Frustrated and confused- 2 week holiday with no weight gain

[CesarSoubreyon]

This is going to sound strange, but please bear with me....

I am significantly overweight- at least 20kg. I'm only 5ft 1in and weigh 75kg and I should be closer to 55kg.

I have struggled for years to lose weight but have always hovered around 75kg. I made a real effort to lose weight for around 3-4 months before I went on holiday and lost 2kg in that time, not much but better than nothing.

Whilst away I decided to just enjoy the food and drink and stop worrying about my weight. I ate 3 times a day, large quantities of calorie heavy food, snacks, ice cream and alcohol every day.

My usual diet is that I eat between 12 and 8pm, alcohol only on weekends and not much. Unrefined whole foods and lots of water. I've eaten this way for 4 months, since beginning of April.

I expected to gain after the blow out 2 weeks I just had, but I have just weighed myself and I am exactly the same weight as before I left (and yes the scales work- my husband tried them).

How is this possible? Is there a massive lag and I'll be 5kg heavier in a week? If not, then I feel like all the effort makes no difference and I'll stay the same weight regardless of what I eat?

I know I should be glad I haven't gained, but I'm very disheartened and confused by it.

Hey! I don't know about your specific body etc. so this may not be the case. But the moment I stopped obsessing about my weight and body and started focusing on enjoying life, being kind to myself etc. I lost a large amount of weight (about 25 kg). I think the constant worrying about weight and restricting can lead to late night bingeing etc. Whereas being on holidays you might have been moving your body in a joyful way (exploring new places, swimming etc) and just eating in a nourishing and fun way (not as a way to fill the void that restriction creates). You might have also felt less stressed, so less dopamine chasing with food. Again I don't know and just kind of drawing from my own experience...

I have similar experiences though perhaps less pronounced than yours.

I am more active on holiday
I am not cooking so only eat my meal not the tastes while I cook.
Like a PP I think stress and misery seem to weigh on me! I always weigh less when I’m happy and more when I’m fed up. I’ve tried to work out whether I’m fed up and weigh more because of underlying inflammation, or one or the other!

Same happens to me. I put it down to the food being freshly cooked, rather than convenience/processed. I eat far more fruit and veggies on holiday.
Also, being up and down, walking, in the pool is a lot more movement than being sat at the desk.

More movement.
More connection with family.
More sleep.
More free time.
More enjoying the moment.
Less stress!

I’ve tracked my weight daily since April 2023 and I notice a lag in gains of a few days sometimes, to answer that question. It wouldn’t be 5kg gain though.

I also didn’t really gain much on holiday and I was more relaxed than I usually am but I was very active

All great replies thanks. I think there's a lot of logic in the 'less stress and more happiness' theory which I hadn't really considered.

I certainly slept better and was more relaxed. Everyday life is generally very full on and stressful, so that part of it does make sense.

I guess it shows that weight loss is a lot more complicated than calories in calories out!

braveandwellbehaved

Well done on your weight loss! 25kg is amazing!

This happens to me OP. I think it's because I don't snack at all when im away and eat very little sweet foods apart from the odd ice cream. Sugar is definitely my downfall!

I usually don’t put on weight on holidays although I eat more. I think we’re more active on holidays without noticing it…walking around more, swimming,…. That balances it.

Have a listen to this podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000648091632

Laying down fat in unhealthy places (ie visceral fat) is mainly linked to stress. I found it really interesting.