Yesterday was my birthday, which is pretty close to Thanksgiving and Christmas. That means between the holidays and my birthday, I eat a lot of delicious food that is too good to resist.
On my birthday, my parents went all out and bought all these sweet treats. Having a sweet tooth, I couldn’t help but eat everything.
The Big Shock
The next day, I step on the scale, not thinking much. I was shocked and extremely hurt to see that I had gained 3 pounds overnight.
Did I really eat 3 pounds worth of food? Why am I gaining so much weight all of a sudden and at such a fast rate?
Why you may have put on weight
If you are feeling the same way as I am, don’t panic. Despite what the scale is telling us, you did not eat enough food to gain that much weight.
The reason you see such a drastic change in your weight is due to weight fluctuation. Your weight can fluctuate from 2 to 6 pounds a day. There are multiple reasons your weight can fluctuate.
1. Water retention
- This is the number one reason for “weight gain”. It occurs when there are excess fluids that build up in your body. This can happen when you eat a lot of sodium and carbohydrates.
- The sodium or carbs absorbs and retains the water in your body, causing the weight gain you see.
- Water retention can cause bloating and weight gain. Water retention is easily removable and within a couple of days, your weight should become normal.
- Ways to reduce or prevent water retention is sweating it out during a workout, eating foods that are not processed and don’t contain high amounts of salts, and drinking water.
2. Menstrual cycle
- For us ladies out there, your period can cause hormonal changes that can lead to weight gain. When I was on my period, I remember gaining 5 pounds in a day. However, when you’re at the end of your cycle, your weight returns to its normal state.
3. Medication and Illnesses
- If you have been taking a new medication or recently gotten sick, you could be experiencing side effects that cause weight fluctuations. But don’t panic, it’s part of the process and the weight will eventually normalize.
4. Exercise
- Sometimes you can gain weight from working out. Lifting weights and building muscle usually leads to weight gain.
- Muscle weighs more than the fat in your body. As you keep building your muscle, you are replacing the fat in your body with muscle.
- This causes weight gain, but you are getting stronger and healthier. Building muscle is beneficial since having more muscle in your body helps burn more calories.
Final Thoughts
Everything does come down to diet. An unhealthy diet does lead to permanent weight gain, but if you eat a lot of treats one day, it is usually water retention.
Especially during the holidays, I know it’s hard to eat healthily and stay active every day. So don’t beat yourself up when you see that number because 9/10 times, it’s not accurate or permanent.
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