Tell me about your plateaus/fluctuations during weight loss

Phirrgus

I try to ignore the fluctuations other than a (very) temporary thrill when there's a 2ishlb drop. They're not representative of real progress for me, even though they're pretty frequent...

~180lbs with a .5lb per week goal.

jryepin93

I've lost 33 lbs so far, cut my rate of loss to .5 lbs a week and have only lost about .3 to .4 a week for the past few weeks. Some weeks I didn't lose any. Doesn't really bother me because I'm taking it slow and steady. In the beginning, I was losing about a pound to a little over a pound a week and I sustained that for about 4 months. Going slow and steady has been the only way for me to keep the weight off. I try not to worry about the scale too much. I focus more on how my body feels and how my clothes fit! I don't think one week is enough time to decide that "things aren't working". Sometimes it takes weeks! Bodies are weird and sometimes weight drops at different times.

steveko89

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10672255/examination-of-outlying-scale-fluctuation#latest

steveko89

try2again wrote: »

purple4sure05 wrote: »

2lbs just isn't an appropriate rate for such low weight to lose. You just don't have the reserves to allow it. Even 1.5 is a little much. The body can only burn so much fat a day.

I get this feedback a lot on these boards but it worked very well for me the first time with no adverse effects whatsoever and I've discussed it with my doctor who also has said it isnt a problem given the types of food I'm eating. I only gained the weight back because over the course of several years I completely stopped tracking what I ate and made bad food choices.

Again I'm really just curious about others experiences with weight fluctuations. Thank you though. [/quote]



I understand you don't want to discuss this, OP. My comment will be for others who come along tempted to choose a 2lb/week goal with 20 lbs to lose.

2 lbs/week requires a 1000 calorie/day deficit. Someone that close to goal weight would have an extremely hard time creating that kind of a deficit in a healthy manner. If you are using MFP to establish your calorie allowance, the lowest it will give a woman is 1200 calories (for a reason ). Unless a person's maintenance calories are = or >2200, that is not going to be a big enough deficit to achieve a 2 lb/week loss. If you add exercise to speed things along and don't eat back at least a portion of the exercise calories as MFP intends for you to do, you are then netting under 1200 calories, likely well below, which is dangerous long-term. Period.

Contrary to what the OP's doctor told her (and BTW, GPs only have a tiny amount of training in diet & nutrition), quantity is just as important as quality. You can buy the best fuel for your car, but if you don't have enough, you're still not going to get very far.

Also, there is the possibility that the doctor wasn't given a complete picture of the OP's weight loss efforts.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1[/quote]

Noticed this as well after I posted the link to my write-up about the massive scale fluctuation I observed. Shooting for a max of 1% bodyweight loss has been a much better goal for me.

cwolfman13

I'm losing about 1 Lb per week on average right now...but it definitely fluctuates. Last Friday I was 187.9. On Tuesday I was 191...on Thursday I was 188.7...today I'm 186.7. Body weight fluctuates...your body is comprised of 55-65% water and that's always going to be variable...variable amounts of food and waste in your system, etc.

I'm usually a bit heavier early in the week due to weekend fun...more sodium, etc. I usually see my drop on Thursday or Friday.

Also, how much are you eating calorie wise? That's a crap ton of exercise and if you're not feeding it, you're just stressing your body out and dumping cortisol into your body and that's going to impact weight loss.

kellycz

My fluctuations for the past month. (I’ve only been tracking since Jan. 1.)
Edited to add: I started out with about 20 lbs. to lose. My goal is set at 0.5 lbs. per week.

Sharon_C

I gained 5 pounds over the past week. I know it's not fat. I know it's water weight and bad eating. I know it will come off but, man, am I frustrated.

try2again

pierinifitness wrote: »

I’ve learned to respond to a stubborn scale by doubling down my discipline. After the smallest weight loss month in January since beginning my current journey last August, and February starting off the same, I continued along without weakening and finally was rewarded with the morning weigh in I’d been patiently waiting for,

My two cents is to double down with a little extra activity such as more walking and being vigilant in portion size management.

You do realize that it's unrealistic to expect to lose weight at the same rate throughout a person's weight loss, right? As a person gets smaller, their calorie needs go down. To maintain the same rate of loss requires lowering calories to maintain the same size of deficit. This generally becomes impractical and/or unhealthy as a person nears or achieves a healthy weight.

Phirrgus

try2again wrote: »

pierinifitness wrote: »

I’ve learned to respond to a stubborn scale by doubling down my discipline. After the smallest weight loss month in January since beginning my current journey last August, and February starting off the same, I continued along without weakening and finally was rewarded with the morning weigh in I’d been patiently waiting for,

My two cents is to double down with a little extra activity such as more walking and being vigilant in portion size management.

You do realize that it's unrealistic to expect to lose weight at the same rate throughout a person's weight loss, right? As a person gets smaller, their calorie needs go down. To maintain the same rate of loss requires lowering calories to maintain the same size of deficit. This generally becomes impractical and/or unhealthy as a person nears or achieves a healthy weight.

I referenced this in another thread yesterday and got a bunch of woos

Good to know I don't have yet another tidbit I need to 'unlearn'.

try2again

Phirrgus wrote: »

try2again wrote: »

pierinifitness wrote: »

I’ve learned to respond to a stubborn scale by doubling down my discipline. After the smallest weight loss month in January since beginning my current journey last August, and February starting off the same, I continued along without weakening and finally was rewarded with the morning weigh in I’d been patiently waiting for,

My two cents is to double down with a little extra activity such as more walking and being vigilant in portion size management.

You do realize that it's unrealistic to expect to lose weight at the same rate throughout a person's weight loss, right? As a person gets smaller, their calorie needs go down. To maintain the same rate of loss requires lowering calories to maintain the same size of deficit. This generally becomes impractical and/or unhealthy as a person nears or achieves a healthy weight.

I referenced this in another thread yesterday and got a bunch of woos

Good to know I don't have yet another tidbit I need to 'unlearn'.

Well, there's nothing "woo"able about the statement that a person's calorie needs go down as they get smaller. Or that they may or may not be able to continue to accommodate a particular deficit in a healthy way.

Those with <20 lbs to lose who only started with a .5 lb/week goal (a daily deficit of 250 calories) will likely be able to stay consistent throughout. Perhaps someone who is taller, more active, and has a higher calorie allowance to begin with can spare 500 calories/day right until the end. That's why I said "generally".

whatalazyidiot

Since I started 2 months ago, I have noticed the same trend with my weight. I weigh daily. I will be exactly the same weight (when checking at the same time each morning) for at least 5-6 days out of the week, then by day 7 or 8, the scale drops 1-2 lbs. Every week this happens. It's super odd and sometimes annoying, but I am still averaging a normal amount of loss overall. It can be super frustrating when it happens day after day, but it doesn't mean you aren't still burning fat, the scale is just a fickle B.

endermako

My water weight goes up at the beginning of every week because Monday is leg day and it's my hardest day. Throughout the week it will gradually drop. However the last two weeks i've been the exact same weight. Not too concerned. Though next week I may start weighing everyday to catch any trends.