So yesterday I started calorie counting. I made sure to stay under 2000 calories, and was very strict on it (I counted every berry I put in my yogurt!) Yet, this morning I've gained 2 pounds. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound, right? So that's like saying I consumed 7000 calories yesterday and I know I didn't.

Is this common when people begin diets? A thing where our bodies do some funky thing to gain weight when they're nervous they'll be restricted to lower amounts of food or something?

TMI, I know, but I'm also very constipated this morning. Figured that side note may be related. Something to do with fiber, maybe?

a 2 pound fluctuation from day to day is normal even if you are not on a diet. Water hormones, weather,,,um fiber needs...lots of variebles can play into it. If you are sticking to your plan...give it time to work. One day changes in the scale one way or the other don't mean much...it's the long term gains and losses that matter.

If the scale fluctuations bother you...Maybe you should think about weighing less frquently. That way you can see more of the trend that your diet is creating.

water retention. and yes the fact that you haven't "gone" means there is still substance in you from what you did eat yesterday. drink lots of water..flush your system out. eat clean, lots of fruits and veggies, and I'm certain that 2 lbs will go away within a matter of a couple days.

I stick by only weighing in once a week. I sometimes weigh more but I don't let a 4 + gain like today worry me since I know it's not "official." Your body didn't get fat overnight. Therefore, it will take a while for your body to purge your body of fat.

the constipation won't help either.

Also, yesterday, I weighed on my wii fit. I gained a pound. It was plus at least one lb. I went to the bathroom and "released." I reweighed. I wound up loosing the pound I "gained" and lost .6 lbs. Later that day, I ate and hopped back on the Wii Fit. It noticed that I "gained" weight from eating!

I weigh myself every day. If I'm in a weight loss period (as opposed to maintaining), my weight fluctuates quite a bit from day to day but the overall trend is down.

Two weeks in a row, my weight was basically the same (slight fluctuations), then I dropped 3 lbs, then the 3 lbs came back the next day, then the scale basically stayed the same for a few days and then the scale showed a 5 lb total loss.

Our bodies are mostly water despite everything else so the scale is very good at measuring us including water and waste that is waiting to be released. Our hormones, what we eat, our muscles after working out, etc can all result in water retention. My suggestion is don't worry about the day to day scale fluctuations but worry about the overall pattern.

I have always read that is takes 2-3 days for a "binge" to show up. Even if you overeat one day, chances are it won't show for a couple of more days. Water retention can cause weight gains as others have indicated. As you begin exercising, your weight can go up a pound or two because water fills your tissue and tries to repair itself. Just stay to your plan and it will work out. Oh, and YES on the constipation thing. This definitely can cause an increase on the scale.

That sucks. That means my "binge" will show up right on weigh in day for me. >.<

Sorry Daimere. The good news is that if you know you binged you have some time to help yourself. LOL. I am so ashamed to admit that I ate 2700 calories on Friday! OMG! OMG! OMG! I went through some medical testing last weeks after five years of not going to my doctor and was beyond nervous. Soooo--I ran on Friday extra. Yesterday I ran extra and decreased calories to 650. This morning I ran extra and will reduce calories again today. Hopefully by tomorrow, when I average Friday, Saturday and Sunday, my binge won't be so bad looking in my journal.

Daimere - do you weigh every day on your wii? I don't get why it wants to weigh every single darn day! I am totally addicted to getting my wii fit age though... so I end up caving. But it can be frustrating to see those daily fluctuations on there!

-Aimee

I have so far but I doubt I will be once I start working again. Although sometimes I do the wii fit age things and sometimes not.

I actually think the opposite might be better. Try weighing yourself 10 times a day for a week or two until you see how much your weight does fluctuate and are used to it. Knowledge is power!

Same thing happened to me Gretchy, I gained 2 lbs after a week of cutting calories. For myself a once a week weigh in is good, but everybody is different.

Gretchy, at your current weight, 2 pounds is within the normal range of fluctuation.

What you eat one day doesn't influence how much you weigh the next day, except that if you ate more sodium than usual, you may be retaining water. Some people also retain water if they eat certain foods, like milk products. It's pretty variable.

Weight on the scale is not just fat pounds--it's everything. So yeah, you didn't eat 7000 calories the day before, so those 2 pounds cannot be fat.

One thing to do would be to record your weight only once a week, on the same day. You can weigh more often to see the fluctuations, but let that once-a-week number be your guide.

Jay