Gained 2 lb in one day cycling 25 miles

Roaders

Hi all

I am a big Guy and cycle to lose weight. I need to loose about 4 stone in total but these last 2 weeks I have been aiming towards a target and have been trying to lose about 2 lb a day (more than I usually would). This is usually pretty easy when I cycle (25 mile return trip commute) and last week everything was going well.

This week on Monday I really pushed it on the way home as I was late for an appointment. I expected if anything to have lost more than 2 lb when I weighed myself on Tuesday. I only lost 1.2 lb though. I was fine with that as I know it's not an exact science. This morning however (Wednesday) I had gained 2 lb.

I can't figure out how I can gain 2 lb in one day when I cycled 25 miles burning aroung 1600 kcal (according to cycle computer).

At the moment I am only eating a bit of muesli and yogurt for breakfast, soup and a roll for lunch and chicken and salad for dinner.

I only started cycling again after the winter break last week so my legs have lost some condition. I am expecting to put some muscle on but 2 lb (or even 4 lb when you take into account normal loss) in one day? I'm sure that's not the reason.

I know this sort of thing fluctuates and I don't expect linear loss every day but to put 2 lb on is a bit too odd!

Any insights?

LittleB0b

day to day weight fluctuations of about that much aren't unheard of; dehydrated to hydrated, full bowels to empty bowels, time of the month causing water retention - even clothing, or the scales being sat on a bumpier part of the floor

I tend to weigh myself most days - but average over the week for recording purposes

SBezza

LittleB0b wrote:

day to day weight fluctuations of about that much aren't unheard of; dehydrated to hydrated, full bowels to empty bowels, time of the month causing water retention - even clothing, or the scales being sat on a bumpier part of the floor

I tend to weigh myself most days - but average over the week for recording purposes

+1

Don't get hung up about day to day weight, I check my weight daily, but only have one day a week as the day I gauge weightloss by.

softlad

losing 2lb per day actually sounds a bit dangerous to me. The 'norm' is more like 2lb per week...

All I will say is that weight fluctuates - but if you are expecting to see a 2lb loss every day, then I think you will end up disappointed - or dead...

ex-pat scot

A pound of fat = 3,600 calories approx.

To lose 2 lbs per day = 7200 calories net deficit of expenditure over intake.

That's really not in anyone's lifestyle, unless they are morbidly obese and fasting (or exercising 12 hrs per day and eating very little).

Fluid fluctuations, and scales variations / inaccuracies, are more likely to account for any short-term variability

stonehouse

Continue to lose 2lb a day, put your body into "famine" mode and then watch the weight go back up as your body compensates. As above, you should aim for no more than 2lb a week so that your system doesn't panic. I'd also say that unless you are sprinting the 25 miles that 1600 calories is over the top too. Weigh yourself once a week, then you won't panic over the daily normal fluctuations. It would also pay to REALLY check your calorie intake. There are hidden calories in most food, add dressing to a salad and you can easily triple the calorific content of the meal for instance. You will want to keep the weight off, so slow down and do it properly otherwise it will all pile back on, I wish you luck....

thiscocks

only women weigh themselves

guinea

You can't lose 2lbs a day for any more than a couple of days.

Even if you ate nothing you'd need to burn up 5k calories which is 100 miles cycling @20mph (roughly).

Try that for a couple of days without eating and you'll be checking yourself into hospital pretty quickly.

Muscles that are being actively used store more water. You're going to gain a little water weight as you start to use your body again.

I follow a fairly hard/contraversial diet, but even I think your plan is mental.

rbleightonbuzzard

1 stone a week weight loss is not possible. [/quote]

ExeterSimon

That's a stone a week...as soon as you return to a normal diet most of what you lost will pile back on.

I lost 3.5 stone over 18 months (not a quick weight loss but it's stayed off).

As others have said...ditch the scales. Use your loosening clothes as a guide. The worse thing you can do is weigh yourself everyday as it can be de-motivational.

Pokerface

As someone who has lost a LOT of weight in the past - I can tell you that it is nearly impossible to lose 2 pounds a day consistently. (I lost about 6 stone in 3 months).

Even 1 pound a day is a struggle - especially over longer periods of time. It CAN be done, but requires very special tricks.

To lose that much weight - you'll end up burning off a lot of muscle if you're not careful.

Furthermore - your estimate of 1600 calories burned off by cycling 25 miles is probably VERY generous. Realistically it's probably a lot less.

LittleB0b

ExeterSimon wrote:

As others have said...ditch the scales. Use your loosening clothes as a guide. The worse thing you can do is weigh yourself everyday as it can be de-motivational.

It depends, for most things i would agree with you - go with health and fitness over weight, but for somethings *actual weight* matters. So for example i'm also a climber and my fingers don't really care how i look they just care about the weight they are dragging up the wall*. I guess people who are intrested in climbing hills with their bikes can make a similar agrument.

That said most of the time i agree with you - but sweeping generalities don't always apply.




*yes i know technique and strength matter too, but so does weight

Stevie2wheels

2lb a day is very unhealthy, purely because you will mostly be losing fluid! Not good for long term weight loss.

1-2lb a week is far more sustainable and healthier!

It's taken me a year to lose 2.5 stone and get to my target weight.

Stevie.

ExeterSimon

LittleB0b wrote:

ExeterSimon wrote:

As others have said...ditch the scales. Use your loosening clothes as a guide. The worse thing you can do is weigh yourself everyday as it can be de-motivational.

It depends, for most things i would agree with you - go with health and fitness over weight, but for somethings *actual weight* matters. So for example i'm also a climber and my fingers don't really care how i look they just care about the weight they are dragging up the wall*. I guess people who are intrested in climbing hills with their bikes can make a similar agrument.

That said most of the time i agree with you - but sweeping generalities don't always apply.




*yes i know technique and strength matter too, but so does weight

If the OP was training for an event where weight was an issue then yes...keeping an eye on it is useful. But as their aim is purely to lose weight keeping motivated is vital.

As others have pointed out there are many factors that decide what you weigh at a certain time so weighing yourself every day at a certain time can be irrelevant. Weighing every two weeks is much more motivational as you will have lost weight over that period (if you've stuck to your plan!).

Pokerface

ExeterSimon wrote:

As others have pointed out there are many factors that decide what you weigh at a certain time so weighing yourself every day at a certain time can be irrelevant. Weighing every two weeks is much more motivational as you will have lost weight over that period (if you've stuck to your plan!).

I used to weigh myself every day (when I was on a serious weight loss plan). And while there were some days when I didn't lose or even gained- I took it all in stride. And seeing the weight drop day to day WAS what motivated ME to continue.

It also helped me make sure I was on track with my targets. If you weight yourself every 2 weeks - too many things can go wrong with your plan and you won't be able to correct them quickly enough.

But - to each their own!