How much do you fluctuate and still consider yourself "maintaining"?

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2

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  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    storyjorie wrote: »
    I know it's a slippery slope between "oops, I ate Chinese food last night and the scale's up" and "my pants are getting tight." How much leeway do you offer yourself--especially if you're on the smaller side.

    A 10 pound range works for me since I do not do count or measure food.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,977 Member
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    Using a 7 day moving average, +/-2.5# (5# total) is a sufficient range to monitor weight change day-to-day by smoothing out the daily variations.

    Using raw daily weight figures, +/-5# (10# total) over 30 days (or a month) at a time allows for odd variations and short term trends w/o causing an immediate panic.
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
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    storyjorie wrote: »
    I know it's a slippery slope between "oops, I ate Chinese food last night and the scale's up" and "my pants are getting tight." How much leeway do you offer yourself--especially if you're on the smaller side.

    When I was at goal, years and years ago, I allowed myself a 5 lb range. If I stayed too close to the top end for a few days, I would eat lighter for a couple weeks and knock it back down a bit.

    Maintaining is just dieting with a few more calories.. lol

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    5 but I'm the queen of weight fluctuation. It can take me forever to figure out if I'm losing or gaining weight.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited May 2017
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    bbell1985 wrote: »
    It can take me forever to figure out if I'm losing or gaining weight.

    Same here! On Trendweight, one week it says I'm losing, next week it's 0, week after that I'm gaining, and then it starts all over again :sad:

  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I have a 5-lb range.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    10lb. maybe more.
    Large intake and meals.
  • wenrob
    wenrob Posts: 125 Member
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    +3lbs I've rarely gone under and I'd probably roll with it if I did so I don't give myself a minus range. Probably because I'm a creature of habit foodwise my weight tends to be remarkably stable. TOM/ovulation, heavy meal/high sodium, new workout routine has me up 2-3lbs. If that 2-3lbs remains consistent and can't be attributed to any of those I tighten things up until I'm back where I'm supposed to be. I tried giving myself +5lbs but that led me to letting +6,7,8 slide which led to laziness and a slow 20lb gain over two years. So, lesson learned.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Petite and older.. Fluctuations +/- 3 - 4 pounds.. If I go up for more than 7-8 days, something is off.

    I am still meticulously logging so not a problem.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    My weight falls within a six pound range. If it gets five pounds above the midpoint I start counting calories. But I would still call that maintaining. If I get outside that range and I do nothing to correct it then I would say I'm not maintaining.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
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    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Petite and older.. Fluctuations +/- 3 - 4 pounds.. If I go up for more than 7-8 days, something is off.

    I am still meticulously logging so not a problem.

    Thanks, I think I'm going to adopt this criteria. I like the idea of tracking over a 7-8 day span vs. day to day.
  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 156 Member
    edited May 2017
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    My Goal Weight Range is 128-132. For past few months I've been weighing in between 130-134. Tho I in my mind I think of myself in maintenance, I acknowledge that I need to lose those pounds and have lowered my daily calories to compensate and try to get back into range.

    Daily Calories vary. For instance, when I was weighing in 133-134, I lowered calories to weight loss of 1 pound a week which meant 1210 calories. It worked and got me back in range of around 129-131.

    Creeping up again so cut just back from 1600 maintenance to 1450 for .5 pound weight loss per week...

    PS I'm 5'7" and currently lightly active.


  • sofchak
    sofchak Posts: 862 Member
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    My maintenance weight is 117 - allow fluctuation up to 122 and down to 112. I jumped to my highest weight in April after 6 months of maintenance - 123lbs the day after I ran my first marathon. Figured cortisol (stress - my resting heart rate was up to 72 when it's normally around 55), inflammation, carb loading and a routine, high calorie eating schedule during my taper all contributed. Took about a month, but I am finally back to 120... 117 is just around the corner!
  • jaymie_x0
    jaymie_x0 Posts: 265 Member
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    I'm 6ft 148-151. Depends how big of a *kitten* I've taken that morning
  • xelsoo
    xelsoo Posts: 194 Member
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    I'd say about a 6-7lb range. I'm fairly tall and +2lb-variations are normal within a day for me, or depending on the time of the month even more
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    I have a 3 Kg range around my goal weight (one down, two up) - Weigh monthly I am not in maintenance officially yet as I have not achieved my goal weight yet, but I have been within my upper weight range for the last two months
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,840 Member
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    As long as I remain within my normal BMI range. :)
  • Tabbycat00
    Tabbycat00 Posts: 146 Member
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    I'm very petite, under 100lbs, I give myself 3 pounds on the up side for water, lady issues, etc. but only one pound in the other direction.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    About 5-7 pounds. Sometimes i'll allow myself up to 10 if i'm purposely training.

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