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It can be easy to hyperfocus on your weight when you’re working to become healthier, clocking every time you experience any noticeable changes in how you look. After eating a heavy meal, you may worry that you’ve ruined your weight loss progress, and bloating can only further add to these concerns as your body looks visibly different, compounding your concerns.
However, not every little change in your body can be attributed to weight gain, and in fact, inflammation is a much more common occurrence after a large meal or a night out on the town than actual weight gain. We checked in with Dr. Nancy Lin, PhD, XPRO for YogaSix GO to set your mind at ease when it comes to determining the difference between inflammation and real weight gain–and this is what she had to say.
The first step is defining the difference between inflammation and weight gain, as seen on the scale. When your body is inflamed, you may notice a 2-5 lb variation on the scale which can be easily mistaken for weight gain. However, it is more likely simply water weight or gas retention rather than actual fat. The reality is that it takes 3,500 calories over your total daily expenditure to gain even one pound, so the odds of that happening in one night are highly unlikely, if not impossible. The easiest way to determine whether you’re experiencing inflammation or weight gain is to assess the time frame in which the changes in your body appeared.
“Inflammation issues on the inside of the body (gut/brain/organs/joints) can cause immediate (as soon as 10-15 minutes within consumption) reactions and responses,” notes Lin. “These unfavorable immune responses can be experienced as allergies, intolerances, sensitivities—and cause a disruption to the stomach lining which can prevent absorption of nutrients. The malabsorption of nutrients eventually signals to the brain and body that there is a calorie deficit, and more than likely trigger a poor leptin response which tells your body it’s satiated and full. When this happens, you are more likely to overeat.”
When your body is experiencing bloat and inflammation, you may also notice a host of side effects that don’t commonly accompany weight gain. This can include constipation, brain fog, nausea, and even fatigue. “If you feel like your brain is in a fog after eating or throughout the day (even after sleeping well through the night), if you see your energy deplete and fatigue becomes chronic, if you have digestive issues like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or heartburn, then I strongly suggest you start to get serious and curious about what you are eating and how you are feeling after you eat those foods,” suggests Lin.
On the other hand, rather than occurring overnight, weight gain will come with days and even weeks of eating in a calorie surplus in which the foods you’re consuming are more dense than the energy you’re outputting. This gain will be more significant on the scale and will not be relieved by drinking more water or using the restroom. In both cases, however, it will be important to make significant changes to your lifestyle which cater more to your body and the foods that digest well, avoiding heavily processed items which can cause both weight gain and inflammation.
Prioritizing nutrient dense whole foods over processed items will keep inflammation and weight gain at bay, and regularly exercising can simultaneously have a positive effect on your body. If you’re struggling with more chronic bloating, reducing inflammatory foods in your diet such as cruciferous vegetables, refined carbs, and sugar can also be useful in alleviating some of the discomfort that may come with this condition.
It can be easy to automatically assume that any changes in your body are due to weight gain, but in reality it would take a fairly significant change in your diet and lifestyle to create unexpected weight gain out of nowhere. More than likely if you’re experiencing a distended stomach or discomfort in the body, you can look to the foods you’re including in your diet (yes, even the healthy ones) to determine the culprit behind the reaction instead of jumping to the conclusion that you’ve gained weight.
Even so, in order to reduce the risk of inflammation and weight gain, eating nutritionally dense foods and prioritizing healthy protein, carbs, and fat instead of processed foods will help to eliminate excess calories as well as ingredients which may be irritating your stomach lining. Weight gain and bloating may look similar, but the odds that you’ve put on visible weight overnight are slim, so put your mind at rest and start eating foods which help minimize inflammation, rather than provoke it.
