Wrong side of the scale!

kmillar1224
kmillar1224 Posts: 91 Member
edited December 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to gain some insight into the reasoning behind gaining weight in one day. I have been staying true to my exercise, calories, and portion sizes. According to this site, if I continue to eat and exercise the way I have I should be down to 148Ibs in five weeks. However, this morning when I stepped on the scale it said I had actually gone up 2.5 pounds. Any ideas on what is happening? Why is my body gaining and not losing pounds?

According to this site I should be eating 1200 calories a day, which I have been doing. I also sweat to Zumba for 45 minutes followed by a 45 minute walk.

Replies

  • ready2tryagain42
    ready2tryagain42 Posts: 202
    You might be hitting a plateau because you body is used to you doing the same thing. Need to change it up. You might increase your calories a bit and see if that helps or try a different type of cardio exercise. I have hit a lot of plateaus in my journey. When I changed something I was doing ..I usually was able to get my body jump started again. Good luck to you!!!
  • muggins2005
    muggins2005 Posts: 1 Member
    You can gain weight in one day for a lot of reasons! Sodium intake, hormonal cycles, bowel movements, etc. It's discouraging when you're trying to lose weight when you see daily fluctuations and that's why people recommend only stepping on the scale once a week. I'm a fan of that plan because it prevents that awful feeling of discouragement you get with day to day changes.

    Also- remember if you are increasing your muscle mass, sometimes your weight will go up, even if you you lose fat.
  • amezeez
    amezeez Posts: 26
    Don't get discouraged. I weigh-in just once a week. Same day, same time. One day I weighed myself in the morning &, just for kicks, weighed myself that afternoon. I had gained 3lbs!! I also drank about 64oz of water that day &, of course, had eaten. All those things make a difference day to day. Once a week is much less frustrating for me. Good luck! :)
  • tt_net
    tt_net Posts: 5
    Check source of your 1200 calories.
    Try to change balance of protein in your diet.
    Also couple of pounds could be from water in your body, so try to cut salt intake at lease for couple days.
  • zen_mama
    zen_mama Posts: 51
    It's probably just water retention- perhaps from a higher sodium intake. Most womens' weights fluctuate naturally from day to day which can make daily weigh-ins become a psychological torture. I myself only weigh every two weeks for that very reason. Other things such as muscle gain and low fiber intake (which makes food move more slowly through the body) can also cause the scale to go up temporarily. I take measurements when I weigh so I have a better idea of my actual progress.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    gaining 2.5 lbs in 1 day is definitely not fat. You would have to eat an EXTRA 8750 calories or so. Even at that, you'd probably get sick instead of converting it all to fat storage.

    Most likely, it is water retention. Just drink a lot of water for a few days (like until your urine is clear everyday) and watch your sodium intake. Then weigh again.

    Long term, make sure you aren't eating too little because of your exercise. If you are at 1200 cal/day and exercising hard, you might need to eat at least some of your exercise calories back.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    Does your weight fluctuate with your cycle? Could that be the reason?
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    As others have said the weight gain has to be caused by water retention. In order to gain one pound of fat you would need to be eating 3500 calories above your maintainance level (TDEE). Most people do have fluctuations in weight due to water retention and at times it can be a substantial amount like you have experienced.

    Don't worry too much about what the scale says from one day to day to the next. Also, when you do weigh, weigh yourself at the same time of day with the same amount of clothing on (or none :smile:). Most people weigh themselves first thing in the morning after having gone to the bathroom.
  • kmillar1224
    kmillar1224 Posts: 91 Member
    Phew, that makes me feel A LOT better knowing it can't be fat weight - you honestly made my day!!! :0) Thank you all for your responses, it is greatly appreciated!!

    I know I shouldn't look at the scale on a daily basis, I wasn't planning on it or wanting to for that matter, but I got a little excited thinking I might see it go down.

    You are amazing, thank you for your help and motivation.

    PS - I have seen/read some of your success stories - truly inspirational!!
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