weight gain in the first week

Hi guys! Im new to IF, im still on day 4 and im doing a "easy" 14/10 where I fast for 14 hours and can eat for 10. This for me means skipping breakfast and stopping the late night binges I've been having. And also upping my water intake as a soda addict! I wanted to focus on these two point first and then in week two clean up my diet. Which meant in my eating window I havent been as mindfull of food.. But what I didn't expect is that I've actually gained weight in this first week?! Almost 2kg (about 4lbs?) Benefits im already feeling: less brain fog, happier in the morning when I wake up, no more bloated and full feeling, feeling more active, being more conscious of what I eat (even though it hasnt been so great this first week.) I would take those positives whole heartedly if weight loss wasnt my main goal. But Im also doing this because I need to reach a healthy bmi to get a breast reduction. I really thought that my night binges and soda addiction was the issue. And had hoped by just dropping those it would at least have some effect. Im feeling a bit discouraged and finding it hard to stay realistic. Reaching an unhealthy weight/bmi didnt happen in 1 week, so I know I shouldn't expect it to dissapear in a week either. But some encouragement would be nice! What im also considering might be the cause of my weight gain in a week: my period is due in a couple of days and I am also still breastfeeding my two year old toddler. Could either of those make my body hold onto weight?

Answer

Currently im in my luteal phase. I bloat like a monster. Scales tipped up this week, 3kg. Ive been 16:8 and one 20:4Basically its mostly water weight bought on by my fabulous hormones. Such fun being female-ian.I try to only weigh once a week because i tend to get obsessive. So ill see what next week brings. But usually once my period starts about 1-2kg drop off.Id give yourself a bit more time and see how the scales look in a couple of weeks. Which is frustrating i know.Its so cool hearing your non scale victories though, particularly the brain fog. I can definitely relate to that. And the added energy, which seems counter intuitive huh. But its sooo great.Wishing you well on your journey

ETA ive started tracking measurements this week. Sometimes the cms (or inches) will drop even though the scale demons are misbehaving. Might be worth trying?

Answer

1000% wait until a week after your period to see what changes are actually happening. My first plateau after starting IF was due to the week before & during my period cancelling out the weight loss with bloating/retaining more weight. It can be disheartening to see the scale move the wrong way but it’s okay, just wait it out and continue with your regular schedule. As long as you aren’t over-eating during your window then you aren’t really gaining fat.

Now that I’m down to within 10lb of my goal weight, I only see any weight loss in the week or so after my period is over. When I’m ovulating or in the preceding weeks, my weight does not drop at all but is completely flat or I maybe gain a couple lbs back, but after my period the weight comes off plus a bit extra. I have 9lb left and I think it will take at least months to lose it, 3lb a month but just concentrated in the week after each period. The whole of November I was 122lb. The whole of December I have been 119lb. Today the scale dipped a bit - my period ended yesterday.