Weigh in 3 lbs more than day before, discouraged

Kipperdog123
Kipperdog123 Posts: 59
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I keep weighing myself every day, and sometimes I will lose a pound a day, (I'm on Atkins), and sometimes I will weigh 3 pounds heavier than the day before. This is very irritating. I don't know if it's water weight- because I drink well above the recommended 8 glasses of water a day, or if I just ate too many calories the day before. Will someone explain this to me? I am supposed to lose a pound a day.
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Replies

  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    STOP weighing yourself every day!! Body weight naturally fluctuates. Yes, it probably is water weight. Focus on eating healthier and exercising and drink water!
  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
    Your ticker says you have like one or two pounds left to lose. ???? I am confused by your post.
    Also, losing 7lbs/week is not healthy. Why is that your goal?
    You also say you might have eaten too many calories the day before. Are you logging your food? You should know whether or not you ate too much.
    Lots of questions....
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
    Why would you weigh yourself every day?
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    it's just water weight. if you ate too much sodium you will still gain...
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Someone on here once said if you can't handle your weight fluctuations then don't weigh yourself everyday. I personally cannot handle them so I only weigh myself every other week, first thing in the morning. You'll have to figure out what works best for you. Good luck! :smile:
  • Arwen280804
    Arwen280804 Posts: 25 Member
    Should only weigh at most once a week, better still once every two weeks.

    Weight comes off/on differently for everyone.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    If your body weight goes up or down by 1 pound or more, it's water weight. There's nothing else your body could have done to gain or lose that much weight. There's 3500 calories in 1 lb of fat, so to go up 3 lbs, you would've had to eat 10500 EXTRA calories on top of your TDEE...

    Also, the Atkins diet doesn't work. Eat a damn apple if you want to be healthy.

    Another note: What time of day do you measure yourself? If it's in the afternoon/evening, or any time of day after you've eaten something (ie, any time other than first thing in the morning) your weight WILL fluctuate more than if you weighed yourself first thing in the morning.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    You do not understand how the body functions well enough to weigh yourself daily at this point.

    If you are going to do it every day, you need to understand how and how much water, sodium, carbs (glycogen), protein/lifting (creatine), and intestine contents affect how much you weigh, and the fact that comparatively changes in fat and/or muscle mass are a barely perceptable drop in the bucket.

    Even losing at the maximum suggested rate of 2 lb/wk, you are only going to see a change of 0.3 lb/day, well under the margin of error for most scales. The other systems above can cause variances of 2-6 lbs/day.
  • orchid568
    orchid568 Posts: 20 Member
    I have the same thing happen to me. I believe it is water weight. And why are you on the Adkins diet? Losing weight isn't about being on a diet. It is about making a lifestyle change. Eat the proper foods your body needs within the dietary guidelines (moderation) and include cardio exercises and strength training into your daily routine. Cardio a minimum of 30 minutes a day. If you are tight on time break the cardio into 10 minute increments. My nutritionist at the VA medical center says a weight loss of 1 1/2-2 pounds a week is good. Everyone I know on the Atkins has gained the weight back plus more. Proper food in moderation and exercise. Also, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    what was already said... only weigh weekly or bi weekly because your weight will fluctuate depending on a ton of different factors. for example, when it's extremely humid out, i swell. my rings are 3 sizes too big for me and i wear a plastic guard on them to keep them from falling off. i know when i need to drink more water and cool off because my rings are tighter and it's not comfortable. i weigh weekly unless i have a doctor's appointment... i weigh myself at home on my own scale in the morning so i don't get discouraged by the instant "gain" on theirs (because of my clothing or having eaten immediately before my appointment). :) just something i do to keep myself sane. :)
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    I am supposed to lose a pound a day.

    You need to have more realistic expectations. You are NOT supposed to lose a pound a day.

    I can "lose" 5 lbs in 2 hours on the tennis court even while drinking 3 liters of water. I'll gain it back in a few more hours too. Should I be discouraged by that? We are sponges, 85% water. Don't obsess about a 1% change in the amount of water stored in your body. We are dynamic, we respond to the environment and it is always changing, so we do also.
  • kirstierose
    kirstierose Posts: 18
    Theres lots of great advice there, your in good hands with us :happy:
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    Don't we all wish we could lose a pound a day! Sign me up!

    Water weight, time of month for women, or your body holding on to extra water weight when you workout or increase your workout intensity, and heavy salt consumption can increase the number on the scale. It's frustrating, but it means nothing.

    However, I suppose you could be one of those rare people capable of eating meat at a huge calorie surplus every day. I guess those people exist. I'm not one of them, it's all I can do to choke down 1200 calories worth of ground beef or steak, but if you aren't tracking calories, maybe you're going over. Not pounds a day over, but over enough to not lose.

    So maybe reset your goal to something realistic (one or two pounds a week) then track everything you eat to see how many calories a day you're getting. I know a lot of people on Atkins don't bother tracking calories, at least not at first, but I was already in the habit of using MFP's calorie counter when I started.
  • gothgirlphx
    gothgirlphx Posts: 25 Member
    weighing yourself everyday- worst idea EVER. I weigh myself once a week, usually on the same day (Thursday for me). It allows for fluctuations while still maintaining a picture of my overall progress. If I weigh myself everday, and oops, yesterday was my kid's birthday, and I overate, of course the scale is going to know, tell me, and let me be discouraged. I'm not saying don't be honest and tough with yourself, but be realistic or you're setting yourself up for failure. A pound a day is NOT realistic. You're not on Biggest Loser, and be glad of that, because every single contestant gains their weight back plus some.
  • gothgirlphx
    gothgirlphx Posts: 25 Member
    I forgot to mention: you need carbs. everyone needs carbs. it is one of our body's most fundamental building blocks. yes, you will lose weight rapidly be avoiding carbs entirely, however you'll be "skinny fat". That means you used your muscle to feed your body what it was lacking and now you can't open the pickle jar to save your life. Also, the Atkins diet doesn't teach you how to eat proportionately and in such a way to get all the necessary nutrients from your food, so once the diet's "over", the weight creeps back.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,996 Member
    Unless you plan to live on Atkins diet the rest of your life, get ready for weight gain when you reintroduce higher carbs to your diet. You're experiencing daily weight fluctuation which is normal, but if you can't handle it, then DON'T weigh daily.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mrh0rnet
    mrh0rnet Posts: 26
    Hell I gained 10 pounds in a week and half while eating at a deficit some kinda way.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    A pound a day?! Holy hell no wonder you're discouraged.
  • LondonEliza
    LondonEliza Posts: 456 Member
    If it makes you feel better I weight 2lbs more than I did two hours ago ..... because of all the water I drank working out :)

    During my TOM, I am always 2-3lbs heavier than at the start

    In the morning (post ablutions) I am always 1-2lbs lighter than I am at the end of the evening

    Stop weighing yourself every day unless you can accept fluctuations (I find them funny) and go for a once a week / month weighing

    Good luck!
  • mom24littleones
    mom24littleones Posts: 58
    If your body weight goes up or down by 1 pound or more, it's water weight. There's nothing else your body could have done to gain or lose that much weight. There's 3500 calories in 1 lb of fat, so to go up 3 lbs, you would've had to eat 10500 EXTRA calories on top of your TDEE...

    Also, the Atkins diet doesn't work. Eat a damn apple if you want to be healthy.

    Another note: What time of day do you measure yourself? If it's in the afternoon/evening, or any time of day after you've eaten something (ie, any time other than first thing in the morning) your weight WILL fluctuate more than if you weighed yourself first thing in the morning.

    I really have to agree with this poster...I did Atkins after every baby (4 of them :)) and, yes, I lost the weight, however I fully believe it screwed up my metabolism/carb sensitivies to the MAX! Now, I know better than to cut out the healthy fiber and goodness of fruit! Dont' let yourself be sucked into the "false" weight loss...you can do it with all the food groups!!

    And, like everyone said, just stay off that scale...there is no need to weigh yourself everyday, other than to torture your brain :wink:

    Are your clothes feeling tighter? They are the true, tell tale sign of weight gain/loss IMO...a few pounds, up and down, day to day, is completely normal.

    Add some fruit and more water to your diet, stay away from high sugar carbs and crazy prepackaged sodium foods and you'll get on the right track...OH! And, put away the scale!!! :happy:
  • PaveGurl
    PaveGurl Posts: 244 Member
    I find my weight goes up when I've had a really hard training session with my weights, too - do you lift?
  • thompetrella
    thompetrella Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with niner. Get off the Atkins. If you stay within the guidelines of MFP and mix in a few days of exercise, you will see significant progress. I am not saying that you can eat a bowl of pasta every day and a loaf a bread and still make it work. If you are eating regular bread, switch to deli flats or foldits. Gets the same satisifaction at a reduced calories. If you are drinking diet soda, STOP. Switch to Crystal Light. So many flavors of low, low calorie goodness. Eat smoked turkey, roasted chicken or some tavern ham for lunch....I could go on and on. So many good suggestions in this string. Especially adjusting your expectations. Why not aim for losing 1.5 or 2 pounds....see how that goes.....good luck.
  • richellekramer
    richellekramer Posts: 42
    I will be 4-6 lbs heavier at night than when I get up in the morning....... if you weigh every day, expect variation. I wish I could lose a pound a day....... that's the thing that frustrates me when I watch the Biggest Loser. How do they do that? Excersice for 8 hrs/day. Can't do that and have a real life.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    I forgot to mention: you need carbs. everyone needs carbs. it is one of our body's most fundamental building blocks. yes, you will lose weight rapidly be avoiding carbs entirely, however you'll be "skinny fat". That means you used your muscle to feed your body what it was lacking and now you can't open the pickle jar to save your life. Also, the Atkins diet doesn't teach you how to eat proportionately and in such a way to get all the necessary nutrients from your food, so once the diet's "over", the weight creeps back.

    Source?

    Research by Dr. Anssi H Manninen of the Advanced Research Institute has indicated that low and very-low carbohydrate diets may be slightly more muscle sparing than other types of diets, although more research needs to be done. So depending on your activity level, and your intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat, you may be able to burn ketones quite easily and with less muscle loss than other types of diets.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/340463-when-you-are-in-ketosis-are-you-burning-fat-rather-than-muscle/


    Not entirely sure how reliable this study is, but I've heard nothing about losing more muscle on Atkins than any other diet. Quite the opposite.
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    I forgot to mention: you need carbs. everyone needs carbs. it is one of our body's most fundamental building blocks. yes, you will lose weight rapidly be avoiding carbs entirely, however you'll be "skinny fat". That means you used your muscle to feed your body what it was lacking and now you can't open the pickle jar to save your life.

    With due respect, that is a load of hogwash.

    You do not need carbs. None, zero, nada. Your brain does need some glucose, but you don't need to get that from carbs. You liver can manufacture glucose from protein. So, you need some protein for that, and you need more protein for cellular repaid/growth. Then you need energy. You can get that from protein, or fat or carbs, your choice but there is zero requirement for carbs. You can do without just fine, I don't know why you would want to go to zero for forever. Veggies are way too wonderful to exclude but there is no mandatory requirement. Someone could get all their vitamins from a pill I guess, but I'd rather be Low Carb than Zero Carb (and who mentioned Zero carb anyway? )

    As far as "skinny- fat " goes so long as you are getting adequate protein (for the above mentioned processes) your body WILL NOT catabolize muscle tissue. The only reason your body will do that is if 1) You have no other source of energy, including body fat , ie you are starved (really starved, not just hungry ) and/or 2) You have glucose requirements that can not be met through synthesis of glucose from dietary protein due to inadequate supply.

    So, get enough protein, eat enough of fat, or protein or carbs to keep from starving and you will be OK.
  • oh_em_gee
    oh_em_gee Posts: 887 Member
    Well, weight fluctuates. Unless you ate 10,000 extra calories it's probably a temporary gain
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    What everyone else said. You did not gain 3 pounds. Chances are you are not really losing a pound a day. It's water weight probably caused by increased sodium.
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    Everyone I know on the Atkins has gained the weight back plus more.

    Almost everyone on <insert the name of your diet here> has gained the weight back plus more. :explode: Why would you single out the OP's choice for attack?
  • Arwen280804
    Arwen280804 Posts: 25 Member
    Everyone I know on the Atkins has gained the weight back plus more.

    Almost everyone on <insert the name of your diet here> has gained the weight back plus more. :explode: Why would you single out the OP's choice for attack?

    I lost on Atkins, it was great. Then it all came back on again afterwards.

    you need a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, not a temporary quick fix diet. Simple.

    I have lost over 5 stone with slimming world, and it's still coming off/maintaining well, and it's helped teach me a lot about good foods, cooking etc. Something I can follow for life as I don't feel deprived.
  • oh_em_gee
    oh_em_gee Posts: 887 Member
    Everyone I know on the Atkins has gained the weight back plus more.

    Almost everyone on <insert the name of your diet here> has gained the weight back plus more. :explode: Why would you single out the OP's choice for attack?

    I lost on Atkins, it was great. Then it all came back on again afterwards.

    you need a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, not a temporary quick fix diet. Simple.

    I have lost over 5 stone with slimming world, and it's still coming off/maintaining well, and it's helped teach me a lot about good foods, cooking etc. Something I can follow for life as I don't feel deprived.

    Low carb can be sustainable, but you're right, you can't just do it and then go back to eating whatever. Like all diets, it has to be a lifestyle change, not a quick fix

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