what's going on.

    1: water weight, especially during your time of the month, YES the scale will go up, maybe even a day before

    2: drink plenty water

    3: carbs are okay, I eat simple :grumble: ALOT but you want complex carbs from fruit/veggies and whole grains

    4: it's what kind of food that makes a difference, quality is best

    5: cannot out exercise a bad diet, not saying you have one, didn't look at your diary, just throwing it out there
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
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    You probably need a new scales!

    Only ever weigh yourself first thing in the morning, naked

    xx
  • vanessagardner01
    vanessagardner01 Posts: 6 Member
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    Can't believe thats right. I always weigh at the same time in exactly the same place with no clothes once a week. You fluctuate during that week but I'd look at your scales.
  • Rebecca_Evans1
    Rebecca_Evans1 Posts: 27
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    Don't be discouraged...as everyone has already said, weigh once a week (maximum!) and always weigh at the same time of day. We can all fluctuate by a few pounds over the course of 24 hours, so don't be disheartened.

    I always weigh on a Monday morning, in the same spot in the kitchen, with just my cotton pyjamas on. Before I've had breakfast, but definitely after my morning wee ;)

    Stick with it, it can sometimes take a week or two to find your right balance of things. Maybe try variety in the kind of exercise you're doing...but definitely don't give up :)

    x
  • savmoss
    savmoss Posts: 5 Member
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    You sound exactly how I feel today!
    It's an off day on the scales, like everybody has said, fluctuations happen. The reality is you haven't actually eaten an additional 24,500 calories which in theoretical terms is what it would take to put that amount of fat on.
    Step off your scales, really review what you're eating, when you're eating it and how you're eating it (are you rushing, are you picking, are you grabbing food on the run)
    Drink water to make sure you're hydrated properly and to fill you up.
    And above all, do something that makes you smile today, whether that's going out, buying a little treat, watching a really good comedy...........anything to take the focus of the weight.
    Hopefully you're already feeling better from everybody's replies, keep us posted ;-)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    You might want to up your calories too (at least eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories). Your body is probably doing working to conserve food as it doesn't see enough nutrition and you are probably retaining water to repair muscles. If you only eat 1290 calories and burn 500 calories working out, it's the equivalent of eating 790. At this point, your metabolism will slow down and your body conserves. It then will also attack your lean muscle mass for the amino acids to convert into energy. Less muscle = slower metabolism. Long term results will be hinder and you will be more susceptible to gain the weight back easier and quicker.

    Additionally, cut some of the cardio and pick up some heavy weights. A mix between weights and adequate protein will allow you to maintain or gain a little lean muscle mass which will help your body burn fat. There are too many myths out there about women and weight lifting.
  • ashuster1
    ashuster1 Posts: 14 Member
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    it could be muscle since you are working out so much. dont get too discouraged. measure your inches not your weight...ive only lost ONE pound in 2 weeks but ive lost inches. stay focused and dont quit :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    it could be muscle since you are working out so much. dont get too discouraged. measure your inches not your weight...ive only lost ONE pound in 2 weeks but ive lost inches. stay focused and dont quit :)

    It's not muscle growth. She has a very large calorie deficit and isn't doing weight training. And muscle doesn't grow that fast.

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