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Why have I gained 12 lb in 3 days while sick with the flu?

Hi,
I have been bedridden with the flu for the last 5 days and have hardly eaten anything, yet when I stepped on the scale this morning I was horrified to see that since I last weighed myself 3 days ago, I’d gained a whopping twelve pounds. Is this normal? I did just start my period today which typically leads to an additional 5 pounds of water weight, but 12 seems startlingly extreme. I’ve also been on a ketogenic diet since July and and this week I’ve broken my diet by snacking on a few popsicles and some crackers. I’m worried this weight is going to stick around and I’m very concerned. Help!

Ps. Sorry if this is TMI, but I haven’t really pooped much this week. I assumed it was because I haven’t really been eating, but could it be a contributing factor?

Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Who knows?  Possibly it's that you're not doing anything, as you say you're bedridden, so you're not burning what you usually do.  You're also learning the problems of so-called keto diets and other high protein diets -- the weight loss doesn't stay around, so if you stop what you were  doing, which you did, they stop working, and this is also going to likely happen if you decide to return to a healthier balanced diet than high protein diets offer.  I wouldn't worry about it, it's only a short-term thing most likely, but it does tell you, at some point you are going to stop this diet and return to a more normal eating pattern because we all do that, and these diets have not done well in long-term studies or for health.  So when you do go back to eating a diet more balanced with those high anti-oxidant carbs you might have to also increase your output of energy, such as by increasing the amount you walk, decreasing the amount you drive, and increasing exercise.  Eventually, your metabolism will even out again, and if you stay on your way of eating before you got sick and return to activity I'm guessing you'll also return to the weight you were at as the body will seek its current balance.  So get better and don't worry about it.  Peace.
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As to the not pooping, that's probably not a factor, but is from not moving or eating much.
Thanks for your reply! I think my scale might just be broken because now I’m 14 pounds down from yesterday.
And of course your scale could be broken!
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