Weight fluctuation, what is "Normal?"

jamusftrip

So...
I'm about 3lbs away from my goal. I've lost about 35 lbs since mid August. When I hit my goal, what amount of weight change from day to day should I expect?

VanVanDiane

5-7lb range seems common - I allow between 9 st and 9st 7lb before taking action, and aim around 9st 3lb (130lb if you're US)

SummerSkier

Interestingly in maintenance my daily fluctuations appear higher than they did while losing. I think women can expect up a pound weight change day to day and men up to 2 pounds. It's probably more a % fluctuation of your actual total body weight then a set # tho if that makes sense.

Congrats on your loss, and if I were you I would start slowly adding calories NOW at 100 every other week. You will still end up decreasing but you will sort of float down to where you want to be instead of getting there and going WOOPS and bouncing around up and down.

wizzybeth

I would say water would cause your weight to fluctuate anywhere between five to seven pounds at any given time

geltner1

In my case, about two pounds (body weight 113)(1.8%). I agree with summer skier who recommends adding 100 cal every other week to make the transition. Believe me, maintenance is hard to do.

apullum

Depends. The day after a half marathon, I see water weight gain of about 8 pounds, but that's a big outlier for me, and you probably won't see that if you aren't doing intensive exercise. On an everyday basis, my weight usually fluctuates about two pounds up or down--usually up if I've had a big meal in a restaurant, due to water fluctuation and undigested food.

sofchak

I would recommend downloading an app like Libra (android) or Happy Scale (apple) to help understand what your weight trend looks like.

From there, set a Maintenance range for yourself - people usually set anywhere from 3-10lbs as their range. I personally set 120lbs as my goal weight and allow for a trend up or down 3 lbs before I take action either with adding calories or buckling down a bit.

To be more direct to your question, I’m up almost 4 lbs from 2 days ago (117.8 -> 121.6) simply because I have a bit of extra water weight right now (food changes, exercise changes, stress). That’s typical for me. My trend app still has me below 120lbs as my average though so I’m not too concerned (yet).

Congrats on reaching your goal! Good luck with Maintenance.

nowine4me

I keep a 5# range if 130-135. I have been exactly 135.4 every day for three weeks. You might stay right where you are, drop a little or gain a little. Adjust accordingly!

fitand50inSD

I allow a 5 lb range - but generally stay within 1-2 lbs (unless I had some serious sodium the day before). My work out schedule is fairly consistent and I am pretty consistent about what/how much I eat so maybe that keeps my range a little tighter.

ttparks11

I tend to keep a 5-7 pound range. But I do that to account for my autoimmune issues, which cause inflammation and water retention. Most days, I only fluctuate 2-3 pounds, but when I’m in a flare, I hit 5 pounds or a little more. Once it calms, I’m back to where I should be.

lorrpb

What has your day to day fluctuation been while losing? Your maintenance fluctuation likely will be a couple pounds more.

collectingblues

Keep in mind that you'll likely gain 3-4 pounds off the bat when you go from a deficit to maintenance. From there, a five-pound fluctuation is normal.

So if you want your goal weight to be the central weight-point for you, aim for 3-4 pounds lighter, and accept that you'll get back there naturally.

brendanwhite84

sofchak wrote: »

I would recommend downloading an app like Libra (android) or Happy Scale (apple) to help understand what your weight trend looks like.

Yes, those apps (I use Libra) are useful for maintenance. I weigh daily and try to be consistent in terms of when and in what state, but I still see swings of a couple pounds up and down. That's why the trend line Libra plots is useful.

stanmann571

Normal range is 2-4% of BW over the course of the day. So at 118, could be 4 pounds at 190, it could be 8.

Live_life_well

I weigh myself first thing in the morning (5am). When I used to maintain it only varied by 1-1.5 pounds max. However, within the day it changes by 2-4 pounds for me.

nicokau

My experience:
Normally my weight will vary by around 2 pounds, though occasionally as much as 4.

brendanwhite84 wrote: »

sofchak wrote: »

I would recommend downloading an app like Libra (android) or Happy Scale (apple) to help understand what your weight trend looks like.

Yes, those apps (I use Libra) are useful for maintenance. I weigh daily and try to be consistent in terms of when and in what state, but I still see swings of a couple pounds up and down. That's why the trend line Libra plots is useful.

I'll second this. These daily variations don't usually amount to much, so you shouldn't take -them- at face value.

LivingtheLeanDream

I'm short so I aim for a +/-3lb range. In general my weight only flucuates by 0.25/0.5lb a day in either direction unless I've had a high sodium/high carb day, then its up 3lbs.

Need2Exerc1se

jamusftrip wrote: »

So...
I'm about 3lbs away from my goal. I've lost about 35 lbs since mid August. When I hit my goal, what amount of weight change from day to day should I expect?

Day to day it really shouldn't vary greatly from what you experienced when losing weight. How much that is varies from person to person.