[gymrat05]

Okay, I'm having kind of an odd problem. From the end of March to the end of April we went on 3 vacations for 3, 4 and 5 days respectively. I gained no weight on the first one, maybe 4lbs on the second one (that fell off again after) and those same 4lbs on the third one. Before vacation one I was around 157lbs...by the end of all three I was 161-162.

So now I'm obviously eating better than I was on vacation. I indulged, particularly on the third one, and I expected my weight to stabilize after I came home and started eating normally again. I'm not necessarily eating "to lose" but I'm certainly not eating to gain. Im counting my calories and I don't really drink (save for one work party thing a few weeks ago, I haven't had more than a drink or two a week in over 6 months). Yesterday morning I weighed in at 167. This time last month (right before my period as well) I weighed 160.2 according to my Period Tracker.

W.T.F. I have no idea what is going on with my body. I'm not at the top of my weight loss game but I'm not doing anything that merits me gaining almost TEN POUNDS in a month. I have two scales and they both say pretty much the same thing. I'm freeeeeeeaking out. I have no idea what my body is doing. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

[ELBS717]

To have such a fast weight gain, and likewise to have a fast weight loss - it's probably water weight. Give it a little more time and just get back into the groove/routine you were in before. More importantly than the scale - how do you feel? Have your eating habits and nutritional input returned to the same as they were before your vacations? Make sure you're still getting all the vitamins and minerals that you need, and make sure you're drinking enough water. If you start feeling lethargic or just all-over yucky, there might be something more to this. Good luck! And dont' freak out - the hormones you secrete when you stress over something can also contribute to weight gain!!

[gymrat05]

Thanks ichthy07. That's what I keep trying to tell myself. I feel okay I guess. I feel really bloated and like I've been drinking gallons of water each day. My allergies have been kind of bad lately too so I wake up feeling crappy/tired/fatigued. I think my eating habits are the same as they've been for the last year...not really eating to lose weight like I should be, but not eating to gain either. I haven't done anything drastically bad to merit this kind of a gain, so in my head I know it must be water...but it still sucks. Maybe after my period things will start to settle back down.

[berryblondeboys]

First of all 6.8 pounds is not almost 10 pounds. So, yes, a lot of it could be water weight. How often do you weigh yourself? if you don't weigh regularly, you can't track what's going on as well.

And even when your body has a pattern, it doesn't necessarily follow it exactly every time. It's always throwing us curve balls. Like usually I lose a bit from the start of TTOM until about a week after it starts and then I start an ovulation gain. This month, I started gaining as soon as TTOM was ending and gained a bit more than I usually do - all water weight as I was exercising and eating normally. Who knows why.

[gymrat05]

Update: I hit 170 during the week so that was a pretty scary moment. I freaked out a little but went back to my trusty calorie counting. Period showed up two days earlier and right now I'm weight in at abou 165.5 at night time after eating on day 3...so much better generally speaking. I think anyone thats ever lost weight is paranoid of gaining and these last few weeks have thrown me for a loop. I feel out of control when my body does this on it's own because I clearly don't know what I'm doing wrong. The panic was setting in.

@berryblondeboys Thanks for your input! I weigh myself daily for that exact reason. It's not to obsess over scale fluctuations, but rather to know what my body does after I eat certain foods, at certain times of the month, etc. A pound or two doesn't freak me out, 7+ pounds does.

The conclusion I've come to is my body just wanted to screw with me this month . It made me realize how grateful I am to be where I am with my weight loss.

[xty]

Remain calm

You said post-vacation you were 162. And that you havent been eating to lose. And that its the week before your period, which for many causes gains/stalls/bloating/etc.

Without your TOM, with a weight of 162 a fluctuation of 3-4lbs due to colon and or water bloat is completely reasonable. So with TOM being 5lbs above for similar reasons seems not so crazy.

Remember to get back to hydrating well, eat extra dark leafy greens to help clear out any colon gunk built up from super bad eating, keep eating to at least maint cals and I would bet by the time your period is over your 162 or below.

[gymrat05]

Thanks xty.

My period came 2 days early and just ended. I think I'm around 164 right now. I'm back to counting calories (for weight loss, not maintenance) so I'm feeling a bit better about that. I'm not feeling hungry but I'm not feeling "full" or "stuffed" so I think that's a good sign.

Thanks for your input everyone. It was nice to have a place to come and freakout without people thinking I'm crazy/obsessive.