Weight Loss Support Give and get support here!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 07-25-2012, 09:52 AM   #1  
working on the outside
Thread Starter
 
pretty on the inside's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 19

S/C/G: 276/224/176

Height: 5'11

Default why does this happen!!!

Ok so, say I workout really hard, and I mean HARD, and eat right for 3 days. This will usually cause me to lose a few pounds, sometimes even 5. Naturally by this point I'm feeling pretty good and a family member asks me out to eat, or I feel like cooking spaghetti or Mexican food. Why is it that I can gain those 5 pounds plus some back, just from one meal, eating the same as everyone else? I know its probably not the best idea to weigh yourself after eating, but even the next day after "the dust settles " I am usually back where I started before the three day stretch or damn close. It seems like I have absolutely no room for mistakes if I plan on reaching my goal and its so depressing!
pretty on the inside is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 10:31 AM   #2  
Senior Member
 
bargoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Davis, Ca
Posts: 23,149

S/C/G: 204/114/120

Height: 5'

Default

You are making the decision to eat out or to cook spaghetti , that is not a mistake that is a decision. Make better choices to see better results.
bargoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 10:38 AM   #3  
Member
 
btrinny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: MI
Posts: 57

S/C/G: 267/193/175

Default

Not sure as I am new on this journey and am to scared to go off course, but could it be your portion size?
btrinny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 10:59 AM   #4  
Moderator
 
Munchy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 3,202

S/C/G: 133.4/123.2/115

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by btrinny View Post
Not sure as I am new on this journey and am to scared to go off course, but could it be your portion size?
Yep, I agree with this. I will cook 1-2oz of spaghetti at a time so there is no chance of eating more than my share, then cook onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, etc so that the ratio is at least 50:50 pasta to veggies. Then I'll add my sauce. That way I get my pasta fix, get my nutrition from the veggies, and I'm not deprived because my portion is still hearty.

That's how I cook most foods because I like to eat volume, but I don't like to go off plan.

Mexican food is awesome for a healthy eating plan. Lean meats, salsa, hot peppers, a strong cheese like cotija or queso fresco, beans, cabbage/lettuce, onion, tomato, corn tortillas, cilantro, avocado, and light sour cream (or plain fat free Greek yogurt). There is nothing inherently unhealthy about the "typical" Tex-Mex ingredients and flavors.

I make all kinds of enchiladas and burritos, but I love to shred a bunch of zucchini or squash with some shredded onion as a base for the rest of my ingredients. When the veggies cook, they emit liquid, and you can shred some cheese and stir it in for a ridiculously cheesy filling. Add your chicken/beans/etc, and you have a balanced dish.

There are so many ways to get the flavor profile that you're looking for without veering from your journey. Start checking out low calorie ways to make your favorite meals, and then you'll have ideas on how to tweak recipes that you've made for years.
Munchy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 11:01 AM   #5  
Senior Member
 
PinkLotus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 373

S/C/G: 257/257/157

Height: 5'7"

Default

It could be that the 5lbs you're losing in 3 days was mostly water weight, and eating something less than healthy is putting the water back on.
Just a suggestion? I am not much help!

Last edited by PinkLotus; 07-25-2012 at 11:02 AM.
PinkLotus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 12:30 PM   #6  
is super awesome.
 
kateleestar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Akron, Ohio
Posts: 1,763

S/C/G: ...ticker...

Height: 5'7"

Default

I agree with Munchy, and the "dust" wont settle after just one day. The day after I eat pasta or any "big" carb, I'm always up in water weight. It's not called carboHYDRATE for nothing, lol!

Don't get stuck on one bad decision. Make better ones the next time, learn from them. Don't try to 'eat like everyone else' because... you might never ever be able to again. You have to decide what is worth more: fat or healthy?

At least for me, lol.. I pick healthy. That doesnt mean I didnt have pasta last night.. although it was about 1oz of pasta and 3oz of spaghetti squash, and about 2 cups veggies in sauce. I just made a different decision.

Keep going. It'll happen!

Last edited by kateleestar; 07-25-2012 at 12:30 PM.
kateleestar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 12:36 PM   #7  
Senior Member
 
Katbot24's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Saskatoon
Posts: 518

S/C/G: 230/ticker/150

Height: 5'8

Default

When I do something "naughty" (it's not really "naughty", it's perfectly normal and reasonable to eat out sometimes, this journey is a lifestyle change not a temporary punishment) I try to eat low-sodium and low carb the next day, avoiding coffee too - often I'll go for a long walk or go jogging too. It kinda sucks for that day but by the end of it almost all my water retention is gone.

You have to realize that the 5lbs you "gain" CANNOT be fat because you'd need to eat an inordinate amount of calories to gain that much fat overnight, I'm pretty sure if anyone tried they'd have the runs and be puking from the sheer amount of grease and/or food in their system. So you don't "undo" your progress so much as temporarily mask it.
Katbot24 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2012, 07:40 PM   #8  
Senior Member
 
yoyoma's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 1,877

S/C/G: 180/ticker/129 or so =)

Height: 5'6.5"

Default

Weight fluctuation happens for a variety of reasons. You didn't really lose 5 lbs of body weight in 3 days and you didn't really gain it back in one meal. It's easy to drive yourself crazy by paying too much attention to the daily number on the scale.

It's probably a better idea to pay more attention to your change in weight after a month has passed in order to try to figure out if your current way of life (eating "right" and working out hard with a special meal every three days or so) is making progress at losing weight. And frankly, often a month isn't long enough (at least, not for me), since the average amount I can lose in a month is easily masked by a normal fluctuation.

If you see that you aren't losing weight after a month then think about possible changes to your lifestyle. But don't get discouraged by short-term fluctuations on the scale.
yoyoma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2012, 08:32 AM   #9  
Overweight again...dang
 
twinieten's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 876

S/C/G: 213/160.3/135

Height: 5'5"

Default

I did the same thing for weeks. I'd have a meal that would result in water retention. I'd work on "behaving myself", eating right, and I'd lose that water over several days, but at the end of the week, more often than not, I didn't lose any additional weight. It's very frustrating when that happens!

What I had to do was reduce my calories, and take a really hard look at what I was eating. I firmly believe that it's about calories in, calories out. Meaning, if your calories in is less than your calories out, you should lose no matter what those calories are (cookies, or veggies....). However, in my case, the quality of the calories seems to matter. If I eat a lot of sweets, and carbs and junk food, even if I keep my calories below a certain point, I still lose less than if I choose healthier calories such as fruits and vegetables. Bummer.

I didn't start losing again until I focused on cleaning up my diet, along with calorie restriction (which was necessary since I had lost 20 pounds and my needs had changed). Now I can put on a couple of pounds of water, expect to lose it in 2-3 days, and then lose at least another pound of actual weight in a week's time. I'm enjoying watching the scale go down again!
twinieten is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2012, 01:26 PM   #10  
Member
 
dazzlemee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 49

S/C/G: 197/TICKER/150

Height: 5'10

Default

This is so funny because the same thing happens to me. I'll do well, and then I'll screw up a few days and the scale will jump anywhere between 5-7 lbs! I believe it's water weight because when I get back on plan it comes right off. Sheesh.

I've learned throughout the last few months to make better decisions when it comes to food, so this doesn't happen as often.
dazzlemee is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Why does this happen? cbressler1976 Weight Loss Support 13 05-25-2012 09:30 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:13 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.