[BreakingUpWith90lbs]

So I've recently started back on my diet, and all seems to be going well. However, I had a slight binge of about 200 calories more than my target which led to my gain of 4lbs. What usually happens in these instances for you? Do you think in the next day or two it will disappear again? Lingering weight is so confusing and mentally discouraging!

[drixnot]

200 calories does not = 4 pounds ... what you are most likely seeing is water weight.

[Everlasting]

400 calories won't cause 4 pounds of fat gain. Most likely it's water retention due to whatever you may have binged on. You'd need an extra 3500 calories to gain a pound. Most likely it will just disappear again if you stay on plan with your diet.

[BreakingUpWith90lbs]

Yeah, I misworded my original post. I understand that I would've had to have a 14000 calorie binge to gain 4lbs. What do you think causes water retention? My TOM is done and I'd love nothing more than to jump on the scale and see better consistency, but I know our bodies change

[Ms A]

Don't worry about it; it happens. When you do have a binge, I would avoid the scale for a day or two, because the number will be up due to water retention and will just make you upset

EDIT: You posted the same time as me! As for water retention, it depends on what you binged on... if you had a lot of salty snacks then the sodium will make you retain the water.

[kelly315]

Happens to me all the time, sometimes even when I've eaten on plan the day before, with minimal salt. It's just one of those slightly annoying things you have to ignore.

[penmage]

I think eating something high carb will also make you retain water. When I went from a carb heavy diet to my current South Beach plan, I lost 3-4 pounds in less than a week.