Defeated...

So I've been working about and watching my calories for about two weeks now. Up until yesterday I had lost 5 pounds then all of a sudden today it says I gained two pounds in less than 24 hours? How is that possible? My friend said its my body building muscle but I feel like I havent been doing it long enough to be at that point yet. Any input?

Replies

  • wolfehound22
    wolfehound22 Posts: 859 Member
    How many cal are u eating, and what are you doing to workout. It can be differnt things, for one try not to weigh everyday, our bodies can change so much, I know mine can gain over 5 lbs in a day sometimes. So set a certain time each week to do it. And even so you may see weight gains, could be water, could be muscle growth, could be u hadn't gone to the bathroom, gross I know, but its true. Try adn take pics, and measurements, these are the real key to success, and you will get a lot better results focusing on that, as well as body fat %.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    A 2lb gain or loss could just be water retention (too much sodium yesterday??)

    Don't get frustrated if you've only been at it 2 weeks - you're just getting warmed up. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.
  • I try eating all my calories MFP tells me to eat, but sometimes when I workout and get an extra 500-700 i just cant eat that much.
  • animix116
    animix116 Posts: 4 Member
    Like wolfehound22 said you shouldn't weigh yourself everyday as it does get discouraging. As for the weight gain don't worry about too much yet...it's most likely just a normal fluctuation in weight caused from muscle growth, water weight (water weight especially is its near your time of month, i can gain 7lbs overnight because of it). The amount of pounds you lose shouldn't be your driving force instead observe how your clothes are fitting and your excersice levels (how much more you can do now compared to where you started). I know how it feels, countless times throughout my weight loss journey i would gain weight but instead of letting that bring me down i used it as a driving force as an opportunity to prove that if i can conquer a measely pound i can do anything! good luck.
  • TankGirl71
    TankGirl71 Posts: 241 Member
    Throw away the scale. Get a tape measure.
  • Angie_1MR
    Angie_1MR Posts: 247
    I fluctuate 2-3 pounds regularly. It's your water weight. As a woman, you would be genetically gifted to put on 5 pounds of muscle in one year.
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    The good news is that it's not fat!* The bad news is that it's also not muscle. It's water. Don't worry about it.

    * The preceding statement assumes you did not eat 7000 calories over your goal yesterday
  • chefkev
    chefkev Posts: 155 Member
    Plus, you are female and with the various hormonal shifts your body goes through, weight swings are not uncommon. Keep at it, it will come right off again, I promise.
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Us women retain water and especially at certain times of the month...Also..(maybe TMI) but if you haven't yet gone to the bathroom?
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    Water retention - what was your sodium in take like yesterday?
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    I noticed that I would retain a significant amount of water in relationship to my menstrual cycle. My GYN even gave me a prescription for "water pills"!! I would gain 5-6 lbs in 24-36 hours. It would hang around for about a week and then vanish. As I've lost weight this past year I've noticed the "bloating" is nearly disappeared! When it does show up, it's slight and I don't have to medicate to manage it. Don't get discouraged at 2 weeks. Make sure you are eating enough calories AND drinking enough water!! It took me almost 5 weeks before the scale budged in the right direction. Be determined to keep at it!!
  • brettjcohen
    brettjcohen Posts: 30 Member
    Scales are funny things. I kinda pigged out for dinner the other night at my daughter's birthday. I came home and stepped on the scale (I have a decently accurate one) and it said 197. I almost fell over because I usually hang around 185ish. I'd been eating poorly for a few days and wondered how I gained 12 pounds in like 3 days. That was last Friday. Today I'm at 184. I just can't explain it. I think I can vary in weight by up to 5 pounds in the same day based on time of day, fluid intake, etc.

    Just chill and keep on track. This is a marathon not a sprint so minor ups and downs are pretty normal I think.
  • erogers85
    erogers85 Posts: 32
    i agree! Don't weigh yourself daily, it will make you feel defeated. I weigh myself every Saturday morning between 6:30-7:00am before I eat or drink anything and that's it! Keep up the great work!
  • j77r68
    j77r68 Posts: 271 Member
    Just remember you are only two weeks in. you will have ups and downs. go over your diary's to see if you need to cut back on things like sodium, sugars, carbs etc... up your workouts by a few minutes each workout and if you are going to continue weighing yourself daily make sure it is done at the same time preferably in the morning because as the day goes on your weight WILL fluctuate.
  • JennedyJLD
    JennedyJLD Posts: 123 Member
    I know it feels like a huge number right now, but in the scheme of things, 2 pounds is not a big deal. My weight fluctuates by 2-3 pounds a day. It could be water weight - was yesterday a high sodium day?, could be that you haven't gone #2 in a few hours (sorry, but true), could be that time of the month. Give it three days and I bet those 2 pounds mysteriously disappear and take a friend or two with them.
  • A 2lb gain or loss could just be water retention (too much sodium yesterday??)

    Don't get frustrated if you've only been at it 2 weeks - you're just getting warmed up. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

    ^ what he said.

    maybe you just need to take a big poo. 2lbs is nothing... just keep at it! it's also best to weigh yourself ONCE a week, in the morning right after you wake up. that way there is nothing sittin in your stomach. don't give up.
  • Tropical_Turtle
    Tropical_Turtle Posts: 2,236 Member
    Us women retain water and especially at certain times of the month...Also..(maybe TMI) but if you haven't yet gone to the bathroom?

    ^^^ this - I can add and drop 3-5 lbs in a day for those reasons alone
  • Susan2BHealthier
    Susan2BHealthier Posts: 130 Member
    I know how you feel. I have had 1250 calories everyday the last 8 days and 30 min exercise everyday and gained 3 lbs this morning when I did my weekly weigh-in. Don't give up. Last time this happened I gave up...now I had to start over last week. Just keep eating healthy and exercising. I may throw my scale out: :noway:
  • redlion45
    redlion45 Posts: 155 Member
    How many cal are u eating, and what are you doing to workout. It can be differnt things, for one try not to weigh everyday, our bodies can change so much, I know mine can gain over 5 lbs in a day sometimes. So set a certain time each week to do it. And even so you may see weight gains, could be water, could be muscle growth, could be u hadn't gone to the bathroom, gross I know, but its true. Try adn take pics, and measurements, these are the real key to success, and you will get a lot better results focusing on that, as well as body fat %.

    This ^ Is dead nuts on target! Weight can change for a number of factors day to day and it doesn't mean you gained that much in one day :noway: Don't get down. It's only been 2 weeks. This is a marathon, not a sprint (as much as I hate to admit it sometimes). None of us put the weight on in 2 weeks, and it isn't all coming off in two weeks, or even 2 months in some cases. Just keep on truckin down the road, try to eat right and get active every day. :bigsmile:
  • LifeOnMars_
    LifeOnMars_ Posts: 720 Member
    So I've been working about and watching my calories for about two weeks now. Up until yesterday I had lost 5 pounds then all of a sudden today it says I gained two pounds in less than 24 hours? How is that possible? My friend said its my body building muscle but I feel like I havent been doing it long enough to be at that point yet. Any input?

    You are only 2 weeks in. Keep at it and ditch the scale for now. Weigh in once a week.
  • I totally understand and it is probably water weight....so don't worry to much about it. Get a Tape Measure and Measure yourself every Two weeks ...

    Keep up the good WORK and don't stress!
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    um.. .you do know that your body fluctuates daily... I can go up as much as 5 pounds depending on what I ate, what I drank, how much I ate if I went to the bathroom, what time of the month it is, what time of the day it is etc. I wouldnt worry too much about a gain especially 2 pounds in a day. If you are going to weigh in daily learn your fluctuations, don't let them rule you.. your weight will never be a constant.. I know 2 people in maintinence right now and their weight shifts... its just a part of life and 2 weeks in and you are defeated.. what is going to happen in a year when it gets hard or when you hit a plateau or when you fall off the wagon?
  • spynoodle
    spynoodle Posts: 404
    My weight can fluctuate as many as 3-4 pounds in a day. Don't put too much into it. It's most likely water.
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,860 Member
    Weight can fluctuate. Water. The Moon. Sun spots. Monkeys. There's a million resons. Don't let it get you down. keep doing what you're doing if it has been working and it'll keep working. I go up and down all the time, but over time it averages out to just about exactly what my goals are. You're not defeated. You're just like the rest of us. So chin up and get back to it.
  • MrsTattie
    MrsTattie Posts: 79 Member
    Just kick the scales around the bathroom for a wee while. Jump on and off as often as required. Wait a few mins then repeat the whole thing.....You can even log that exercise!! Seriously, bathroom scales are fickle. They seem to do alright for a while then go a bit nuts. I am taking my pic of the scales weekly and averaging about a pound each week...after moving the scales if I don't like what I see!!
    Try to ignore the blips....focus on an event in the summer...a few months away and think how wonderful you are going to look. Good luck!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    So I've been working about and watching my calories for about two weeks now. Up until yesterday I had lost 5 pounds then all of a sudden today it says I gained two pounds in less than 24 hours? How is that possible? My friend said its my body building muscle but I feel like I havent been doing it long enough to be at that point yet. Any input?

    Weight fluctuates. This is a long-term thing. You should not be looking for big changes in two weeks. Stick with it for a few months and don't sweat the gains!
  • lorihalsted
    lorihalsted Posts: 326 Member
    Don't feel defeated. Don't give up. Take one day at a time and do what you know is right! You can do it. Our bodies are a mystery to me. Eat correctly, work out, log your food. Try not to weigh every day (this coming from someone that weighs every day...). P.S. I gained 9 lbs in one day last week...not even close to a real gain. The next morning I was back down to normal. HANG IN THERE!
  • bjfrezell
    bjfrezell Posts: 241
    Hang in there.

    The first few weeks, even the first month or two, can be hard. But the longer you stick with it, the easier it will become for you. You'll see the changes, it just may take a while. I can go a whole week without losing anything and then the following week I'll lose three pounds. You'll learn to celebrate the small victories, even the non-scale victories like being able to fit into those old jeans that were tight before or not feeling out of breath walking up the stairs. Just finishing each day on plan is a victory for me.
  • annabellio
    annabellio Posts: 127 Member
    right now it's right before TOM, I ate way over sodium sunday AND well you know, the TMI thing, and I gained 7 lbs OVERNIGHT... I've been doing this awhile and I STILL get frustrated when that happens but I know that that is IMPOSSIBLE ( 7 real lbs) and INEVITABLE ( 5-7 lbs of water) with the preceding three elements factored in.
    This morning I was down four lbs. OVERNIGHT. Please don't feel defeated. Keep at it. Really. you'll be fine.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    give it time. You didn't gain the weight overnight and you won't lose it overnight!