Newbie weigh loss question

[EmilyBen]

I am obese so I have been counting calories and doing 40 min of cardo every day (cycling 20 miles @ 29-30 mph). I started working out religiously at the end of February and every evening the app always tells me I am under budget for calories.

I weigh myself every morning and just last week I lost 6 pounds which was very exciting. However, this morning I weighed myself and I had gained 2 pounds over night. Could this be water weight or am I also building muscle?

[vcoe]

Hi EmilyBen!

It really could be either! I know that if I am changing my exercise, my water needs tend to jump up, and I will retain some extra during those days. 

I am also under the impression that it's normal for most people to fluctuate about 2 lbs daily. That is usually chocked up to being water weight, the amount of food in your stomach, your bowels etc. It could be as simple as an uptick in sodium content which has caused a water retention. 

All the best!

[JuanFitbit]

Hi @EmilyBen @vcoe , a warm welcome to the Community!

You both might be into something.  It's known, that when you start exercising your body tends to hold more water until it regulates and gets use to your training ! During these phase you might see a lot of fluctuation on the weight, but mostly is the water retention. 

It's recommendable, to try to weight yourself every time at the same time and after the same routine, so that the results can be compared better. 

Good luck to you both and let the Community know how it goes on your fitness trip. 

[Heybales]

oh if muscle were only that easy to build!!!

Especially in a diet.

And not even doing strength training.

We all wish.

Fat (and muscle) is neither gained or lost fast.

Water weight is.

That little gauge for under, over, or at budget, is looking at your eating goal.

If you selected a weight loss goal - meeting that goal will cause weight loss, most want fat loss, who cares water weight no one sees.

Going under that goal constantly should not be a goal - 50 over is better than 100 below on constant basis.

And that's if you even selected a reasonable rate of loss.

Would you get to say 10 lbs of goal weight and say close enough? or 15 min of goal time exercising and say close enough?

Meet your eating goal, don't undercut it even more - bigger diet is not better.

A great thing while weighing daily is using a trending app, let's you clearly see direction, and predictions, and the fact weight loss is not linear and water weight is fast and temp in most cases.

Good job.

I'm guessing that 29-30 mph on the bike isn't outside but on a stationary?

Be very leery of it's calorie burn given if you are logging that, unless it gives an avg Watts reading which can be super accurate when converted to calories.

[EmilyBen]

When I'm done riding the app always tells me I'm under budget by at least 1000 calories but I not going to eat if I'm not hungry.

I ride a stationary bike and it is almost at max resistance, otherwise it feels too easy as I have very muscular legs. I know the app says I'm burning almost 200 more calories during my ride than my bike says. I am very sweaty when I'm done so that tells me I am burning something. I hope....

[Heybales]

Sweat is an indication of trying to stay cool.

Hence sweating when sitting in the heat, burning barely above sleeping calorie burn.

Under budget I meant by end of day. Yes at end of ride that gauge is about worthless. I actually think it's worthless most the day.

1000 under budget on constant basis, oh my.

You feeling full and your body being fully fed are 2 entirely different things.

The former is what has led to most people needing to lose weight. It's a foreign language the body speaks, and unless you know it, signals like feeling full, or conversely the normal problem state of not feeling full, can't be trusted, and you have to use your thinking ability.

If you truly have an eating goal that is already a deficit to what you burn, and you are adding on 1000 more deficit by the end of the day when done eating - don't imagine you'll escape some bad consequences to your body. Just saying.

That's how one loses muscle mass, all too easily.

Avg dieter already loses up to 20% due to on average not enough protein being eaten, no resistance training, and too big a diet (usually the reason why not enough protein).

Hopefully if it really is Fitbit inflating calorie burn by 200 (because of using HR-based formula compared to bike maybe using watts), that's saving you somewhat.

I'd suggest measurements where you have muscle mass right now and hope you don't see it decrease, and be willing to eat more when you do more to keep the diet from being extreme.

[Glenda]

Haybales gives really great detailed explanations and good observations and suggestions.  Good idea to measure muscles and see if you are building muscle.  I suggest everyone should google how many grams of protein a day they should eat for their age, height, gender, and weight and then divide that by 3 and spread the protein  (& fiber) out through the day.  If you eat adequate protein and fiber at each of 3 meals it is much easier to avoid between meal snacks and over eating too many calories.  You must overeat if you just eat food that isn't satisfying or filling.  It is very hard to fill up on M&M peanut candy or Hershey bars.  I add a protein powder drink to whatever I eat to get the right amount.   Ready made drinks may have more protein than you need along with more calories than you want.  More isn't always better.

[EmilyBen]

According to my weight and height I'm obese. I'm muscular so I'm sure that makes up a lot of my weight, my goal is to loose some tummy fat. 

I've seen a lot of people mention eating more protein and cutting out junk food. I don't eat any junk food or soda. I have a protein shake every morning, a salad for lunch then a healthy dinner. My daily calorie intake is just under 2000. I was actually thinner in college (20 years ago) and I lived off soda until the carbonation started giving me bladder problems, I don't drink alcohol either. 

Every night, after my daily workout, I check my Fitbit app and it always says I'm under budget for calories as it says I burn 3,000+ calories daily. Including my daily ride on my stationary bike, the app says I put in 13,000+ steps daily.

I've been weighing myself every night and morning and my weight doesn't seem to be fluctuating anymore so I believe I'm on the right track. I did read from several sources that sweating is a sign that you are burning calories.

I do thank everyone for their input and suggestions 🙂

[janiehray]

I think of losing a pound as bouncing a rubber ball. The first bounce is big with each successive bounce smaller until it no longer bounces. With each pound lost, you will swing wildly at first, then slowly the scale will settle to the low point. Then the bouncing begins for the next pound. Your first 6 pound weight loss was probably a combination of water weight lost as well as last weight gained. Last weight gained is always easiest. Oldest weight gain is hardest, so expect your journey will get harder as you go along. But stay with your plan, adjusting your intake as you weight decreases. (You must adjust your program periodically because your calorie requirements will decrease with each few pounds lost. 

That 2 pound overnight gain you experienced is not real so don't let it jar you. You cannot legitimately gain two pounds in a day if you are restricting calories. Just realize that it is the bounce.  Good luck to you.