Random weight Gain.

FlexJackson

So I've been losing weight 2 pounds a week very consistanly. Now during this whole time I've given myself on chest meal a week and it hasnt interrupted that weight loss however 3 weeks ago I somehow gained 2 pounds and that was very aggravating as I still never go crazy. Then that following week I weighed in and I was down four pounds which was awesome but this week I weighed in and I'm up 2 again. I don't know why I'm having this fluctuation because this has just started. I've gone down from 287 to 270 and I'm feeling great but it really takes will power to stay within my carbs and not being rewarded during weigh in time really hurts my resolve. Anyone know what could be causing this ? If the pattern continues then I should be down 4 pounds next week. Am I weighing in at a bad time or something ?

SusanMFindlay

Water weight.

Weight loss is not linear. Our bodies retain water at various times for various reasons. A high sodium day. A high carb day (if you don't usually eat a lot of carbs). A really hard workout.

So, you might lose 4 pounds next week. Or you might lose those 2 pounds back next week then 4 pounds the following week. As long as you're doing the work, they'll come off at some point but consistently losing the same amount every week is actually very unusual.

FlexJackson

Thanks I appreciate it. I didn't know losing weight at the same rate was abnormal. I've been losing 2 pounds a week for 2 months straight. I guess I won't worry about it unless I somehow have gained during my next weight in

everher

Just curious do you weigh in on the same day of the week first thing in the morning ?

FlexJackson

Yes. I weigh in every single monday at 6am.

PAV8888

The problem with once a week or once a month readings is quite simple: the variability of water weight change exceeds the speed of the underlying body weight change.

There is another thread making the rounds where people talk about their one day water weight variation "bests". With a 4.5lbs single day variation I am coming in LAST. Some of the people there have experienced more than 10lbs variations!!!

You should consider a trending weight application.

You should also not have the expectation that you will continue to lose like clockwork especially after a while and/or at a steep deficit and/or if you're not well in the obese range and/or a combination of the above!

trigden1991

Water weight. Don't worry about it unless you are consistently not losing or are gaining.

Does your cheat meal have enough calories to remove the deficit you have created in the week?

LivingtheLeanDream

As others have said already, its water weight/fluctuation which is perfectly normal. That's why a lot of us weigh daily and ues an app to see our trends and that the overall trend is going in the direction we want it to.

FlexJackson

Yeah when I think about it I did drink 3 bottles of water before bed the night before because I was behind on my water goal so hopefully I have positive results next weigh in. I didn't really factor in water weight. Also my cheat meal doesn't remove my deficet. For that I would need a whole day of cheating lol

FlexJackson

A lot of people tell me weigh in daily but that will just drive me nuts.

ericwhitt

Over the long term, weighing once a week will track your progress, but you will have many days where it doesn't show it. I generally weigh myself every morning after I use the rest room while I wait for the shower to warm up. After 3 days of weighing, I'll record the lowest weight of those days. This helps to remove the water weight fluctuation and track my overall progress.

I like using this analogy, weighing in one a week to check your progress is like checking the thermometer once a week to see what the temperature was all week. It will show the general trend of the seasons, but if it was 80 degreens all week, and just happened to be 85 degrees the day you checked, your results will look skewed.

ahoy_m8

FlexJackson wrote: »

Yes. I weigh in every single monday at 6am.

Good job on your progress. I hear you re: needing that scale encouragement, but weight does fluctuate and expecting otherwise just leads to frustration. FWIW, Monday is often my highest weight of the week. I bank calories for the weekend and eat more on Sunday, usually higher carb than my normal M-F. The combination of water with glycogen storage and just more food in my system gives me a weight blip on Monday. Conversely, my lowest weight is often Saturday. If you want to stick with one weigh-in per week, could you pick a day that will be less likely to be impacted by water fluctuation from your "cheat meal?" Just a thought. Sounds like you're doing great.

LAWoman72

FlexJackson wrote: »

A lot of people tell me weigh in daily but that will just drive me nuts.

Well, you know, everybody's different in this regard, too. I weigh daily out of curiosity but only do a weight check-in (mark the weight down) once a week. My husband does his daily and feels very inspired by it, fluctuations and all. His weight loss chart totally looks like something off the stock market. Mine looks more like a very slow climb downhill. LOL. With a few horizontal stops along the way.

FlexJackson

Thank I appreciate all the advice. I usually have my cheat meal on Saturday so I give my body a day to come down from whatever weight hike I take before my Monday weigh in and that's usually been enough. This was just kinda alarming because my weight loss has been steady with no change as long as I stay under my calories so a sudden gain of a random 2 pounds was very infuriating however I do believe it was the result of the 3 bottles of water I drunk the night before and I had yet to use the bathroom also. I had completely forgot about water weight and I most likely will step on the scale this upcoming Monday and be down 4 pounds from the 2 from last week and this week. I will start recording myself every day once I lose some more weight because at this point any backwards progress pisses me off when I do a dance under my calorie Limit everyday lol.

AnvilHead

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1