I've gained 2lb

[wishfulyf]

Ahh I feel so disappointed! I'm on my 3rd week of calorie counting and just done my 3rd weigh in! It says I've gained 2lb :(

The first week I lost 3lb, the second I lost 4lb and this week I gained 2 , nothing has changed I've been within my calories every day! Is it unlikely this is fat? I'm trying to remain positive as I find if I get disappointed it throws me off track, what I start lowering my calories what do we think 😢

Water retention, what time of the month is it? Have you had a poo? Weight really fluctuates naturally so I would just take your average at the end of each month. Expecting to lose weight on a prescribed day and time every week can be really disheartening. That 2lb probably wasn't there yesterday and in all likelihood wont be there tomorrow.

Not every change on the scale is a change of body fat. You ate something salty, you retain water.

It's not for everyone, but I like daily or bi-daily weighing, for this reason. I bet your overall trend will still be downwards if you're in a calorie defecit! Keep at it!

I weigh in every day and this happens - sometimes hormones etc and sometimes for no reason at all! The weight loss kicks back in and there is a downward trend. Give it another week before you analyse it

Oh my god it could be anything! Water, bowels, se naturally fluctuate.

You're still lighter than when you started, maybe watch the salt and up the water?

Trust in the process, healthy weight loss is never linear

My weight has been stable for a couple of years but sometimes it ends in 3 and sometimes it ends in 5. It's just how the human body works.

And weight loss isn't linear. It can fluctuate, as you're experiencing. Sometimes, particularly when you have less to lose, it can stay the same for weeks before changing all at once. Keep plugging away and don't panic and starve yourself.

There are so many reasons your weight will fluctuate. To put things in perspective if you drink a bottle of water the scale will increase by approx 2lbs.
Time of the month, salty food, if you've pooped or not etc. it all effects it. Look for overall trends over months, not days or weeks. Something that can be helpful for some women is tracking week 1 of their cycle to the following months week 1 and week 2 against week 2 , weeks 3 vs week 3. (If you have a regular cycle and feel you fluctuate quite a bit throughout the month.)Take a deep breathe and remember that progress is not linear and the scale weight will fluctuate but your worth will not x

I weigh daily and it really does fluctuate a lot so that 2lbs might be gone again in a few days. Try not to be too disappointed, I know it’s hard

My weight fluctuations are now pretty funny. I track across the whole month/week though and that shows the average loss. It’s always a loss every week/month but day to day, I can gain all sorts for no apparent reason then wake up 3 days later it’s gone

@wishfulyf I have scales that do body fat, water etc. could you invest in some?

This is why I prefer to weigh at end of the month and not weekly as I am a slow loser of weight it seems and getting upset when it's stay the same or gain.

I weigh daily and plot it on a graph. When I lost weight a few years ago I look back over 3 months and it’s very up and down but overall the trajectory was down so keep going is the best advice.

my weight hasn’t budged this week which is frustrating but I know I need to push through. I’ve booked a gym class tonight to try to kick start movement on the scales. Good luck.

@wishfulyf how are you getting on?

Hey, do not be disheartened!

This increase will be water weight, a lot of things could contribute to that:

• dehydration
• exercising
• foods you have eaten, more carbs?
• eaten later than usual
• cortisol levels
• length of sleep
• medications
• menstrual cycle phase

When it comes to fat loss, scales should only be used as a tool, a long side visuals. If you’re weight training for example, as you build muscle and lose fat, you can end up weighing more. To get a better average, I’d recommend weighing daily and tracking it, then at the end of the week you can look over and also get an average.

Just to give you an insight, the pictures below…I actually weigh 10kg heavier on the right hand side! So, please don’t rely on only scale. Good luck on your journey! X

I was also going to say try weighing yourself every day so you can see your fluctuations.

You've lost 5lb in 3 weeks, which is good. Your initial losses wouldn't have been all fat, some would be water which has now been replaced, hence the 'gain'. You need to look at the longer trajectory, not week by week in isolation.