I wasn't complaining over .5 lb. gained over the course of a "normal" day. It's more like, OK, I changed my eating a bit, lost 3.5 lbs in as many days. Then, the next day, when I was just really hungry, I had one -two different, but not necessarily bad things and my weight went up. Why, when on one of those other days I had 2 glasses of sangria, which is, as far as I know, not on anyones list of good dietary habits!
Yes, my weight always goes up 2 lbs. over the course of a day, unless I am in a phase like I am now, (or I am running, which keeps my weight stable much more than cycling) or I do a hard, but not too long ride. As with others, very long, hard rides make me gain weight, but it's temporary. In fact, over the course of a day, I can almost feel if it is a day when I am losing or my weight will be down the next day.
I don't count calories. If I ate 1200 calories a day, I am not sure if I'd survive. I've seen formulas that say I should eat something like 1100 calories a day to maintain my weight . Realistically, I think I eat about 2,000- 2500, with exercise, of course, and now I might be eating 16- 1800.