GAINING weight?

Hey, don't let one bad week get you down. Losing weight takes time, and everyone has their ups and downs in this process.

It does sound that a good portion of the weight is water since it's unlikely you ate that much over maintenance in just one week. (That would mean you ate 10,500 extra calories in one wk.) As others have suggested, if you limit your salt and drink plenty of water you should see the water weight come off.

Also, I looked at your diary. Here's my suggestions (in addition to what others said about sodium):

-Get a food scale and start weighing all food you prepare at home. Even if you *always* use a measuring cup, you are likely underestimating portion sizes. It is the best way to not let your brain trick you into thinking you're eating less than you actually are.

-Increase your protein. MFP's default suggestion is pretty low. You could try 40% carbs/ 30% fat/ 30% protein. Another recommendation I've read is 1 g protein for every lb of lean body mass (you just need an estimate of your body fat %, but I'd guess you're in the 100 g range). I see that you tend to eat a treat every day- you could start by swapping this for more protein, which will help you retain muscle. Carbs make you retain water, so you will also see a drop in water weight when you do this (pay more attention to your measurements though).

-I noticed that there seems to be A LOT of estimation going on in your diary. E.g., you use the quick-added calories and your use of "homemade" items from the MFP database. You want to avoid estimating whenever possible. For example, if you made the cheese scones at home, use the recipe function to calculate the calories instead of just picking something from the database. If you bought it from somewhere that does not offer nutritional info, I would suggest asking an employee for the info or not buying it. Colories in scones can vary by a ton- scones at Starbucks are in the 500 calorie range, not the 200 calorie range. So you could be sabotaging yourself a lot here.

-Limit your meals out. These are typically higher in sodium than food prepared out, so it will help you control salt intake. Also, you have no idea how closely any cook followed whatever recipe. If you have to eat out, add 1 plus a 1/4 serving of whatever you ate.

-MFP overestimates calories burned by a lot. You should probably only eat back 3/4 of your exercise calories.

Follow these steps and reassess your progress in the next month. You will see progress if you stick with it. People simply do not gain anything but water weight if they are eating at a deficit. Be accurate and consistent but patient.