I personally never really care what people eat but I’ve noticed that ever since I started tracking my calories I’ve been getting comments. Especially from my mom. Which is odd because she’s also on a health journey and encourages healthy eating so why would it be odd or bothersome that I would want to know exactly what I’m eating?

I’ll get comments like “oh you’re gonna track that too?” Like nothing serious but it’s obviously being a little sassy for no apparent reason. And it’s stuff I would obviously weigh like bread, meat, potatoes etc. Not little stuff that’s low caloric anyways

Does anyone else have experience with this?

Meal 1: Weetabix, berries, milk, peanut butter & honey

Meal 2: Pasta, potatoes, green beans, avocado & chicken breast

Meal 3: Pasta, potatoes, green beans & chicken

Meal 4: cheese on toast, some with marmite and ketchup

Meal 5: Greek yoghurt, berries, peanut butter

~2700kcal
P: 137
C: 380
F: 58

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I've been eating low-carb for years, but I've recently decided to reintroduce carbs because I want to focus on building muscle and getting bigger rather than continuing to cut.

The problem is that whenever I start eating carbs again, I seem to gain weight around my waist almost immediately. My stomach looks noticeably bigger, and it makes me feel like I'm gaining belly fat.

I suspect it's mostly water weight from replenishing glycogen stores, but this exact thing happened to me before, and I ended up cutting carbs again because I didn't like how my midsection looked.

This time, I want to stick with it and give my body time to adjust rather than quitting too early.

My main carb sources are white rice, potatoes and oatmeal.

For those who have transitioned from long-term low-carb eating to a higher-carb diet:

* How long did it take for the initial water weight and bloating to settle down?

* Did your waistline return closer to normal after a few weeks, or did you retain the extra size?

* How do you distinguish glycogen-related water weight and digestive bloating from actual fat gain?

* Would you recommend simply staying consistent with carbs and calories for 2–4 weeks before judging the results?

I want to build a bigger, thicker physique, but I don't want to mistake temporary water retention for fat gain and go back to cutting unnecessarily.

Would appreciate hearing your experiences!