Linear or stepwise weight loss? Fluid retention? Discuss!

kittyr77

OK so I'm sure this will have been discussed before but I didn't find much searching the boards so I hope you don't mind me bringing this up again. Any opinions/experiences are most welcome!

Basically, I've worked my *kitten* off with cardio and strength over last 3 weeks(5-6 sessions a week), stuck to my 1200kcal plus eating half my exercise cals. (eating them all just seems too much to me and Im actually not that hungry). Im 5'5" and 178lb. I weigh and measure and record all food as accurately as possible and use Polar FT4 monitor to count cardio cals. I dont eat much salt or processed food, eat enough protein and fruit and veg, drink 3-4L water a day (no other drinks but water), no alcohol, BUT no weight loss. My muscles are quite sore from all the exercise though. And I am more than partial to fluid retention. When I came off a six month course of steroids, I lost 8lb in a few days which was all fluid, I had pitting oedema on my legs and puffy eyes. I also puff up with a lot of other meds and with the heat, like my wedding ring wont go on!

SO - I wanted to know everyone else's experience with their weight loss - do people see the steady 1-2lb a week or go weeks with nothing then BAM 4lb? I wonder if I may have lost some fat but it is masked by fluid retention? And, of course, I am hoping if I stick with this something will shift eventually!

Here is an article I found on the subject with a quick Google - I would appreciate personal experience!

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

Thanks everyone and good luck in your weight loss journey

dixiewhiskey

First off.. Are you tracking your measurements? How do your clothes feel since working out?

Personally, I see a loss of 1.5 - 1.9 lbs a week whenever I have tried to slim down.

When I try to lose "weight", I aim to decrease body fat so you may not be losing weight because you are building muscle. It happens.. earlier this week, I lost three lbs but have stayed steady at 184lbs for a few days now. I have been doing 30 Day Shred (which if you don't already know incorporates cardio and strength training) and since doing it, I've lost 2" but remain at 2.5lbs (mostly water) lost this week.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I think the idea that weight loss should be linear (or even logical) is what's behind a lot of people getting discouraged and giving up. It doesn't work like we think it should. Our bodies are incredibly complex; they are not gumball machines where you put in x hours of exercise and lose y pounds. What we see as a long time and huge change can be nothing to a body capable of living a hundred years.

I'd be surprised if anyone saw a constant steady rate of loss the entire time they were losing weight; in any case, I don't think it's the norm even if some individuals do get that result. Sustainable weight loss comes from perseverance and consistency in the long term. When you look at an extremely short period of time like a week, you'll see lots of variations which are largely insignificant; it's the trend over time that's important.

Keltinator

I keep track of my weight by weighing myself every day. Sometimes it will come off little by little every day, and then sometimes I'll stay the same weight for 5 days or so and then the next day be a pound lighter. So... who knows.

onyxgirl17

most weight loss is not linear.

ars1300

Try taking your measurements and not just going by what the scale says. You may have gained some muscle. Have you had been checked for a thyroid problem?

kittyr77

Thanks for the comments guys.
Yeah i measured, everywhere the same except my hips which are almost an inch bigger ha ha

Yes i appreciate what you said about a short time like a week. but three weeks with a 23000 deficit just seems a bit weird.
Def not a thyroid problem. only different thing i was on high dose steroids for a long long time so may be my adrenals are unhappy!
I am not going to quit no way OR change what im going. will stick it out and see what happens. just wanted your experiences and sounds like it may come off in a chunk at some point.
Im having a rest day from exercise today and going to eat 100 over, so 1300, just to mix it up and see what happens.
Thanks everyone for posting x

wftiger

In my experience it is not linear. I will lose 5 lbs one week and nothing the next and nothing changes.

I tend to only weigh monthly because of this. It is not so discouraging.

NCchar130

As a yo-yo dieter who has successfully lost weight in the past (though I didn't keep it off), I can say it was not linear for me then. I would lose anywhere from less than a pound up to 4 pounds in any given week with a consistent diet and exercise plan. Sometimes, curiously, a 'cheat day' would make all the difference in the world, though I can't explain it as it seems to contradict the whole calories in/calories out thing.

SafioraLinnea

My weight loss thus far has been 'linear' in a sense that overall my numbers have been dropping about 1.3-1.9lbs weekly. I do not consistently lose the 0.20-0.25 pounds every single day that would be necessary if I were following a truly linear loss. I always fluctuate roughly 0.3lbs up, and down about the same, for 4-6 days and then the next day I'll lose 0.8-1.6 pounds. Then I'll fluctuate up and down +/0.3lbs again for several more days before I drop another 0.8-1.6 pounds. On average it is 5-7 days between significant drops. Lately it has been more like 7 days between drops because I haven't been able to exercise. Exercise restriction combined with upping my caloric intake so I can heal satisfactorily (injuries suck) is cramping my style!

Honestly, I do not consider the variation of gain 0.3 one day, and lose 0.3 the next day to be anything but water weight changes. If I was consistently going one way or the other without the rebound, I might attribute it to a loss or gain of fat, but it just doesn't happen that way for me.

I personally find it super encouraging to lose weight this way. I can appreciate the up and down, but when that larger drop happens, I'm excited! And then afterwards I fully expect the up and down for several days so I simply enjoy the ride and continue on. I live for 'significant loss' days (meaning the 0.8-1.6lb loss day) and generally post MFP weight on those days.