Causes of sudden weight gain when counting calories?
Hi!
I'm 20 and am trying to lose a significant amount of weight finally. I have been dieting for a week now by counting calories and carbs. When I weighed myself yesterday, the scale said I had gained 2 pounds; when I weighed today, it said 3 more, so a total of 5 pounds in two days. Is that possible? I've kept my calories under 1200 and haven't went much over 100 carbs a day (Not great but still). It's not PMS either, I actually just had my period. It's just really discouraging to see that when I've been eating well and trying hard. I haven't been exercising a lot because I had a cold, but I did go for a 2 mile walk today and plan to do a lot more. Any ideas of why the fluctuation?? When I weighed yesterday, it was in the morning (when it said I'd gained 2 pounds) and the second time was just a few minutes ago. I know you're not supposed to weigh at night but I was curious.
Its very easy to have weight flucatuations of plus or minus 5lbs depending on your weight.
Its not physically possible to gain that much fat in one day so I think you are safe!
If you are going to weigh yourself a lot, which is not a bad thing as it makes you confront your weight, you need to get used to your body rhythm and how your weight changes throughout the day and just pay attention to the lowest number you see during the day or the average number you see during the day, whichever makes you feel good
could be a few things.. if you're not drinking enough water your body holds onto everything. be sure to drink 3+ litres of water a day.. will also help "move things along" and keep you regular which also helps numbers on the scale.
Sounds to me like it may be water retention. As stated by PEGEYE, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. When I first started I did. Like you're doing and was restricting my calories to 1200. That worked well but i learned from some of the maintainers that you toss in a 1500 calories day one day a week.
As you get to know your body you will learn how, when and what to tweak. It is indeed a change of lifestyle because you have to pay close attention to your body, which in no school was I ever taught that.
I'm guessing 1200 calories is actually much too low for you, since you're 5'8.
I'm 5'10 and losing weight on 2100 calories per day. Granted, I have a lot of lean mass and I'm taller than you. But my sister, who's 5'2, loses weight eating about 1300 calories per day. And usually when there are people here having issues with 1200 calories being too many, it's someone who's 5'0 or thereabouts.
Your body needs calories for plenty of reasons other than making fat. My body would use about 1800 calories per day if I were to just lay in bed all day and not move. So I need to eat that many calories so my body isn't depending on fat reserves for its essential functions. Then I eat a few more to be on the safe side, while staying in a caloric deficit.
Your body is only able to lose so much fat at once, as well. And when you're losing too quickly, your body will use your lean mass instead. So you're not doing yourself any favours by eating so little food. It will be a lot harder to maintain later if you lose too much lean mass along the way.
Anyway, I think it would be good to find out how many calories you really need to eat to lose weight. My suggestion would be to increase your calories to about 1600, then stick to that for about 3 weeks before weighing yourself. There's no hurry, and if it turns out 1600 is too much you're not likely to gain much (because the 400 calorie increase should equal less than one pound per week difference).
I agree with faiora 1200 calories might actually be too low for you. I'm the same heigth/weight range as you and a dietician recommended more like 1650-1750 calories a day for now. And even more so if you exercise!
So when you weigh make sure it's at the same time. You naturally gain weight during the day, so it is completely common for you to weigh 2-3lbs more at night, after you've eaten and drank water all day compared to in the morning when you haven't eaten yet, you probably just went to the bathroom. That is totally normal regardless of your weight. Lowest weight is always in the morning after bathroom, before breakfast. If you're going to weigh at a different time, make sure it's the same time daily. Consistency is key there.
As far as the gain, it could be all water weight. Water retention happens for a variety of reasons and could cause a 2lb gain only to drop off sometime later. Sodium tends to be a main culprit, so if you had a lot of sodium one day, you'll probably see a gain the next.
Like others mentioned, fluctuations are normal, especially within 5lbs, even with weekly weigh ins the scale doesn't always go down when you've been on plan.
Also agree with Faiora and others that have posted in the thread
If you weigh daily for long enough, at least in my experience, you stop looking for a reason for these fluctuations because you'll never have it completely figured out. Your body is 70% water and that can fluctuate from hour to hour. One meal, one day, even one week doesn't affect the body much when it comes to adding to or subtracting from your fat stores.
I give it at least a month before I decide to make a change to get the scale moving again.
With that much fluctuation I have think it is water weight gain. Just make sure you weigh at the same time a day so you can get used to what your body does on a daily basis. Good luck!
Thanks guys!! I'll try drinking more water and see if it helps!!
An added note, I looked back at my calorie app (that also tracks water) and the most I'd had over the past couple weeks was 32oz. so it's probably water retention!
Last edited by msamberjade; 01-17-2015 at 02:19 AM.
You said you had a cold? That'll do it, your body holds on to water and nutrients when it is healing from anything, be it a cold or just a tough exercise session.
Just an update if anyone cares, it was my scale!! It started giving me weird numbers (and 4lb weight gain/loss within 20 minutes) so I realized something was wrong. I went and bought a more expensive scale that I felt was definitely better quality and saw a 13lb weight loss! So excited! Weird thing is, the broken scale was only a month or so old and had a weight limit of 450, so I know I didn't break it! I feel so relieved; I was about to give up
Causes of sudden weight gain when counting calories?
But, it is worth it!
