4 freaking days I did everything right and the scale didn’t budge one bit!

Losingthedamnweight

I know it’s not a long time and it’s probably petty to be upset, but I just expected to lose something. Anything. In fact one day I weighed myself, went to take a poop and after pooping I weighed more? What is the science behind that crap??

I can see how people get demoralized checking the scale over and over and just quit

L1zardQueen

Expect a whoosh tomorrow.

PAV8888

Weigh daily, use a weight trend app, evaluate your progress after 2-3 weeks (4 to 6 weeks for a female with a monthly cycle) and adjust based on your results

HeliumIsNoble

You weighed more after going to the toilet? Any possibility the scales are faulty? I'd get some heavy things, close in weight, but of different weights, and do a bit of testing on the scales.

Machka9

HeliumIsNoble wrote: »

You weighed more after going to the toilet? Any possibility the scales are faulty? I'd get some heavy things, close in weight, but of different weights, and do a bit of testing on the scales.

That ... but if he drank a 600 ml bottle of diet coke or water before going, he'd probably weigh more.

HeliumIsNoble

Machka9 wrote: »

HeliumIsNoble wrote: »

You weighed more after going to the toilet? Any possibility the scales are faulty? I'd get some heavy things, close in weight, but of different weights, and do a bit of testing on the scales.

That ... but if he drank a 600 ml bottle of diet coke or water before going, he'd probably weigh more.

Agreed, but if I'm reading right, he weighed, visited the toilet, and weighed again in a row. If the scales are working and that's what he did, I'd expect him to either be the same weight (because it was too small a change to register) or to be a little bit lighter.

MikePTY

4 days is nothing. Weight fluctuates. I can't tell you how many times I have done "everything right" and gained a couple of pounds over a 4 day period. That's how the human body operates. You lose weight over the long term and on a trend. I would not draw any sort of conclusion until you've been doing this at least a month.

As far as your bowel movements, going to the bathroom doesn't affect body weight as much as you think. It's not as if you are expected to lose pounds after you do so. I usually lose a couple of 10ths of a pound. Home scales fluctuate, especially based on where you place them on the floor, so if you moved it at all and got a different reading, that is probably why.

Try to stop micromanaging your weight loss and expecting it to change based on little things and every little thing. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't expect to see gains at the starting line.

funjen1972

Not sure of your stats, but here is a general scenario. If you are reducing your calories by 500 each day then I would not expect to see a loss. 500 * 4 = 2000 but a pound is 3500. Also, weight loss is not linear - our weights fluctuate through out the day and day to day.

This is a journey and not a quick fix. How long did it take you to gain weight? I would expect it to take that long to lose the weight. If the goal is lifetime success then a few days is irrelevant.

Johnd2000

I gained 2kg by just moving my scales an inch or two further away from my bathroom wall. In general, I gain at least 3kg between breakfast and bedtime every day.

Don’t sweat the small fluctuations. In 2-3 weeks you’ll start seeing a trend.

snowflake954

It can also depend on how much you have to lose. If it's 30lbs or less it can be slow going. But, regardless of how much you have to lose, you're going to need patience to win, and especially to keep it off after.

LivingtheLeanDream

4 days is too early to be kinda freaking out.... you didn't gain the weight in 4 days did ya, patience is required but I do empathize with you. We've all been there.

staticsplit

Like everyone has said, 4 days is nothing. If the weight fluctuations or lack thereof bother you, go by measurements instead.

cheryldumais

Lots of good advice here but I have one observation I would like to make... When I used to do really strict diets I would weigh often and get really frustrated if I didn't see a loss immediately. That was because the diet was so difficult it was not sustainable. If this is you it might be worthwhile to get on something a little more reasonable and take your time. I was never successful until I quit the crash diets and went to a slow steady loss. It took me two years to reach goal but I have maintained for over a year and feel confident I will maintain for life. Try taking a slower approach to your goal weight and you might feel less overwhelmed when the scale is slow to move.

zeejane03

Johnd2000 wrote: »

I gained 2kg by just moving my scales an inch or two further away from my bathroom wall. In general, I gain at least 3kg between breakfast and bedtime every day.

Don’t sweat the small fluctuations. In 2-3 weeks you’ll start seeing a trend.

I second this-scale placement can do all sorts of wonky things to your numbers. I weigh less when the scale is on my bedroom floor (stone fireplace hearth area) vs our bathroom floor (wood floor). The scale stays out in the bedroom now

quiksylver296

Sharon_C

Isn't that the most frustrating thing? Keep at it. It will come off as long as you are truly eating under your calories.

AnnPT77

Over hours to quite a few days, body weight is a range, not a specific point. Water weight and digestive contents fluctuate, seemingly randomly: That's how a healthy body functions. Expect that. Water and digestive contents aren't fat, so there's no point in stressing about them.

Over multiple weeks to months, body weight is a trend. Over time, the daily range moves incrementally lower, if we're losing weight. (A weight trending app like Happy Scale, Libra, Trendweight or others can help you see it, over that longer term.) That's where fat loss shows up, and it's fat loss we care about, right?

Best wishes!

JBanx256

This is a screenshot of my weight trending app as of this morning - plenty of "ups" including some for 4 days, but a solid overall "down" trend. Don't let a few days of oddball fluctuations get you too frustrated.

quiksylver296

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

craigmandu

JBanx256 graph is pretty spot on with how my loss fluctuates when I'm logging. Some days it's up, some days it's down...I get on the scale every day, however I "record" my progress once a week at exactly the same time after the exact same "routine" Get up, do my business, don't drink anything, get undressed and record my weight.. It is rare that over the course of the entire week that I am heavier than I was at that time the previous week.

TanyaHooton

Yes, me too. I have also done everything right for 4 days and the scale has not budged. I tell myself it's water weight due to being a bit under the weather, but perhaps my body is just stubborn. I'm already at a healthy weight and am losing vanity pounds, so the weight only spectacularly drops once a month.

You can do everything right and still lose (or in this case, not lose). -Captain Jean Luc-Picard.

emilysusana

This is the long game. Settle in and be patient. If you’re doing “everything right” then don’t change a thing.

MamaKL5

I 'lost' 3 pounds in one day, and obviously I didn't lose 3lbs of fat overnight. It is definitely disheartening, but just keep doing what you're doing.

jennifer_417

4 days just isn't enough time. You're going to have to be more patient.

ashliedelgado

I'm on day 6 of no meat. You'd think that my weight would be trending down. Nope. I'm gaining weight.

Day 6, no meats. Day 5, no poops.

Danp

zeejane03 wrote: »

Johnd2000 wrote: »

I gained 2kg by just moving my scales an inch or two further away from my bathroom wall. In general, I gain at least 3kg between breakfast and bedtime every day.

Don’t sweat the small fluctuations. In 2-3 weeks you’ll start seeing a trend.

I second this-scale placement can do all sorts of wonky things to your numbers. I weigh less when the scale is on my bedroom floor (stone fireplace hearth area) vs our bathroom floor (wood floor). The scale stays out in the bedroom now

I'm so pedantic about scale placement I know which specific bathroom tile each foot of the scale should sit on for consistent placement

AnnPT77

ashliedelgado wrote: »

I'm on day 6 of no meat. You'd think that my weight would be trending down. Nope. I'm gaining weight.

Day 6, no meats. Day 5, no poops.

Meat got nothin' to do with nothin'. I ate no meat for 41 years, got obese, stayed obese. Then, kept eating no meat, ate fewer calories.

Lost 50 pounds. Still, no meat.

Poop: Eat fiber, drink water, get enough fat. If that doesn't solve it, get exercise and eat priobiotic foods (not capsules - just my prejudice ).

If that's not enough, see your doctor.