Do you log gains?

Laurend224
Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
If you have them? Initially I lost 8 lbs upon joining MFP, (lost 18 total since the end of August at a bad bad bad Dr visit.) But then I got the flu, and Christmas, and I gained back 5lbs. I know it was water weight, I have tightened up my logging and since Christmas have flushed out that water weight. This morning, I finally had a loss that brought me below my last log in weight. =)

I have an issue with the scale and any gain I see as defeat. I know in my head it isn't a fat gain but it still hurts.

I think I need to start logging my ups as well as losses to get a more accurate picture of what is going on with my body.

I have a long way to go, I am 5'3 and 203.8 as of this morning. =) So very close to Onederland again!
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Replies

  • xmarye
    xmarye Posts: 385 Member
    I do log gains when it is significant. For example, if I had one cheat meal on christmas, I simply wait till my weight drops the few pounds of water weight. If it is because of a few weeks slump, I will log it because then I can start fresh and log any loss I've made.
  • ryanhorn
    ryanhorn Posts: 355 Member
    I log every change in weight since I started almost 100 lbs ago. Ultimately, gains are part of the game when it comes to losing weight, and it's going to happen occaisonally. Try to focus on achieving an overall downward trend and not on the day to day fluctuations. These fluctuations are not necessarily a sign of failure, but I think (for me at least) it's still important to acknowledge their occurrence whether it be water weight or actual weight gain.

    Best of luck!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Yes (sigh...grudgingly yes). I didn't log my Christmas gain immediately (since it was clearly water/sodium/extra food bloat--7lbs total). But it's been a full week, and I'm still up one full pound from before Christmas, which, based on my "glorious" indulging over several days, is very likely a true gain.

    To stay honest with myself, I have logged my new, higher weight. A couple pounds is not much in the grand scope of things, but I like to stay accountable to myself.
  • lborsato1
    lborsato1 Posts: 1,011 Member
    I log all changes - up or down.... Keeps me honest in my efforts.
  • RoughDiamondUK
    RoughDiamondUK Posts: 151 Member
    I weigh daily (unless I'm away from home), and log it in MFP daily.
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    I weigh daily and log it daily - I use trendweight.com -it shows me my weight TREND, which evens out the spikes of the daily weigh-ins....but it also lets me see how what I eat, what I do for workouts and my hormones effect my weight on a day-to-day basis.
  • moya_bleh
    moya_bleh Posts: 1,375 Member
    As someone who is currently trying to bulk up, you damn right I log dem gainz!
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    Yes (sigh...grudgingly yes). I didn't log my Christmas gain immediately (since it was clearly water/sodium/extra food bloat--7lbs total). But it's been a full week, and I'm still up one full pound from before Christmas, which, based on my "glorious" indulging over several days, is very likely a true gain.

    To stay honest with myself, I have logged my new, higher weight. A couple pounds is not much in the grand scope of things, but I like to stay accountable to myself.


    Yes! I also don't wan to ruin the downward trend by having Chinese takeout tonight because I know exactly what that one meal (even if I don't over indulge) will do to the number on the scale.

    I guess the healthy thing would be to eat it, and log the gain. I bloat like crazy. I wish there were a fix for that!
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  • LolaJM
    LolaJM Posts: 3 Member
    I log my gains as well. I think when you do that for awhile, you begin to see the patterns in your graph and realize weight loss does not happen in a straight line.....its a zig-zag downward trend. I believe it's really important to recognize this when you have those little "blips" that you can't account for. It's all part of the overall pattern.
  • spickard34
    spickard34 Posts: 303 Member
    I record it all so that I can go back and see what worked and what did not. However I only weigh once a week every Friday AM.
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    edited December 2014
    I had the same question. I'm a few lbs heavier than my last weigh in and have been debating checking in or just waiting until they come off again (classic, I know). What happens when you add them back? Does MFP announce that you gained X lbs since your last weigh-in, or does it keep its foot out of its mouth :) ?
  • acmanna
    acmanna Posts: 200 Member
    I log gains as well. Since the scale can be frustrating why don't you track body measurements? Or set a non scale goal. For example, I want to run a 5k before the end of January. Pick something that you enjoy, that is a bit of a challenge but also attainable. I understand how you feel..I can get very irritated when I gain, just keep going.
  • AmbyrJayde
    AmbyrJayde Posts: 257 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    If you have them?
    I think I need to start logging my ups as well as losses to get a more accurate picture of what is going on with my body.

    Yes, I log my weight every week. Up, down, or same because it does show a picture when you look at the graph of what you've done. It also shows sometimes you might go up a little but it's almost always a downward trend.
  • Run4Me2Day
    Run4Me2Day Posts: 344 Member
    I log by gains. Normally I wait a couple days to make sure it isn't coming right back off.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    Yes (sigh...grudgingly yes). I didn't log my Christmas gain immediately (since it was clearly water/sodium/extra food bloat--7lbs total). But it's been a full week, and I'm still up one full pound from before Christmas, which, based on my "glorious" indulging over several days, is very likely a true gain.

    To stay honest with myself, I have logged my new, higher weight. A couple pounds is not much in the grand scope of things, but I like to stay accountable to myself.


    Yes! I also don't wan to ruin the downward trend by having Chinese takeout tonight because I know exactly what that one meal (even if I don't over indulge) will do to the number on the scale.

    I guess the healthy thing would be to eat it, and log the gain. I bloat like crazy. I wish there were a fix for that!

    The only "fix" I've found is NOT to eat high sodium immediately prior to "official" weigh ins (whenever possible). For me, that mean three days of "bloat-ease" time. Other than that, it sounds like you've got a good attitude and understanding of fluctuations, which is much more meaningful in the long run.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    edited December 2014
    Yes, every single one - stops you from becoming disheartened the following month if you get to know your body's trends.

    I'm gaining at the moment and the notification celebrating losses is getting old :/
  • perfekta
    perfekta Posts: 331 Member
    Yep. It's all part of it, and helps keep me accountable.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    I weigh daily and it goes in. Whether its up or down.

    It's the only way to get an accurate picture of what's going on. I can look for trends. Did I gain because I overate? Too much sodium? Or was it in relation to my monthly cycle?

    Without the data, I can't do the analysis.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    3laine75 wrote: »
    Yes, every single one - stops you from becoming disheartened the following month if you get to know your body's trends.

    I'm gaining at the moment and the notification celebrating losses is getting old :/

    I know that feeling. I have a few friends on here who are logging pound plus losses daily. It was getting so I would be afraid to check my news feed! They were doing awesome while I was just.....not.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I log everything...because I'm tracking fluctuations

    I follows trendweight.com for rate of loss
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    Nope. Being able to see a lag time between check-ins is enough for me to know I've stalled out or put on some water weight.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    I only track losses in MFP. I track daily in Libra. I'm not sure why I do it that way, except that my weight gains have been blips/random noise. I suppose that if I actually experienced a sustained weight gain, I would record it in MFP.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    Consider getting a wifi connected scale that syncs with MFP. That will remove the "do I/don't I" log thing. They're pricey compared to regular scales but worth it if you're in it for the long haul.
    I agree with this and with using Trendweight. I used to not log gains and that was a mistake. Now I step on the scale daily, whether I read the display or not. Knowing that number IS going to get logged in my charts online does help me get back on track. Something about not logging it can make it feel like it doesn't 'count'. It all counts to our bodies, though. Data is good. Don't judge yourself, just focus on the future behaviors that reinforce your goals. :)

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Every loss or gain, it's about the trends that are important.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I log everything...because I'm tracking fluctuations

    I follows trendweight.com for rate of loss

    Interesting! I am so low tech it's silly. Don't even have a smart phone. That may be something I scan look into once my scale dies. I didn't even know a WiFi scale existed.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    3laine75 wrote: »
    Yes, every single one - stops you from becoming disheartened the following month if you get to know your body's trends.

    I'm gaining at the moment and the notification celebrating losses is getting old :/

    I know that feeling. I have a few friends on here who are logging pound plus losses daily. It was getting so I would be afraid to check my news feed! They were doing awesome while I was just.....not.

    Haha I'm gaining intentionally but MFP doesn't celebrate gains. But I also know THAT feeling - I seem to lose bigger amounts when gaining than the piddle 0.2s when I'm trying to lose :/

  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    3laine75 wrote: »
    Yes, every single one - stops you from becoming disheartened the following month if you get to know your body's trends.

    I'm gaining at the moment and the notification celebrating losses is getting old :/

    I know that feeling. I have a few friends on here who are logging pound plus losses daily. It was getting so I would be afraid to check my news feed! They were doing awesome while I was just.....not.

    The thing is, only your losses get shared with your MFP friends, so if you lose a pound, gain two, then lose one again over the course of a few days (easy with water weight fluctuations), it will look like like a two pound loss to anyone following your feed, even though your weight is back to where it started.

    I've stopped logging small gains because of this. Anyone looking at my feed would think I'm losing 2-3lbs a week. Truth is, I am maintaining, but every time there is a temporary fluctuation, only one side of it ends up getting shared.
  • dfargher
    dfargher Posts: 37 Member
    I log every day regardless. I don't sweat the small fluctuations, but logging every day keep me accountable.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I log to MFP once a week, so whatever my scale says on that particular day goes, and every day on Happy Scale to track trends
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