Gaining/Losing the same 5-10 LBS?

TheSwiFox

Hey guys, is it normal to gain back the same 5-10 lbs then lose them every couple months? I'm guessing NO. How does everyone maintain their goal weight? Help! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Barbs2222

It's normal for me. I can hardly wait to get to goal so I can live like that again.

sijomial

I maintain my goal weight range by daily weighing and having an intervention weight that I won't go above.

If I start to see a drift then I correct it, either through food choices, smaller portions or skipping breakfast.

I don't log food anymore but if you are gaining 10lbs in a couple of months it sounds like you should! That's significant overeating.

LivingtheLeanDream

Its not normal for me, I fluctuate up and down by a few pounds but if I noticed the trend going higher I'd take action. Regular weighs in help keep me in check.

If I gain a few pounds my clothes feel tighter, if I would let that gain increase beyond that then I wouldn't fit into my clothes. Having got from a UK size 14 to a UK 10, I'm not going back (plus I gave all my old stuff away), I'll do whatever it takes to keep my weight constant, be that moving a bit more or eating at deficit again.

snowflake930

I give myself 5#. I monitor my weight pretty closely though and have not gone above a 3# gain so far. For me, I am still logging all of my food every day. It is just the way it has to be for me. I just will not go back to being morbidly obese, so monitoring is my way of life now.

Francl27

I gain 4 pounds or so every month with my period. That's normal. 10 pounds seems a bit excessive though, but I guess some women retain water more than others during that time.

amgreenwell

I would say that a couple of pounds here and there is normal, but 10 is quite a swing. I fluctuate daily about 2 lbs

mzfrizz15

I'd been losing and gaining the same 5 pounds until I forced myself to log EVERY bite. Now I only seem to creep up by about 3 pounds during "that time of month" and typically get back to the weight I was before within a couple days of it finishing. Perhaps part of it is hormones, in your case?

lauries8888

I am at maintenance now too and give myself a range of 130 to 132 pounds (I am 5'8"). As soon as I hit 133 (and I have always weighed myself every day, just as a habit), I cut my calories just slightly that day and I log that day to make sure. I do this every day until I go below 133. It doesn't matter if I know it is "water weight" or a monthly fluctuation -- I still cut back, knowing that if it really is temporary, I will be back into my normal range within a day or so.

In theory, if I ever go below 130, I will increase calories until I am back in range (CANDY, CANDY, CANDY!), but sadly, that has never happened.

Wasatcher

I'm good at gaining, good at losing but not good at maintaining. I stop logging when I reach my goal weight and stop worrying about "special" meals. After several cycles of this I now intervene at 4-5 lbs over. At this point I just accept it and try to prolong and enjoy the gain phase. It's almost like making choices while managing daily calories when I'm losing only without actual tracking and hopefully over months instead of days or weeks.

TheSwiFox

Sounds like I have to monitor (log) everything and weigh myself more regularly to notice the "creep" of weight gain before it gets to 10 or something. I can totally do that. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

nxd10

I gain around 3 pounds in the winter and lose them in the spring, but stay in the same 5 pound range. I've done that as long as I remember. If you loose at my log, I eat less and exercise more in the summer, but I'm not trying to. It's cold in the winter!

ncboiler89

TheSwiFox wrote: »

Hey guys, is it normal to gain back the same 5-10 lbs then lose them every couple months? I'm guessing NO. How does everyone maintain their goal weight? Help! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

your maintenance probably has a window of +/- 4 pounds per day so keep that in mind.

Annr

nxd10 wrote: »

I gain around 3 pounds in the winter and lose them in the spring, but stay in the same 5 pound range. I've done that as long as I remember. If you loose at my log, I eat less and exercise more in the summer, but I'm not trying to. It's cold in the winter!

that is the "Cavepeople" affect.... Those crazy dangerous animals they hunted were hard to run from....Once the animals were hybernating then it was party time.. (well their life in my brain anyway)

ncboiler89

Annr wrote: »

nxd10 wrote: »

I gain around 3 pounds in the winter and lose them in the spring, but stay in the same 5 pound range. I've done that as long as I remember. If you loose at my log, I eat less and exercise more in the summer, but I'm not trying to. It's cold in the winter!

that is the "Cavepeople" affect.... Those crazy dangerous animals they hunted were hard to run from....Once the animals were hybernating then it was party time.. (well their life in my brain anyway)

But it can be overcome with the local paleo diet right?

Annr

Indeedy @ncboiler89 I think most cavewomen based their mate choice in how large their hands were...(for forraging berries you see).... hahaha.

holagatita

Yea I'm having the same issue. Gained 10 and lost 4 then gained it back then lost 5. It's a roller-coaster

eveunderground

Keeping a food journal really helps. Some foods cause water retention/bloating. Also for women, your TOTM can cause weight fluctuations... 5 lb within the month due to these factors is normal. I try to stay within a +/- 5 lb range (as someone else mentioned above).

If you have a healthy lifestyle, then the fluctuations aren't anything to worry about. Just monitor your portions if you see yourself slipping out of the +/- 5lb range.