Completely Baffled - Contest Cutting...

[Riker1964]

I have 9 weeks to go till my first show, 8 for burning fat + Peak Week. What has totally baffled me is a problem that has popped up enough times during my 20+ weeks of dieting, that is really getting me discouraged because I cannot explain it.

I do a 4 day split (M/T/Th/F) and I do cardio for 40 min before meal 1, every day but Saturday. I am eating clean, 6 times per day on a carb cycle - 3 low days, 1 re-feed day. My ratios for the low days are 20% fat (44g), 48% protein (230g), 32% carbs (155g) and I calorie taper during the day and keep my starchy carbs in the first 3 meals only - then fibrous carbs. I drink 1.5 gallons water every day.

My high day ratios are 15% fat (40g), 35% protein (210g), 50% carbs (300g) and I calorie taper during the day, I drink 1.5 gallons water every day.

I weigh in every day and I see that I drop weight/BF nicely during the week, but after Legs on Friday, I have Saturday off, and only Sunday AM Cardio, my weight seems to creep up. And I have lower cals/carbs on Saturdays and Sundays - I still eat clean, never cheat.

Example: This past Wednesday AM I weighed 180.0 (10.5% BF), Thursday AM I weighed 179.2 (10.5% BF), Friday AM 177.6 (10.3% BF), Saturday AM 178.6 (10.4% BF), Sunday AM 180.0 (10.4% BF), and Monday [Today] AM 180.6 (10.5% BF)

I was looking really sharp Friday AM and Friday PM - very vascular and full, very good overall. But since the weight crept up over the weekend, I don't look as sharp. I cannot explain why this happens - I do everything right (IMHO), I don't change the diet, foods, water - I only rest on Saturdays.

Can someone explain why this happens? I am totally dumbfounded over this and it is quite discouraging - and I hate being confused, not knowing why this happens.

TIA,

-Tom

[awbasa]

I'm no expert but I'm sure someone would say its water weight.

[Ian_B]

Rest = less carb oxidation and less sweating = more water retention.

Not that big of a deal to be honest.

[Riker1964]

Originally Posted by Ian_B

Rest = less carb oxidation and less sweating = more water retention.

Not that big of a deal to be honest.

Even though I lowered my carb intake on the rest day, it is still water retention?

[Riker1964]

This is what I did this past week exactly...I saw on Friday AM that I dropped 4 lbs for the week, since that is too much (fearing loss of muscle with anything over a 2lb weight loss), I had a High Carb day that Friday, that was 100 cals over my regular high carb day. I did AM Cardio and PM Legs. The next day I went to a low carb day as usual, but I added 100 cals to that as well. Same for Sunday. Saturday was rest day, Sunday was AM Cardio and posing for 10 min. Did alot of recreational walking Sunday afternoon also.

Saturday I did miss Meal #3 (had an appointment), Sunday I was on the road so I had 2 Whey shakes during the day for meals, and a MetRX meal Replacement bar for Meal 3.

Still did my calorie taper during the day.

Would any of these things have to do with it?