Help needed to understand..
RoyBeck
Posts: 947 Member
Hi all
I'm back logging after a break of 2 years and 50lbs gained. I have a question.
My knowledge of logging and counting etc is decent. I currently weigh 252 having weighed 260 just 14 days ago. I've been logging, exercising and drinking plenty of water.
I get bored at times and like to mix things up. I've read pros and cons of regular weighing but this time decided I wanted to weigh myself daily to see how my body fluctuates.
Now in no way and I dejected I just want to ask why? I dropped 8lbs in 11 days. Tuesday I weighed 250. Yesterday I decided for no real reason is way only 1500 calories which is 500 less than MFP has me eating to lose a solid lb per week.
Yet today when I weighed myself I'd gone back to 252. Now I know I haven't gained 2lbs lol but what is the reason for This??
I'm back logging after a break of 2 years and 50lbs gained. I have a question.
My knowledge of logging and counting etc is decent. I currently weigh 252 having weighed 260 just 14 days ago. I've been logging, exercising and drinking plenty of water.
I get bored at times and like to mix things up. I've read pros and cons of regular weighing but this time decided I wanted to weigh myself daily to see how my body fluctuates.
Now in no way and I dejected I just want to ask why? I dropped 8lbs in 11 days. Tuesday I weighed 250. Yesterday I decided for no real reason is way only 1500 calories which is 500 less than MFP has me eating to lose a solid lb per week.
Yet today when I weighed myself I'd gone back to 252. Now I know I haven't gained 2lbs lol but what is the reason for This??
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Replies
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Just to add I weigh myself each morning before work in my local gym using the same machine, shoes off and having eaten or drunk nothing for around 10 hours.0
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Could be anything: more salt, carbs, exercise, lack of sleep, stress, constipation ...or any combination of these or other factors. I wouldn't worry.7
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Could be anything: more salt, carbs, exercise, lack of sleep, stress, constipation ...or any combination of these or other factors. I wouldn't worry.
Hiya I'm certainly not worried just curious. Salt levels are low plus I'm drinking 2 litres of water daily. I'm.walking 3 miles on a treadmill. Sleeping well and toilet is daily. Very confusing.0 -
You don't have an exact weight. You have a range. Look at your general trend over time. Fat loss can hide behind all sorts of variables.
Here's a couple of my trend lines.
The first shows a time when I was at or below my calorie goal every day. My weight and trend were all over the place but my overall trend was downward.
The second shows maintenance. Again, my weight is all over the place. However, my trend is generally flat.
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Yeah, it could happen for odd reasons you didn't even know or notice, like a very minor injury you don't feel, hormonal fluctuations, the body just doing its thing, even things like weather (people tend to retain more water in the summer, as counterintuitive as it sounds).
ETA: dieting is a stressor. It's entirely possible that your body felt more stressed on a lower calorie intake even if you didn't, but then again, no way to tell what exactly happens, just some correlations people notice sometimes (and have no idea whatsoever other times). I had my weight loss stall for 24 days at one time for no reason at all, then lost all my expected weight within the next few days. Learning to trust the process has been one of the best things for my sanity.4 -
Weight loss is not linear and will fluctuate all of the time for a number of reasons and you can't always pinpoint why. Just wondering whether you have just added to your exercise amount as this can have a difference. This is why most around here use apps like Happy Scales (IOS) or Libra (Android). With these, you input your weight and the app will iron out the fluctuations so that the weight loss trend is shown. As long as that trend is downwards you know you are on the right path.1
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There is nothing confusing about it. Weight fluctuates daily no matter what you do. You have to look at the long term trend to get a better idea.6
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weight fluctuates daily, even hourly, as people have said. it is normal. its also why people who have a hard time ignoring those daily fluctuations probably shouldnt weigh daily. it is the overall trend you want to look at.0
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Thanks to all. I know I'm eating at my required deficit and walking 3 miles per day and drinking 2 litres of water so I'm sure come Monday it'll be fine. Very interesting though weighing yourself daily to see these fluctuations.3
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Strange also that just coming out of MFP for a second my TDEE differs on different sites from 2600-2800. 34 male 5'10 252lbs light exercise. Very strange why there's be a 250 difference.0
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Weight loss isn't linear. Trust the process.
Use a trend weight.1 -
Your body isn't static, it's dynamic, and there are processes going on 24/7. You eat, your body metabolizes what you ate, you use the restroom--all of this has a bearing on your weight at the given time.
Have you ever looked at the instantaneous mpg while driving in your car? Sure, your car may average 24 mpg, but sometimes when you're rolling down a hill it goes up to 90 mpg. And when accelerating away from a stop sign it's down to 6 mpg. Your weight is kind of like that...5 -
It's because they're all estimates - you don't do exactly the same things every day (e.g. take the exact same number of steps, eat the exact same quantities of the exact same foods etc.) so you're not going to burn exactly the same number of calories per day. What "light exercise" means to you and to someone else may be slightly different. Your body composition (muscle and fat) will be different from another person of your gender, height and weight. It's all estimates, and different sites you look at may use different methods or numbers for calculating that estimate. Don't stress too much about it - if you track as accurately as you can and monitor your weight you'll be able to see how accurate these estimates are in relation to you and can make any adjustments accordingly2
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My weight can fluctuate as much as 5 lbs over the day, depending on what I’ve eaten and bathroom use. I also have 2-3 true drops of weight over a month, probably from hormones and water retention being female.
My normal weigh in is first thing in the morning. I’ll look like I’m stuck in the 3-4 lb range up and down for a week or so, then bloop, I get up and I’m down a couple of pounds. I’ll stay in that range for a couple of weeks, then bloop, more gone. I was hung recently between 209 and 211. Now the number bounces between 206 and 207. My overall trend is downward if it is charted out and is on track with the expected loss average out, but if I didn’t know my trends, I might have concern. I’m pretty certain I’ll have a drop to the 202-203 range late next week, I just have to stay the course and be patient.
I also do measurements of my hips, waist and thighs. Those change steadily down, so that helps keep anxiety in check too.0 -
Hi snemberton I know what you mean. I can notice a small change in my face and neck and also clothes are slightly better fitted after thus initial 8lb drop. I know I'll probably weigh myself on Sunday or Monday and I'll have dropped 2 or 3lbs it's all just very interesting.0
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Just don’t let the scale be too concerning until you know your body’s individual trends.Hi snemberton I know what you mean. I can notice a small change in my face and neck and also clothes are slightly better fitted after thus initial 8lb drop. I know I'll probably weigh myself on Sunday or Monday and I'll have dropped 2 or 3lbs it's all just very interesting.
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Body weight fluctuates due to a variety of reasons, including just natural fluctuations in water and inherent waste in your system. The human body is like 55-65% water...that's always going to fluctuate all on it's own.1
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Strange also that just coming out of MFP for a second my TDEE differs on different sites from 2600-2800. 34 male 5'10 252lbs light exercise. Very strange why there's be a 250 difference.
There are numerous formulas for estimating TDEE. Each site will vary some. It's best to pick a number and use it for several weeks and adjust when needed.0 -
In addition to what everyone is saying here about focusing on trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations, you might be interested in reading The Leptin Diet and in general reading about how leptin works.
Leptin is a hormone in the body that helps regulate your metabolic processes. Ironically, eating less than you normally do could be sending a signal to your brain that there is a "famine," inspiring your body to turn energy into fat and other things that might influence your weight.13 -
rochelleworld wrote: »In addition to what everyone is saying here about focusing on trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations, you might be interested in reading The Leptin Diet and in general reading about how leptin works.
Leptin is a hormone in the body that helps regulate your metabolic processes. Ironically, eating less than you normally do could be sending a signal to your brain that there is a "famine," inspiring your body to turn energy into fat and other things that might influence your weight.
So that could be happening here. Again guys don't hate on me lol but after 2 consecutive days of eating 1800 I weighed in this morning at 254. Put on a pound I don't think do. Like I've said I'm not concerned just curious. What Rochelle says sounds interesting as for 2 years I've literally ate what I've wanted and as I started driving around that time I've hardly exercised just a case of getting in and out of my car. Now I'm cutti g down to 1800-2200 daily and walking 3 miles per day my body may be holding on to the food?0 -
rochelleworld wrote: »In addition to what everyone is saying here about focusing on trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations, you might be interested in reading The Leptin Diet and in general reading about how leptin works.
Leptin is a hormone in the body that helps regulate your metabolic processes. Ironically, eating less than you normally do could be sending a signal to your brain that there is a "famine," inspiring your body to turn energy into fat and other things that might influence your weight.
So that could be happening here. Again guys don't hate on me lol but after 2 consecutive days of eating 1800 I weighed in this morning at 254. Put on a pound I don't think do. Like I've said I'm not concerned just curious. What Rochelle says sounds interesting as for 2 years I've literally ate what I've wanted and as I started driving around that time I've hardly exercised just a case of getting in and out of my car. Now I'm cutti g down to 1800-2200 daily and walking 3 miles per day my body may be holding on to the food?
No.
Fat loss - the thing we actually are striving for - doesn't show over a short period of days. Weight fluctuation shows over a period of days. Even within a day, drink two cups of water, and you'll weigh a pound more. There are too many confounding variables to see weight loss happening day by day, which is what the charts above are showing you.
You've lost well, on average. You're doing great. Actual fat loss shows up over a period of weeks to months, as that jaggedy bumpy line of daily weights gradually trends downward (assuming you're actually losing).
Weighing a pound or two up or down over a day or few? Just random coincidence of water weight (salt, sweat, carbs, urine, muscle repair, minor infections/illnesses, more) and digestive system contents (water or other liquids recently drunk, or food eaten in the last 48 hours or so, still in transit). It's not fat gain or loss. It's meaningless.
Watch the trend. Your trend is fine.
I'm not hating on you. Think of me as a concerned granny (I'm old enough) who wants you to stop stressing, and be patient with the very successful course you're on.9 -
Thank you. I'm very appreciative of your words. I know I'll get to my target and don't think daily weighing is something I'll be continuing with!3
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Thank you. I'm very appreciative of your words. I know I'll get to my target and don't think daily weighing is something I'll be continuing with!
I weigh daily, but I only track my weight once per week in MFP. I consider all other "weigh ins" somewhat of a science experiment so that I understand that weight fluctuations happen. For me, it helps me realize that if my weight bumps up on my actual "weigh in" day it might be just like the fluctuations I have seen on the scale by weighing myself daily (multiple times per day sometimes just to see how it changes from morning to night, etc.) For some people, this habit would be stressful. For me, I like data. Seeing it helps me keep emotion at bay. For people that find it stressful, put the scale in the closet. Hide it until your weigh in day. I've even heard of people weighing in once per month so they can focus on the journey instead of the scale.
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Commenting again just to add that I agree wholeheartedly with everything @AnnPT77 stated, expecially that you are doing great.1
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rochelleworld wrote: »In addition to what everyone is saying here about focusing on trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations, you might be interested in reading The Leptin Diet and in general reading about how leptin works.
Leptin is a hormone in the body that helps regulate your metabolic processes. Ironically, eating less than you normally do could be sending a signal to your brain that there is a "famine," inspiring your body to turn energy into fat and other things that might influence your weight.
So that could be happening here. Again guys don't hate on me lol but after 2 consecutive days of eating 1800 I weighed in this morning at 254. Put on a pound I don't think do. Like I've said I'm not concerned just curious. What Rochelle says sounds interesting as for 2 years I've literally ate what I've wanted and as I started driving around that time I've hardly exercised just a case of getting in and out of my car. Now I'm cutti g down to 1800-2200 daily and walking 3 miles per day my body may be holding on to the food?
Nope. Your body doesnt work that way. Ask people who are starving or who died of starvation how that theory holds up.
Fluctuations in weight are normal. Calories affect fat storage if you eat more than you burn. However your weight also temporarily depends on the weight of things you put in your body. Water has no calories but has weight. Drink 2litres of water and you gained 4.4 lbs. Eat 1lbs of broccoli or 453grams you gained a pound but only ate 154 calories. Weigh yourself and then panic as you are up 5.4 lbs on 154 calories.
In the end you have to accept that weight trend is what matters. The day to day numbers do not. They individually are near meaningless without context.
If you want to lose weight get in a calorie deficit and make consistency your ally. Give it time.
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2 litres of water weighs 4.4lbs? No way?!0
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Because you excrete water via urination, perspiration, respiration, etc. It's not permanently stored in your body once you drink it.
As others have already said, our water balance is in constant flux and there are many factors which affect it. Which is why it's important to observe your weight trend over time rather than day-to-day (or worse yet, hour-to-hour) fluctuations.
Take the time to watch this video, it's an excellent explanation of how fat loss actually occurs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE 7 -
Well, 1 liter of urine also equals 2.2 pounds. We don't hold onto every liter of water we drink perpetually. It comes and goes when your body needs it.
Cheat day with a little too much sodium? Your body retains water and the scale goes up. A few days later, the body finished processing the sodium, it doesn't need the water anymore, whoosh, you pee a bunch and the scale goes down.
Same thing is true for flying, dehydration, working out, extra carbs in your diet, a little extra stress, etc. Your body holds that water for a bit when it needs it but then lets it go when it doesn't. That's why no one has one true weight. Your current weight isn't a static number, it's a range of numbers within about 5 pounds of each other. Sometimes you're on the high end of that range and sometimes on the low end. The important thing is that your weight range goes down overall over time.6
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