Extra Fruit = Weight Gain?

[writergal28]

My weight is normally steady at 95-95.5 lb (I'm very short and come from a family of very tiny (as in lower weight) women, so it's normal for me), but I've gained 2 lb in the past two weeks.  Other than eating an extra piece of fruit after lunch, I'm not doing anything differently - working out 40-60 minutes each day plus walking (25K+ steps a day)) and eating regular meals.  I'm 39 years old, and though I know weight piles up as one ages, it's usually not 2 lb.  Keep in mind 2 lb is A LOT for someone who is in the 5'2" range. 

[wmchapman]

Most likely not the fruit w.g. (only about an extra 200 calories in), it's the workout, don't be concerned if you like the look of your body. One pound of muscle and one pound of fat weigh the same: one pound. The difference is the amount of space they both take up. Difference on a 5'2 frame though is one cubic inch of muscle weighs more than one cubic inch of fat because it is more dense. If toning is your goal and not mass, than just cut your work out in half and add that time to your walk.

Try not to be too fixated on the scales number, at 39 pay attention to the calories in - your metabolism is naturally slowing so understandable smaller portion sizes will keep onboard fat levels balanced.

Keep moving, impressive!

[bikerhiker]

I don't think eating an extra fruit will cause the weight gain, since if you eat fruit it is fibre so it breaks down slowly into glucose for your body to absorb into the bloodstream.  This slow release effect is why eating fruit is better than drinking fruit juice where you can ingest a higher concentration of fructose.  Having said that, don't get too fixated on your weight.  Everyone is different and weight is a summation of the weight of your bones, weight of your internal organs, weight of the water content in your body as well as any gain in your lean muscle groups while you work out and fat.  Sometimes, that extra 2 lb of mass may come from increase in bone density and lean muscles as you work out.  When you work out, you gain both bone density and lean muscles and they both can easily weight about 2 lbs.  

I would focus more on your waist line and your hips as they are a better determining factor your body fat percentage.  I would highly discourage people from going too thin and too light weight when you are in a healthy weight range and the reason is simple; if your body fat is in a good range and since you can't really shrink your vital organs any smaller and lighter, then the only way to lose weight and shrink that weight is by shrinking your bone density and losing your lean muscles.  And when your body loses too much bone and/or makes too little bone, this process is called Osteoporosis (porous bones).  It is no surprise that women ARE MORE susceptible to Osteoporosis -- 1 in 2 women over 50 years of age will develop Osteoporosis as opposed to 1 in 4 men over 50.  And the thing is that, there is no tell tale sign that you have Osteoporosis until you break or snap a bone or you start losing height!  I work in health care and what I see a lot in women is that their innate focus on beauty and slim body, but a complete neglect in their maintenance of their bone structure.  And hence when they are over 50, they are at a higher risk factor of hip displacement; where you easily break the hip through a simple fall.  People without Osteoporosis will not easily break the hip or snap a bone through a simple fall even if you're old.

[emili]

if your weight is going up then your caloric intake is higher than it was, whether it is the fruit or whatever else is happening. you may also be in the "time of the month" which could cause temporary gain due to water.. it may also be salt and you are retaining water due to that. If the weight does not come off in the next week or so, maybe change up some stuff. 

[Dominique]

95 lbs at 5’2" is BMI 17.4, so you’re technically underweight. You would need to gain 6 lbs (to 101 lbs) in order to barely make it to the lower end of the normal category (per BMI). Therefore I wouldn’t overly worry about a 2 lbs fluctuation within two weeks (very short period anyway), nor would I try to link it to any particular food items you have been eating lately. Such fluctuations are typically water weight and can be caused by a number of factor, like your hormonal cycle, whether you’ve eaten food that was more or less salty than usual etc.

If you want to monitor your weight without "micro-managing" it, get yourself a scale that can sync to your Fitbit account, link your Fitbit account to TrendWeight (check link in my signature) and have a look at the trend over longer periods (4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months etc.).