Weight Loss

Anyone got an explanation for this one? :

Went camping this weekend - ate a bit more than usual (~1600-1800 cals/day instead of 1200-1300 which is my norm) however EASILY burned more than that each day hiking / swiming etc for 2 days.

Saturday I did 3 hours of steady hiking - through rocky trails up a CRAZY mountain, then swimming in waterfalls / rapids. Also set up tents, walked for water, to the washroom - camping stuff!

Today, I did much of the same except slightly less time. Hiked an hour and a half and then disassembled camp. Burned probably 500 and I'll do 4 or 5 miles of intense walking tonight and burn about 300 more.

Trying to figure out why I'm up about 2 lbs? Could I be retaining water due to the heat (it was 85 - 90 degrees all weekend) or is it possible I gained muscle? I feel 'bloat-ey' in the stomach as well for some stupid reason and i feel like my stomach is 'extra' loose for some reason.

:(

It might not be muscle GAIN, but water retention IN your muscles because of increased activity. Your muscles hold water while they repair themselves.

Plus, your body fluncutates naturally. 2 pounds might be anything. Don't worry about it. :-)

Give it a couple days of beign back to your normal routine before you worry. I never worrry about my weekend weight b/c I know it always varies a little bit from wehn I am on schedule during the week. The foods you ate may have been higher in sodium. I would definitely say it's just water weight adn it will come off shortly. Just get back on schedule and you'll be fine.

1. Don't obsess over two pounds. My weight fluctuates by that much and more in a single day. What you want to see is that your weight is generally stable (within a few pounds) or that it's trending downward if you're trying to lose weight. Occasional spikes are meaningless.
2. Weight alone is not a good indicator of overall health and fitness. Body fat percentage and body measurements are a more accurate and useful measure. Muscle is heavier than fat, so it's entirely positive to actually be THINNER and HEAVIER. 
3. Total calorie intake is not a good measure either. If you eat 1500 calories but they are all fat calories, you're going to put on more fat than if you eat 1900 calories and only 20% are fat calories.
4. If you haven't gone to the bathroom a few hours before weighing yourself, that can easily make the difference.
5. Small short term fluctuations are not only normal, they're unavoidable.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry.  It's water.  I'm up nearly 2# from yesterday.  Why?  I put salt on my popcorn. 

Same thing here... Three pounds heavier though I've stayed within my 1500 cals and did lots of exercise... There's gotta be something in the air.

It is difficult not to worry because with effort you expect to see the numbers. Having that said, whenever I work out, I tend to gain weight, instead of losing it. When I simply watch my calories, I tend to lose quicker. Maybe the difference is in whether the weight loss actually stays?

yeah, me too - I burned over 1000 cals yesterday MORE than normal, doing some major yard work, and was up 2 lbs today - I got dehydrated from working AND ate very salty carne asada from the local mexican place.  I knew it was really salty, so I started flushing out by drinking a ton of water last night and all day today.  (I've already peed like 50 times today, I swear).   I'll weigh again in a couple of days and should have a nice big drop. 

I had the same problem this week. I worked out heavy over the weekend but went to the movies and had popcorn with the 2 cal toppings. My weight jumped 5 pounds, but am drinking water to flush. 

You are all absolutely right - good points everyone.

It's hard not to worry, knowing you're working so hard to see a difference. Today, got up and weighed and I was back down to pre-camping weight. Could have been anything.

You're right danakerman75, in that I need to get used to fluctuations like that (I freaked last month about my TOTM and it was only 2-3lbs) and focus more on the overall % of body fat, and how my body looks / feels. (And longer-term decreases)

I can tell you for one thing: I FEEL better going through this lifestyle change. I was only correcting diet (and messing up at restaurants / binge drinking) on weekends for a long while and have recently turned to more exercise (been at it a month now), clean(er) eating, and working on reducing / eliminating alcohol and my mood / stamina / etc has increased substantially. 

Thanks for your patience with us worrywarts.

H 

I'm having the major scale fluctuations too! It's especially discouraging when it happens after i've done twice the calorie burning than usual.  i understand it's probably water weight plus muscle building which weighs more.  but still....

i noticed from my food logs on here that i eat way more carbs than protein and i don't drink enough water.  so i'm going to try cutting back my carbs and more H20.  i'm staying within my calorie range but still not losing weight, so i think it has to do with the *type* of foods i'm eating.

I also think timing has a lot to do with it.

If I have a big lunch, and a smaller dinner, I weigh less the next morning. If I have a small lunch and a bigger dinner, I weigh more. That would make sense. Less time for a BM, and more food in your stomach / body undigested.