Surely the scale MUST be lying

Okay, so yesterday morning I weighed 177.2 pounds.  This morning 180.4 pounds.  Last night I had a huge steak dinner with all the trimmings, probably nearly 2000 calories and was healthy the rest of the day otherwise.  If it takes 3500 calories to gain one pound, how on earth could this happen - really - over 3 pounds of gain? 

I know you are all going to say "it's the sodium" but I have a hard time accepting that because I consumed nearly 2 gallons of water yesterday (yes, 2 gallons is normal for me).

This sucks.  Any thoughts on how this could be despite my clearly significant water consumption would be greatly appreciated.  I'm feeling discouraged and cranky.

It's possible all that food and water is still making its way through your body. I had the stomach flu a few weeks ago and couldn't eat for two days. After a few bowel movements emptied me out I weighed 2 lbs less.

If 2 gallons is normal for you, and you had more sodium than normal, you could still see the increase. I'm not saying that's it, but it's a possibility.

But also, it could easily be the weight of the additional food, or just a normal fluctuation. Or ttom?

Wait a couple days and see what happens. I bet it doesn't stick around.

you're just bloated, really. stay away from the scale for a couple of days.. it's just going to keep stressing you out.

This is the main reason against daily weighing.  If you can look at the number on the scales, shrug your shoulders whether it's up or it's down and carry on regardless... fine.  But if you are bothered about the number then it can really impact on your motivation.  Try to stay off the scales for a few days and give your body chance to settle down.... a 'huge steak dinner' takes time to work through.

Original Post by gi-jane:

This is the main reason against daily weighing.  If you can look at the number on the scales, shrug your shoulders whether it's up or it's down and carry on regardless... fine.  But if you are bothered about the number then it can really impact on your motivation.  Try to stay off the scales for a few days and give your body chance to settle down.... a 'huge steak dinner' takes time to work through.

 Unfortunately I am currently involved in a clinical trial which requires that I weigh myself daily, so as much as I know I should avoid the scale, I cant.  Maybe I'll enlist my husband's help and have him read the scale and record the result for me on my chart for a few days without me peeking.  Actually...that's a great idea and totally do-able.

There's more to temporary weight than just water retention. I've fluctuated nearly 10 pounds within 2 days, without being de-hydrated at any point... and having not gained any actual fat at all.

I was just curious about what a gallon water weighs and googled it after reading your dilemma ... and its 8.3 lbs!!!

protein stays in your system longer, because it takes your body more time to digest it.

So if you had a "huge steak dinner" then most of that weight is probably the weight of the meat!

The scale fluctuates so much during the week, I find it better for my sanity to weigh myself once a week, and skip the week of my period! But since y ou're in a clinical trial, you can't avoid that.. if the goal is to not see as much fluctuations on the scale each day, I'd suggest having your larger meal at lunchtime so your body will have more time to digest it, and then eating lighter at night.

Fluctuations are normal. I can have up to 5lbs (and have!) difference between daily weigh ins.

If you are measuring yourself daily (I do - I like to know how my body reacts to things and eventually you learn and see the patterns and know what to expect) you should focus on the TRENDLINE and not the day to day number. Look at your average weight over time - it will give you a much better 'bigger picture' of what you are accomplishing.

Stress can cause you to hold on to weight - so make sure you don't stress out about it! I'm sure you'll be back down to 177 in no time.

You are weighing the undigested "huge steak dinner with all the trimmings".

Cherry Cobbler

Serving Size 1 spoon (99.0 g) Amount Per Serving Calories 290

Of course I got a little carried away with BBQ chips today ~ 600 calories worth

Yeah, bodies are weird.  My daughter had the stomache flu and lost 10 pounds in a couple of days -- and she's not overweight.  Of course when she got rehydrated it turned out she had lost maybe 1 actual pound.

There is a guy on another forum who puts his daily weight.  He likes to go out for happy hour "beer and wings" night once a week and the scale often shows him 8-10 pounds heavier the next day.  But usually 3-4 days later he is back to his regular weight, and he continues to lose overall.  In fact he has lost 150 pounds total. 

It's just water, and water is heavy. Two gallons of water weighs nearly 14 lbs. If you had too much sodium...and I bet you did...retaining even 2 lbs of the 14 you drank is not out of the question. Just cut back on the salt, enjoy a day or two of clean eating, and you'll be OK. There is no way you ate an excess of 3500 calories yesterday. You, my friend, are golden!

Cheers!

Just to put this into perspective ... if you actually gained 3 lbs of fat ... you would have had to eat 10,500 calories above and beyond what you actually burned.  There is no possible way that you have done that ... unless you have some binging issues and if that is the case you need to seek proper medical advise.  However, I do not think that the case for you.

Personally, I would listen to GI Jane.  She really knows her stuff ... and steak (or red meat in general) takes the longest to digest and work  through your system.  I am guessing you are still carrying that around ... along with some water weight from your high sodium content. 

Since the number on the scale is clearly impacting your emotional well-being ... I think you are on the right track with having hubby read your weigh in weight and record it for you.  The scale is just a number ... there are other ways to measure you success that are way more reliable than the number popping up on your scale. 

Good luck to you!!  You should be fine, really.  No worries!

I am sure you are eating to much.   As you age this will get worse and worse. You have to stop eating the volume of food your eating.

How?

try this trick to train yourself to stop eating when you have eaten a "normal" amount fo food.  It has worked for me and several other people..because it does not say that damn 4 letter word "diet"

Before you sit down to eat anything or when you feel hungry for a snack.

take a 1/2 glass of water...add 1 tblspoon psyllium husks, 1tbs of rolled oats, 1 tbs spelt flakes..stir and drink. Then eat but only eat until full...then stop!  Sve the left over..do not finish anything just because it is there.  If your full..stop!

You can buy these grains as any health food bull store.  If your want to try it out get at least a 1/4 lb of each. 

If you faithfully follow this..you will see you can not eat as much as before and will feel more motivated to do more as the pounds start to disappear.

It is a healthy choice to start slow when you have your weight problem..also I am not saying, change ur diet, all I am saying is learn to eat less but fill the gap with water and grains. 

simple give it a try. And lastly:

sip on your water all day long...and let me know in a few weeks if it worked, then tell others.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.  As of today I am back to a smidge below 177.  I had my hubby read and record my weight for the last couple of days.  This is the first day I peeked.  My next weigh in for the clinical trial will be 3/30 so as long as I am below 177 for the weigh in I will feel successful.  So, here's to a week of healthy eating, meeting my caloric minimum, going to the gym a couple of times, and continuing to drink my 2 gallons of yummy water.

Original Post by themassageguy:

I am sure you are eating to much.   As you age this will get worse and worse. You have to stop eating the volume of food your eating.

How?

try this trick to train yourself to stop eating when you have eaten a "normal" amount fo food.  It has worked for me and several other people..because it does not say that damn 4 letter word "diet"

Before you sit down to eat anything or when you feel hungry for a snack.

take a 1/2 glass of water...add 1 tblspoon psyllium husks, 1tbs of rolled oats, 1 tbs spelt flakes..stir and drink. Then eat but only eat until full...then stop!  Sve the left over..do not finish anything just because it is there.  If your full..stop!

You can buy these grains as any health food bull store.  If your want to try it out get at least a 1/4 lb of each. 

If you faithfully follow this..you will see you can not eat as much as before and will feel more motivated to do more as the pounds start to disappear.

It is a healthy choice to start slow when you have your weight problem..also I am not saying, change ur diet, all I am saying is learn to eat less but fill the gap with water and grains. 

simple give it a try. And lastly:

sip on your water all day long...and let me know in a few weeks if it worked, then tell others.

 I need to respectfully disagree with you.  Actually, I am not eating too much on a regular basis as your reply suggests.  Of course, based on my original post you would have no way of knowing this.  I simply had one very bad day.  In fact, as I look over my food diary for the last 6 weeks, this was the only day I had exceeded 1350 calories. Normally I am making balanced choices which explains why I have been losing weight.  My starting weight was 213.  If you want to know more about my history, check out my blog which is posted as "my website" on my profile.

Thanks anyway, I know you meant well with your advice.  I just wanted to clarify a few things.