I've been sick since Thursday. I'll admit, my diet hasn't been great. But it hasn't been awful, either. I haven't been able to keep much down, so I've been drinking juice. I'm sure I've eaten more than I thought I have been, because I'll get really sick, then really hungry, then really sick again, round and round and round.

But I stepped on the scale, and I was up 4.5 pounds. I definitely haven't been eating enough to gain nearly a pound a day!

Can juice make you retain water? I'm so upset right now...arg....

Hey Altari,

Hold on now. You've been sick! Your body is not doing its best right now, and surely needs a few days at least before returning to its normal schedule. So, while I'm sure you feel frustrated, it's most important to take care of yourself until you're feeling better. This may mean the scale does funky things for a few, but I really wouldn't fret over it much. Your body might even be retaining fluids right now due to being ill. Everyone & every illness is different.

Give yourself some time to feel better. The scale isn't something to worry about right now.

You'll feel better soon, and the scale may show differently.

Chances are your body is over compensating for your loss of fluids due to illness. Meaning you are retaining much more water than usual. KEEP DRINKING FLUIDS!!! Don't even bother with the scale until you're back to 100%. Being stressed about your weight isn't going to help you get better faster.

The scale lies. A lot. For many reasons.

For me, sick always equals weird eating and water retention. Your body is fighting illness, and you're probably dehydrated as heck, so your body is retaining every ounce of water it can.

Wait until you're well, then wait 4-5 days before worrying! When you're ill, the scale is the last thing you should be worried about.

Ughh how fustrating... Well at least you know it's not a true gain and I bet you'll have a big loss next week! Don't be discouraged just take care of yourself

Whenever someone says this, I'm pretty certain they are posting about a gain.

Eating foods that are off-plan can lead to being heavier on the scale, even if they aren't salty foods. For me, overeating carbohydrates also causes water retention. The reasons are very complex--it has to do with hormone balances, and not just for women. Men have these fluctuations as well.

I've come to expect that I'll go up a couple of pounds if my diet isn't "that great."

Don't fret. Drink fluids, get back on plan. Those pounds will go as quickly as they appeared, most likely.

Jay

Thanks ladies.

I haven't been on Atkins at all. I ate chicken and veggies...that came back to haunt me, lol. I've been eating rice in chicken broth and noodle soup. I couldn't drink water yesterday, because for some reason it just made my throat more raw. So I've been drinking Multivitamin (some kind of Polish juice, lol) and apple juice. I've also noticed that my belly is hard, and not in that good muscular way, eek. My pants are all super snug, whereas three days ago they were loose.

I'll just wait it out and get back on plan when the coughing and vomiting goes away. I had thought I was better this morning, until I started doing some housework and couldn't stop a coughing fit. Back to the bathroom with the vaporizer!

Don't let this coughing go on too long. See the dr if you aren't improving after 3 or 4 days. Coughing can be very hard on your lungs.

Have you tried a couple of crackers? Sometimes that helps me when my tummy hates me.

Don't worry about your eating plan right now. But please see someone if this coughing continues.