This is just plain WEIRD!

I've been sticking religiously to 1500 calories, with a 500-1000 calorie deficit depending on how hard I exercise that day, and my weightloss has been going nowhere fast. I got so frustrated I wanted to give up, and yesterday I ate at least 2000 calories (CC says 2000, but I'm sure there were at least a few I forgot to log!) including tons of nuts and potato chips (a rare treat) and I didn't do any exercise aside from a quick grocery-run, so at best I had less than 100 calories deficit for the day. I fully expected to pay the price this morning... but what does the scale tell me? A new low weight! It's bizarre!

It may be that the extra fuel jump started your metabolism, or it could be just a coincidence. But one day of higher cals/week isn't a bad idea--within limits, of course!

I've had similar things happen and, in the past, took it as a sign to always eat that much, which meant no weight loss in the long run.

Good luck.

So, you are back in the game!!!!

well its very hard to tell how much the day before really makes an impact, weight fluctuates for many reasons. (but i've lost about a half inch or inch in one week, its really up to your body when & how it loses, you have no say).

but i found that i lost weight relatively consistently when i calorie zig zagged. others have found the same thing, but they actually would zig zag on purpose, mine was just sort of random depending on how i felt or what situation i was in.

i did exercise consistently though, but again changing my workouts now & then. for me it was keeping my body off balanced (with eating & exercising) that seemed to really work. not only that but it helped to save some of my sanity as well. 

I hate to say this, but it's probably not a real weight loss. If you ate chips and nuts, think about it--- chips and nuts weigh much less than vegetables. Everything you eat weighs something. I think that's the reason you're lighter.

Original Post by purpleorchid89:

I hate to say this, but it's probably not a real weight loss. If you ate chips and nuts, think about it--- chips and nuts weigh much less than vegetables. Everything you eat weighs something. I think that's the reason you're lighter.

uh, what?

This is my first day on this site, but I used to be in Weight Watchers and I was told that when you find yourself plateuing and continue to follow the exact same calorie intake, you should up the calories for a few days.  This is supposed to help your metablolism.  Maybe your body was needing a rev up.  Just my 2 cents

Original Post by argylesweater:

Original Post by purpleorchid89:

I hate to say this, but it's probably not a real weight loss. If you ate chips and nuts, think about it--- chips and nuts weigh much less than vegetables. Everything you eat weighs something. I think that's the reason you're lighter.

uh, what?

 She's saying that she may just have less weight in food in her digestive track. (Don't know if that IS what's going on but that's what purpleorchid meant.)

Those first days of dieting when we're all so impressed with ourselves, some of the weight lost is water and some is just clearing out our colons. (The fat takes longer. ) I think that's the reason for a lot of unexplained wt fluctuation too --more or less bulk in our digestive tracts.

Original Post by chris1208:

Original Post by argylesweater:

Original Post by purpleorchid89:

I hate to say this, but it's probably not a real weight loss. If you ate chips and nuts, think about it--- chips and nuts weigh much less than vegetables. Everything you eat weighs something. I think that's the reason you're lighter.

uh, what?

She's saying that she may just have less weight in food in her digestive track. (Don't know if that IS what's going on but that's what purpleorchid meant.)

Those first days of dieting when we're all so impressed with ourselves, some of the weight lost is water and some is just clearing out our colons. (The fat takes longer. ) I think that's the reason for a lot of unexplained wt fluctuation too --more or less bulk in our digestive tracts.

yeah, i know what that meant. it just makes no sense. weight loss is not about volume of food. everything, no matter how much it weighed when you ate it, will eventually come out and not contribute to loss/gain.

hmm. Now I'm not sure what YOU mean. ? Not 'everything' comes out, obviously.  

Volume & density CAN have something to do with weight loss. Foods higher in nondigestible fiber & water take up more volume for the amount of calories than calorie dense things like proteins and fats.

Example:

219 grams of Big Mac = 560 calories

219 grams of apples = 107 calories

219 grams of romaine lettuce = 20 calories

For some amount of time, you carrry that around. You just keep more of the original 219 grams of the Big Mac.

When I started, I had a lower daily calorie goal than I should have... and I did lose on the lower goal for the first week or so and then I plateaued and got nowhere. When I started reading the forums and realized I was about 300 daily calories too low, I started to steadily lose again. What I am trying to get at is... make sure that your calorie goal is right for you and then above all make sure you get a balanced diet. :)

Actually this isnt unusual the body adapts to things such as exercise and eating and becomes efficient...look up on the net the the term "zig-zagging"....when I would plateau I would use the technique to break the plateau.

Here is a brief simplified explanation of zig-zagging.

zig-zagging is alternating your calorie intake over a 3 day span then start the process over heres an example...if your daily calorie intake should be 2000 (to loose 1 lb a week) then do this

day 1, 1900 calories

day 2, 2000 calories

day 3, 2100 calories

the overall 2000 calories is still maintained yet your body believes hey I am ok...do this over and over till you break the cycle....

here is a link that discusses the process...I personally have tried it when I wanted to cut the plateau...it does work....what you did was a modified version...

http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/ zig-zag-calories-for-weight-loss-74803.html

Perhaps what she meant, Chris, was that all waste products eventually leave the body. It's true that your body will use what it actually needs from whatever food you eat, and therefore will "hold on" to that food that was eaten, but we all have to go to the bathroom at some point. If kajikit is like me and doesn't weigh herself until she's eliminated all of her waste in the morning, the food she ate the day before doesn't really impact her weight that morning unless it was really salty and caused some bloating.

However, fluctuations occur for whatever reason. I also know not everyone on CC is as regular with their elimination schedules as I am (have never had a problem, always gone at least once within a 24 hour period, go at around the same time every day unless work interferes with my body's schedule, etc), so many weigh under varying conditions. I know I weigh myself naked after having gone to the bathroom. Not everyone weighs themselves naked, nor do they always make sure to go to the bathroom before hand. =)

kajikit, it's possible that your "cheat" day was the boost your body needed to let go of those pounds. Your body was probably shaken up by the high-calorie day, and that's what finally made the scale move. =)

Exactly. Most of us weigh in the morning AFTER we've taken care of our bodily functions, so that that figure doesn't influence the scale. I know I do... so it doesn't really matter if I had a pound of food the day before or five - it's gone! lol

Try zigzagging on purpose. Include one maintenance day per week and see if it helps.

Original Post by chris1208:

hmm. Now I'm not sure what YOU mean. ? Not 'everything' comes out, obviously.

Volume & density CAN have something to do with weight loss. Foods higher in nondigestible fiber & water take up more volume for the amount of calories than calorie dense things like proteins and fats.

Example:

219 grams of Big Mac = 560 calories

219 grams of apples = 107 calories

219 grams of romaine lettuce = 20 calories

For some amount of time, you carrry that around. You just keep more of the original 219 grams of the Big Mac.

ok ok, people, settle down. i guess how regular you are can affect it. i know some times it does for me. but its usually water retention that really gets me. article of a reasonable explanation of weight fluctuation

oops, double post. stupid internet acting up!!! seems my internet connection is fluctuating as well.

Original Post by kajikit:

I've been sticking religiously to 1500 calories, with a 500-1000 calorie deficit depending on how hard I exercise that day, and my weightloss has been going nowhere fast. I got so frustrated I wanted to give up, and yesterday I ate at least 2000 calories (CC says 2000, but I'm sure there were at least a few I forgot to log!) including tons of nuts and potato chips (a rare treat) and I didn't do any exercise aside from a quick grocery-run, so at best I had less than 100 calories deficit for the day. I fully expected to pay the price this morning... but what does the scale tell me? A new low weight! It's bizarre!

Excuse me? It was ONE DAY... (and fyi, my 'chip pigout' was three ounces of potato crisps and 2oz of lightly-salted nuts, not a family-sized bag!)

BTW, it wasn't a fluke... whatever I did, my body must have been happy about it. Maybe I really NEEDED that extra polyunsaturated fat in my diet - I usually have very little of it. I ate normally yesterday, and the scale's moved down another 0.2 pounds today.

Original Post by clusterz:

Who, you replaced 2 lbs of useful body fuel (as proteins) by half as much unadulterated fat. You must feel so proud. I mean, everyone can have excess here or there. But let's just try to not be delusional about it.

 Jeez...thats encouraging? She had one day off...it must be great to be so disciplined.

I know the answer for this one for once.  I average 2300 calories a day but I do so by zig zagging my calories.  Some times I forget to Zag and go two straight weeks eating 1800 calories or less a day and only lose 1 or two pounds.  Every single time over the last 10 months (literally every time) when i have a weekend drinking bender that involves eating too much I weight my self the next Wednesday and I see a dramatic weight loss (like 5 or 6 pounds for a two week period).  I have really bought into the whole speeding up your metabolism by strategically eating and my body seems to be so ready for the extra calories when it gets them that it just gobbles them all up and then some.  Some of my friends think i am crazy but over 10 months I have statistical evidence of that happening.  I usually only weigh my self once a month but since this theory has come true I have weighed my self more often just to see if it is real.  I never gain the weight back form eating that much and i always continue on my path.  my worst month I have had since i started was July and I averaged 2315 calories because of the 4th of july and some other events.  I lost 16 pounds from July 1st to August 1st, I weighted my self again on August 14th and had lost an additional three pounds but had about three straight weeks of eating under 2k in calories.  So this weekend and next weekend I am going to be doing some drinking and eating too much and i guarantee on Septmber 5th when I weigh my self again i could be down as many as 10 lbs from the 14th of August.  I really think that if you keep your body guessing you will burn every last calorie and then some when you over do it.  I am also never dehydrated due to always drinking 100 plus ounces of water a day so thinking that I drop those lbs from the drinking and being dehydrated could not be further from the truth.

Also my opinion is thatyou should eat 2k in calories.  I thought I should move down from 2300 calories but at this point that will not help at all.  When i get closer to my goal weight I may drop the calories but 1500 calories just aint enough at this point, I don't care what CC says. Up your calories with lean protein and fiber and you will have weight literally fall of of you.