I know weight loss isn't linear but commiserate with me.
BattyKnitter
Posts: 503 Member
I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks. I know, I KNOW 2 weeks is nothing, that it's water weight fluctuations/non-linear loss/I'm PMS'ing/I just started running/and also I often don't lose weight for 2 weeks then get a whoosh of 2 pounds, I know I am weighing and logging EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth and I am as accurate as possible, BUT EVERY time I get scared that all that hard work creating a deficit was for nothing!
I know I'm not alone, share your woes about fluctuations and non-linear weight loss!
I know I'm not alone, share your woes about fluctuations and non-linear weight loss!
17
Replies
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When I was still 30 pounds from Goal I accidentally spilled a pitcher of water on my body weight scale and it died.
Best thing ever. Jus' sayin'.
You look fantastic, keepa go.3 -
cmriverside wrote: »When I was still 30 pounds from Goal I accidentally spilled a pitcher of water on my body weight scale and it died.
Best thing ever. Jus' sayin'.
You look fantastic, keepa go.
Thank you!
See not having a scale then I would obsess about not knowing, not knowing things drive me crazy! Give me more data and it calms my mind!
This is more of a I know, but I'm still gonna complain thread
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Looks like you’ve done very well. Remind yourself losses often slow as we get closer to goal. Particularly if we are trying to combine weight loss with body recomp and a high level of fitness.
But maybe this- can you get to a place where you aren’t working quite so hard? A hard work maintainence program will likely wear on you eventually. It’s always 2 parts- what we do lose and how we live to do it. Can you live like you’re living long term?
And this- our brains never shut up and the old negativity will keep coming back if you don’t keep your guard up. Look at your post. On one level you know 2 weeks is not a trend, but your brain is nagging at you just the same. Keep working your program. If you stay where you are for say 6 weeks, make a couple of small adjustments. Keep testing and adjusting. Don’t let your brain trick you into anything extreme. Look how far you’ve come. Don’t lose sight of the big picture.
A friend says- We eventually get the weigh in we deserve but not necessarily when we expect it.2 -
Weight in sustainment isn't linear, either
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BattyKnitter wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »When I was still 30 pounds from Goal I accidentally spilled a pitcher of water on my body weight scale and it died.
Best thing ever. Jus' sayin'.
You look fantastic, keepa go.
Thank you!
See not having a scale then I would obsess about not knowing, not knowing things drive me crazy! Give me more data and it calms my mind!
This is more of a I know, but I'm still gonna complain thread
I'm the same way. I get on the scale and see the fluctuations and just about have a heart attack each time. However, I HAVE to know what that scale says every morning!
Stupid scale and non-linear weight loss!!4 -
I get ya. I had to switch to monthly weighing because for some reason, even if I didn't lose the amount I was supposed to over the month, as long as I lost something I'm fine. Seeing fluctuations up or static weight just mess with me, and ain't nobody got time for that.6
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Looks like you’ve done very well. Remind yourself losses often slow as we get closer to goal. Particularly if we are trying to combine weight loss with body recomp and a high level of fitness.
But maybe this- can you get to a place where you aren’t working quite so hard? A hard work maintainence program will likely wear on you eventually. It’s always 2 parts- what we do lose and how we live to do it. Can you live like you’re living long term?
And this- our brains never shut up and the old negativity will keep coming back if you don’t keep your guard up. Look at your post. On one level you know 2 weeks is not a trend, but your brain is nagging at you just the same. Keep working your program. If you stay where you are for say 6 weeks, make a couple of small adjustments. Keep testing and adjusting. Don’t let your brain trick you into anything extreme. Look how far you’ve come. Don’t lose sight of the big picture.
A friend says- We eventually get the weigh in we deserve but not necessarily when we expect it.
I'm not usually to annoyed with fluctuations, I use a weight trending app and tend to look at the trend instead but once in a while my brain gets annoying! Thanks for the support guys!
I'm not overly concerned or anything and for sure I will keep going! If anything I am really enjoying my increased cardio capacity and my increased strength from weight lifting!
I say working hard but it's not overworking for sure! The deficit is the hardest part and I do plan a diet break in a month or 2. My workout routine is not too much either it is something I can easily see myself maintaining, I just do a bit more cardio than I will in maintenance1 -
Yes! Especially when you think you're about to hit a new number that ends with zero, but then NOOOOOO, the scale jumps back up for like 6 days. Jerk. (the scale, not you
)
Stick with it and eventually the scale will have no choice but to yield to your efforts.7 -
Kathryn247 wrote: »Yes! Especially when you think you're about to hit a new number that ends with zero, but then NOOOOOO, the scale jumps back up for like 6 days. Jerk. (the scale, not you )
Stick with it and eventually the scale will have no choice but to yield to your efforts.
Yes! I'm SO close to a new low I can taste it but the scale is being a tease!3 -
I can so relate to the frustration! I am 1/2 lb from being below 170 and I just want to be out of the 170's NOW! And yesterday I ran 5k in 35 minutes, this morning I barely got 3 miles in 40 minutes, WTF! I'm gonna keep on keeping on but sometimes patience is hard to practice.1
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BattyKnitter wrote: »I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks. I know, I KNOW 2 weeks is nothing, that it's water weight fluctuations/non-linear loss/I'm PMS'ing/I just started running/and also I often don't lose weight for 2 weeks then get a whoosh of 2 pounds, I know I am weighing and logging EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth and I am as accurate as possible, BUT EVERY time I get scared that all that hard work creating a deficit was for nothing!
I know I'm not alone, share your woes about fluctuations and non-linear weight loss!
it could literally be a million things. you could be putting on muscle as you're losing the weight at the same rate. are you doing any thing with weights? try not to lose heart. just because it seems like you've plateaued doesn't actually mean you have.1 -
LEdmonds2016 wrote: »BattyKnitter wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »When I was still 30 pounds from Goal I accidentally spilled a pitcher of water on my body weight scale and it died.
Best thing ever. Jus' sayin'.
You look fantastic, keepa go.
Thank you!
See not having a scale then I would obsess about not knowing, not knowing things drive me crazy! Give me more data and it calms my mind!
This is more of a I know, but I'm still gonna complain thread
I'm the same way. I get on the scale and see the fluctuations and just about have a heart attack each time. However, I HAVE to know what that scale says every morning!
Stupid scale and non-linear weight loss!!
I'm exactly the same way. I need to weigh every day. Right now my weight is two pounds up but hopefully that will come down soon.
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I do the same thing. Then 4 lbs will come off all at once.2
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amaterasuthird wrote: »BattyKnitter wrote: »I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks. I know, I KNOW 2 weeks is nothing, that it's water weight fluctuations/non-linear loss/I'm PMS'ing/I just started running/and also I often don't lose weight for 2 weeks then get a whoosh of 2 pounds, I know I am weighing and logging EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth and I am as accurate as possible, BUT EVERY time I get scared that all that hard work creating a deficit was for nothing!
I know I'm not alone, share your woes about fluctuations and non-linear weight loss!
it could literally be a million things. you could be putting on muscle as you're losing the weight at the same rate. are you doing any thing with weights? try not to lose heart. just because it seems like you've plateaued doesn't actually mean you have.
Hence why I listed the million reason I'm sure are responsible I am PMS'ing and just started running, I know those 2 are responsible, just felt like complaining
I've been weight lifting for a year now there is NO way I'm gaining muscle as fast as I am losing fat, never mind the fact that I am at a deficit, women just don't gain muscle that fast for that long especially after the newbie gains stage.
Thank you for being supportive, I am not giving up!
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I started logging religiously on Feb 23. For the first 4 weeks I saw NO progress on the scale. I was so frustrated. But I knew that I was making changes for a lot of reasons other than weight loss, and that I just needed to keep going. I finally got the whoosh last week. So in total i'm down almost 10 lbs since 2/23 but for the first 4 weeks i saw the same number but clearly there was just invisible progress lol2
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Sigh. Last week I was 1.8 (ish) pounds from my goal weight. I overdid it at the gym on Monday, and now my knee is swollen (it’s a chronic problem -stupid knee). The scale rewarded me by jumping up THREE pounds and it has held there all week. ☹️ I KNOW it’s impossible for me to have gained that much weight, but come on! Also pretty sure that my knee doesn’t have three pounds of swelling... BooHoo to me.
I sometimes have no loss at all for three weeks and get a huge whoosh over 48 hours. I know this, but the weeks of nothing happening are frustrating anyway.
I’ve been at this weight and calorie tracking for years, and I still don’t have the mental part down. Waiting for my whoosh...
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I feel you! I have been here long enough to know that it is normal and go through the whole list of reasons like you did but that doesn't stop the frustration or potential anxiety. I was doing really well in January with logging everything and staying within my calorie deficit. But due to so many things including restarting weight lifting after a long hiatus, I was retaining water and didn't lose weight for the whole month. It was driving me nuts. Those pounds finally came off on the scale at the beginning of February in a whoosh.
BTW, I love your username!3 -
Sigh. Last week I was 1.8 (ish) pounds from my goal weight. I overdid it at the gym on Monday, and now my knee is swollen (it’s a chronic problem -stupid knee). The scale rewarded me by jumping up THREE pounds and it has held there all week. ☹️ I KNOW it’s impossible for me to have gained that much weight, but come on! Also pretty sure that my knee doesn’t have three pounds of swelling... BooHoo to me.
I sometimes have no loss at all for three weeks and get a huge whoosh over 48 hours. I know this, but the weeks of nothing happening are frustrating anyway.
I’ve been at this weight and calorie tracking for years, and I still don’t have the mental part down. Waiting for my whoosh...
YES this is exactly how I feel, 1.3 years at it and the mental part is still difficult sometimes!
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I feel you! I have been here long enough to know that it is normal and go through the whole list of reasons like you did but that doesn't stop the frustration or potential anxiety. I was doing really well in January with logging everything and staying within my calorie deficit. But due to so many things including restarting weight lifting after a long hiatus, I was retaining water and didn't lose weight for the whole month. It was driving me nuts. Those pounds finally came off on the scale at the beginning of February in a whoosh.
BTW, I love your username!
Yep whenever I start a new fitness thing I always retain water forever!
Thanks for the love of my username!0 -
I really feel your pain. I had a great January and February then March hit and my weight stalled for the entire month!!! But I knew that I was working the plan and that the plan would work.
April showed up and so far 3 pounds have come off.
Hang in there. 🙂1 -
I hear ya. I do all the right things. I watch all the numbers. I know what's supposed to happen and I know the SINGLE WEEK that my body likes to lose weight.
Still though, when I enter the week of the water weight dance, the merry go round of up/down the same weight, I want to shake a fist and demand control. Data soothes my logical little mind, but that doesn't stop the feels from creeping up. From standing on the scale wondering if I'm entering "magic week" yet or not.
I don't really get bothered by fluctuations -- not enough to derail me. I know the process. I know the system. I know what to do. I have a trending app and excel sheets of data. I got back through all my historical data to see how I compare between now and 7 years ago, 4 years ago, last year.
But I'm also human and those moments when I'm dancing the water dance, I have a weakness and shake my fist to the sky. "C'mon body!! Obey me for ONCE!" It never does and I always trudge onward because the data's sound and I got this. XD
So do you!
#commiserate1 -
dhiammarath wrote: »I hear ya. I do all the right things. I watch all the numbers. I know what's supposed to happen and I know the SINGLE WEEK that my body likes to lose weight.
Still though, when I enter the week of the water weight dance, the merry go round of up/down the same weight, I want to shake a fist and demand control. Data soothes my logical little mind, but that doesn't stop the feels from creeping up. From standing on the scale wondering if I'm entering "magic week" yet or not.
I don't really get bothered by fluctuations -- not enough to derail me. I know the process. I know the system. I know what to do. I have a trending app and excel sheets of data. I got back through all my historical data to see how I compare between now and 7 years ago, 4 years ago, last year.
But I'm also human and those moments when I'm dancing the water dance, I have a weakness and shake my fist to the sky. "C'mon body!! Obey me for ONCE!" It never does and I always trudge onward because the data's sound and I got this. XD
So do you!
#commiserate
Are you me? LOL I could have written everything you just wrote! I too have spreadsheets of data
We DO have got this! 0 -
BattyKnitter wrote: »dhiammarath wrote: »I hear ya. I do all the right things. I watch all the numbers. I know what's supposed to happen and I know the SINGLE WEEK that my body likes to lose weight.
Still though, when I enter the week of the water weight dance, the merry go round of up/down the same weight, I want to shake a fist and demand control. Data soothes my logical little mind, but that doesn't stop the feels from creeping up. From standing on the scale wondering if I'm entering "magic week" yet or not.
I don't really get bothered by fluctuations -- not enough to derail me. I know the process. I know the system. I know what to do. I have a trending app and excel sheets of data. I got back through all my historical data to see how I compare between now and 7 years ago, 4 years ago, last year.
But I'm also human and those moments when I'm dancing the water dance, I have a weakness and shake my fist to the sky. "C'mon body!! Obey me for ONCE!" It never does and I always trudge onward because the data's sound and I got this. XD
So do you!
#commiserate
Are you me? LOL I could have written everything you just wrote! I too have spreadsheets of data We DO have got this!
Haha!! I swear, if I DIDN'T have all my data, I think I would be a mess. Knowing what my body is doing and that it's following a trend and can compare to back historical data... well. I could go on. *fist-bump for like minded-ness!*
We'll get this. And our data will rejoice!
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I get super annoyed with fluctuations.... I eat next to nothing and run for a week and lose a pound. Eat a cheeseburger and the scale goes up 3. I know it isn't a "real" gain but I am always like "REALLY???"1
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Still hovering around 148-149, saw a quick glimpse of 147 but that didn't last. I'm worried my Fitbit is overestimating my calorie burn, but overestimating by over 500 calories seems like a lot!
I also can't face lowering my calories right now as I am already hungry most of the time. A diet break scares me too much, if my Fitbit is overestimating and I increase my calories by 500 then I'll gain
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For several posters here sounding like the adage lower is better is true - you can eat low enough to stress your body and cortisol based water weight will be gained.
Been shown 20 lbs can slowly rack up that way.
How stressed are you going to keep getting with potentially masking fat loss with water weight gain for 20 weeks say?
That shows up as almost consistent scale with with small variations up/down but no real loss.
Now - if the body is really that stressed by the amount of deficit you are taking - you are doing it wrong likely.
Less deficit, or even better a diet break for couple weeks - will likely cause a water-whoosh and weight loss.
Only kicker is if eating that low and body stressed, it's also usually done some adapting by slowing you down - so the deficit isn't as great anymore as you think because you are burning less daily.
So amount of increase to take a break isn't as great as you'd think.
@BattyKnitter - I'd agree 500 seems way off.
Unless you have a lot of steps daily.
In which case if your stride length setting is off, and Fitbit thinks you are doing more distance (because that and time and mass = calorie burn, not just steps) than reality - you could be getting extra calories.
Or if workouts are a few specific types known for inflated calorie burn best manually logged, but even that wouldn't amount to 500.
Could be combo, and the potential that your BMR is 5% off calculated, but that again is small number.
Or food logging is off by decent amount.1 -
This is why a weight trending app like Libra helps keep my sanity sometimes. I haven't lost any weight so far in April, but still, my trend has dropped 1.6 pounds this month. So even though I'm not hitting a new low, in one way of measuring, I'm still making progress.
But I feel you. We all can get caught up in the scale and fluctuations sometimes. I've worked my butt off this month harder than any other. It would be nice if my results reflected that. I know they will eventually. But I want it now.1 -
I was doing so well the last 5 weeks, then today I got on the scale and I'm moving in the wrong direction. I had decided to only weigh myself 1x/week so I don't micro focus on the number but I couldn't help myself and I got on the scale midweek. Now easter is coming and I wanted a cheat day. I need to get myself back on track I'm going to have to eat salad for dinner starting tomorrow but I doubt even that will help. It does get to me but I like coming on the website and at least reading from others who have the same/similar issues. I don't feel so alone about it.1
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This is why a weight trending app like Libra helps keep my sanity sometimes. I haven't lost any weight so far in April, but still, my trend has dropped 1.6 pounds this month. So even though I'm not hitting a new low, in one way of measuring, I'm still making progress.
But I feel you. We all can get caught up in the scale and fluctuations sometimes. I've worked my butt off this month harder than any other. It would be nice if my results reflected that. I know they will eventually. But I want it now.
Oh yes the only reason I don't completely lose my mind is because of my weight trending app LOL!0 -
For several posters here sounding like the adage lower is better is true - you can eat low enough to stress your body and cortisol based water weight will be gained.
Been shown 20 lbs can slowly rack up that way.
How stressed are you going to keep getting with potentially masking fat loss with water weight gain for 20 weeks say?
That shows up as almost consistent scale with with small variations up/down but no real loss.
Now - if the body is really that stressed by the amount of deficit you are taking - you are doing it wrong likely.
Less deficit, or even better a diet break for couple weeks - will likely cause a water-whoosh and weight loss.
Only kicker is if eating that low and body stressed, it's also usually done some adapting by slowing you down - so the deficit isn't as great anymore as you think because you are burning less daily.
So amount of increase to take a break isn't as great as you'd think.
@BattyKnitter - I'd agree 500 seems way off.
Unless you have a lot of steps daily.
In which case if your stride length setting is off, and Fitbit thinks you are doing more distance (because that and time and mass = calorie burn, not just steps) than reality - you could be getting extra calories.
Or if workouts are a few specific types known for inflated calorie burn best manually logged, but even that wouldn't amount to 500.
Could be combo, and the potential that your BMR is 5% off calculated, but that again is small number.
Or food logging is off by decent amount.
I think it's really just all in my head and that I am progressing fine and it will eventually be reflected on the scale, but I need to vent sometimes!
I do make sure to lower my calories on MFP every 5lbs loss or so, I still have 35% BF so I don't think it's yet time to reduce my deficit.
The 500 I was referring to is my deficit, I meant that looking back at my progress in the past year I highly doubt that my Fitbit is overestimating my burn by 500 cals thus wiping out my deficit completely. I get over 10k steps a day plus workout 6 days a week weightlifting and running, so I am active enough to get the daily 1900-2300 burn that Fitbit is giving me, it's just showing how the mind messes with us and makes us doubt the process that has worked in the past.0
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