So frustrating :-(

jltorres0214
jltorres0214 Posts: 24
in Motivation and Support
Last week i lost 3 lbs:happy: BUT this week I gain 5lbs :noway: i know I should expect this in my journey but still it feels frustrating. does anyone also experience this?:cry:

Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Last week i lost 3 lbs:happy: BUT this week I gain 5lbs :noway: i know I should expect this in my journey but still it feels frustrating. does anyone also experience this?:cry:

    yes... Weight fluctuation is normal.
  • leslieschoenle
    leslieschoenle Posts: 47 Member
    last week i weighed in at 141.5 and i was just curious so today i weighed myself and it said 143.5... Are you getting to your maintanence weight? i believe in my experience is that i am at the weight that my body is comfortable at and now i'm just losing fat and staying at this weight. My ultimate goal is 140 so it's a little frustrating to be 3.5 pounds away from it but i'm not going to fight what my body wants! I am going to continue eating as healthy as i can and living an active life and when my body is ready to change it will! Please feel free to add me and maybe we can be frustrated together, I'm always looking for some support and advice givers!
  • JuliaLee67
    JuliaLee67 Posts: 149
    I have big fluctuations, too, sometimes 5 or 6 pounds over one or two days. It's retained water weight, and it happens when I go overboard with my sodium intake (or during that time of the month), but within another day or two my weight is back down to where it should be, and upping my water consumption/watching my sodium intake is what helps. I try to keep in mind that I didn't gain those 5 pounds in a single day, just like I know I didn't lose it in a day. It's frustrating, yes, but once you understand what it is and why it happens (and for many people its too much sodium), it becomes much, much easier to manage. Don't get discouraged!
  • NatashaShen
    NatashaShen Posts: 295 Member
    I get this ALL THE FREAKING TIME!!!

    I don't count a loss until its the same for about 1-2 weeks. Got on the scale last week and said I lost 2 lbs. Got back on a few days later and the 2lbs were back. Finally today I felt comfortable logging the 2lb loss since the scales said the same thing twice in a row on two different occasions.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    To have actually lost 3 lbs of fat in a week, you would need to have eaten at a total deficit of over 10,000 calories.
    To have actually gained 5 lbs of fat in a week, you would need to have eaten at a total surplus of over 17,000 calories.
    I think you will agree that both of these scenarios are almost impossible.

    Fluctuations are normal due to how much your body is holding on to at the moment - water retention, menstrual cycles, food moving through your digestive tract...

    I recommend getting a soft tape measure and using your measurements as progress indicators, since the number on the scale can often be inconsistent, especially if you don't have a large amount of weight to lose (like 50-100+ lbs).
  • jollyjoe321
    jollyjoe321 Posts: 529 Member
    Well, for me, I was staying 163lbs pretty much whenever I weighed myself recently, whatever I'd eaten.

    Ate a big chinese takeaway last night, weighed myself this morning and I'm 161lbs

    Go figure, guess the fluctuations are normal!
  • jenniferwoodweeg
    jenniferwoodweeg Posts: 45 Member
    I think and have read that it is much more difficult when you have less to lose. I am 5'6 and weighed 148 9 weeks ago. Now I weigh 139-as of last Tues. I refuse to weigh again until this Tue. I find if I try and weigh myself more I see those 2-3 pounds in water, etc and get so pissed! However, there have been times where I still see the scale go up a pound even if I only weigh one time/wk. then, I see a large loss the following of 3-4 pounds! Keep your eye on the prize! How much have you lost on AVERAGE per week? Mine would be 1 pound loss per week so far. Even though it was an up and down ride, I got there and now have 4 pounds to go.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    TOM, salt and water intake, intense workouts etc etc all reasons for fluctuations. Stick to what you're doing and measure once in a while.
  • veracalore
    veracalore Posts: 14
    Totally agree. I would stop looking at the scale. I'm going through something similar right now while I'm 2 lbs from my goal weight (frustrating). First, your weight can flunctuate as much as 13lbs in the course of a day. Measurement is a better way to keep to track of your goals. For example, I haven't lost any weight in the last two weeks (actually gained almost a pound) but I lost an inch and half off of my waist. I bought an electrical impedence scale (about $40) and it tracks fat %, muscle %, bone density, and water %. Through keeping track of those numbers, I learned that my fat % is dropping and my muscle mass is raising (muscle weighs more than fat, thus the stall in weight loss).
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    I gain a few pounds right before my period and then it is gone and I'm back up losing again by day 2 of my period. I eat the same the whole time too.
  • Evilmuffin666
    Evilmuffin666 Posts: 132 Member
    I have the same Problem..... but I weigh myself about 10 times a day. I got to put the scales away and take them out a Maximum of once a week. I will rely on MFP to track everything and Keep me in line. I also will Focus more on measurements than the scale.

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