I’m F 5’10” SW 177.8, CW 166.8, GW 155.
I have been doing well up until a couple days ago. I had ONE cheat day and I have gained 3 pounds! I don’t know if it’s just bloat or water weight (I’ve been sooooo thirsty lately), but I didn’t think that this would throw me off by so much. I know it’s just 3 pounds, but that’s about a week’s progress for me. I hope it comes off somehow by tomorrow haha.
I have been going hard, it’s been about 4 weeks since I’ve started. I’ve been eating a lot of salads and whole foods. A couple days ago, I had many a beer lol, a 1/2 of a burger, some fries, chips, and a bowl of cereal. I had only gained a pound the day after. Yesterday I had a small salad and a bowl of cereal and I went up another 2 pounds? How is that possible!!?
Anyway, I know I’m being a little extra considering I’ve lost 10 pounds already, I just wanted some reassurance that maybe this has happened to other people in their IF journey. It’s just more annoying than anything.
Skip the scales and start measuring your body. I’m dieting and the scales have been off putting. Our bodies fluctuate but it’s nothing to do with putting on fat. It’s indigestion, water gain, stress, so many other things - for girls it can be PMS and hormones. The scale didn’t budge with me for 7 days I was getting so mad. Then day 8th I went down 2lb finally. Keep pushing through. To pick up 1lb of fat you have to eat 3500 calories. So you’d need to have consumed 10,500 calories in one night for that to be actual fat lol. Not possible. Don’t stress too much the scale is inaccurate. It’s happening to me too but I’m down 18lb now in 5 weeks.
I recently invested in a composition scale, measures bmi, body fat percentage, and different types of fats in body such as sub and vis fat. Not too expensive either.
You don’t always notice the weight change but seeing the percentage changes is always good. Especially say if your weight lifting at the same time for example.
You need to look at these numbers over a larger time frame, I get the feeling, when I do everything right and still randomly seem to gain weight, and then I starve myself the next day, but that’s a mistake.
Our body weight can vary quite a bit on a day to day basis, what’s important is the long term trend.
I started weighing myself once a week, to make sure I don’t start obsessing over these things.
it’s water weight. I wanted to make lentil soup and to do that I needed a ham bone, so first I bought ham. One night we ate ham and bread and broccoli and then next day we ate the lentils with more bread and it was really good, because it had all that ham in it and plus I snuck some ham.
Anyway, yesterday morning I was 215. I’ve been 210 on maintenance for more than two years. It fluctuates between 207 and very occasionally 215. The last time I was 215 we got back from a holiday and I’d been eating early and eating late and eating cookies. I calmed down and got back to it and before I knew it was was back around 207 for one morning weigh in.
So when they say “water weight” it’s a lot about what you eat and how much water your body has to hold to process it. Eat clean for a few days, or get back on your calorie reduction routine and these three pounds will vanish.
I suggest getting an app like Happy Scale. It averages your last 7 days so you’re tracking that moving average instead of daily ups and downs. It helps a lot with keeping your sanity.
I have noticed that you can go 3 days looking bad and then you get on the scale and there a 1.5 pound loss.
Keep at it! It will smooth out over time!