Gain 5 pounds in 1 week will take 5 weeks to lose it?

amother

Maple

Mon, May 06 2024, 9:57 am

I have a similar issue.
I only gained 1 lb over pesach. I was shocked because I definitely ate a lot. I normally gain quite a bit over pesach and struggle afterwards to lose it.
Since I didn’t really gain over pesach, I was not careful at all the next few days and I ate lots of pizza, pasta, challah, cereal… and what do you know? I gained 5 lbs over the weekend!
So, I’m back to dieting like I always am after pesach and I didn’t even gain weight on pesach this year.
And yes, losing those 5 lbs will probably take around a month or more. I know some people can lose that in a week or two but not me. I’ll be busy monitoring what and when I’m eating forever.

amother

Mon, May 06 2024, 9:32 pm

amother Papayawhip wrote:

Are you certain you gained 5 actual pounds?
That would mean that over the course of a week you consumed 17,500 EXTRA calories, in addition to what you usually would eat

The scale is 5 pounds more than before pesach and all we did on pesach was eat and eat and eat chocolate bars, chips, meat, matza, Potatoes, Rainbow cake, potato starch cake, Kugels etc . Heavy meals late at night

amother

Starflower

Mon, May 06 2024, 11:52 pm

Yes I would love an explanation on this. I have a wedding in July and I want to fit into a dress that’s a size smaller than I am now. I’m extremely motivated to lose the weight. I started shushan purim and lost 6-7 lbs by Pesach. I had a LOT of self control over Pesach and didn’t touch any baked goods… but I’m usually very careful on Shabbos (matzah, 2 eggs, chicken salad) and I wasn’t home for Pesach so I ate what was served by the meals (meat, starchy vegetables) but even so .. 4 pounds??? I was horrified when I saw the scale. There was no way for me to bring along food with me on Pesach it was what it was it’s just sooooo frustrating. A week of being perfect and I lost just under 2 lbs. I’ll prob lose another 2 this coming week it’s just a battle …

ETA I did a ton of walking over Pesach. On the days of YT I walked at least 2 miles a day …

amother

Maple

Tue, May 07 2024, 12:35 am

amother Starflower wrote:

You probably would have gained a lot more if not for all that walking!

amother

Blush

Tue, May 07 2024, 3:03 am

amother Papayawhip wrote:

Are you certain you gained 5 actual pounds?
That would mean that over the course of a week you consumed 17,500 EXTRA calories, in addition to what you usually would eat

Excess calories are not the only way to gain weight.

Eating a carb heavy diet will make you hold on to lots of water. If you have insulin resistance, your body will readily store these carbs as fat, it doesn't have to be that exact calorie amount.

BmoreBubby

Tue, May 07 2024, 1:33 pm

amother Starflower wrote:

First of all, that's great that you lost so much between Purim and Pesach. That means you can definitely reach your goal by July. I wouldn't worry about a few pounds of fluctuation because that could be merely water. It's important to weigh yourself at the same time each day. The thing about weight loss is that after that first success with being careful, continued success really requires counting calories. There is no other way to guarantee you'll get there by July. Even on Shabbos. It's ultimately about how many calories you eat v. burn. And the body has built-in hunger hormones that will trick you into maintaining your current weight unless you actively over-rule them, and the only way to do that is by counting calories. I am not an expert and I know that people can get expert help from a registered dietitian who will basically count the calories for you and tell you exactly what to eat each day. But they can be expensive, and you can do it yourself with a book like Diet and Fitness Journal or if you want a Torah-based approach, try Body & Soul. Good luck! You can do this!