Weight changes are confusing me.

rickiimarieee
rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Have you ever been stuck at the same weight for days/weeks with no fluctuations and then one day you eat over the calories you normally eat and see a drop in weight the next day? Then go back to eating the right amount and it slowly drops then stalls again and you eat over again and it drops again?

Replies

  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    Do you always use the same scale? Barring regular fluctuations, it’s possible the batteries are going.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    You really can’t see any indication of fat gain on the scale the day after one day of eating over. You have to look at your data long-term, because fluctuations in water weight hide way too much of what’s actually happening day to day. I say, change the batteries in your scale just in case, and then download HappyScale or another weight trending app to smooth out the fluctuations over time. Only make decisions/changes to your plan based on data from 4-6 weeks, not on data from just a few days.
  • exhilen
    exhilen Posts: 43 Member
    edited April 2019
    I’m currently dealing with this as well; however, assuming your scale batteries are fine, it could be simple fluctuations.

    I do recommend a food scale if you currently are not using one to ensure your intake is accurate. Otherwise, a weight trend app might help ease the frustration of daily fluctuations.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
    Weight loss is not linear. There are day-to-day ups and downs from various causes like water retention, food still in your digestive tract, etc. And then, losses often seem to happen very quickly after a week or two of stalling. You'll find some folks here calling that the "whoosh". This is why we can't get too discouraged if we don't see consistent results. They'll show up, at more or less the average rate we expect over the long term, even if much of the time. they're difficult to see over the short term.
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    Yup that has happened to me.
    I love that sweet surprise.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    yup. Pretty common for it to occur.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Yes. It is a coincidence. Don't put any meaning into it.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    gallicinvasion wrote: »
    Do you always use the same scale? Barring regular fluctuations, it’s possible the batteries are going.
    Yes I use the same scale at the same time daily.
    gallicinvasion wrote: »
    You really can’t see any indication of fat gain on the scale the day after one day of eating over. You have to look at your data long-term, because fluctuations in water weight hide way too much of what’s actually happening day to day. I say, change the batteries in your scale just in case, and then download HappyScale or another weight trending app to smooth out the fluctuations over time. Only make decisions/changes to your plan based on data from 4-6 weeks, not on data from just a few days.
    I have happy scale. Weight is only going down it’s not bouncing but my weight stalls for days/weeks and then when I eat over for a day I see a drop in weight the next day and it slowly goes down when I start eating my calorie goal then stalls again
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    Diem78 wrote: »
    Water retention can cause fluctuations from day to day. I can easily gain around 5 lbs and then lose it within a couple of days due to salt intake. Totally normal!

    But my weight gets stuck at a certain weight for weeks then I over eat one day and I see a drop in weight then it slowly stops going down when I go back to my calorie budget then I stall again until I overeat.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    exhilen wrote: »
    I’m currently dealing with this as well; however, assuming your scale batteries are fine, it could be simple fluctuations.

    I do recommend a food scale if you currently are not using one to ensure your intake is accurate. Otherwise, a weight trend app might help ease the frustration of daily fluctuations.

    I use a food scale. I’ve been at this whole weight loss thing going on two years. I stopped for 9 months for a pregnancy but now I got this weird thing going on. Lol was never like this before. But it’s not fluctuating it’s only going down but it stalls for a few weeks then I overeat and get a drop in weight that kickstarts me slowly losing again but then I stall again until I overeat again
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    Yup that has happened to me.
    I love that sweet surprise.

    Yes lol definitely not complaining but I just thought it was odd. Lol
  • keenest37
    keenest37 Posts: 61 Member
    Weight fluctuations are frustrating. I weigh myself too much. The other day I went a little over my daily calories and the next day I was at my lowest weight so far. It's hard but try not to obsess about it.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    You will eventually be the weight you deserve to be. Just not necessarily at the time you feel you earned it.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Yep. If I overeat it's mostly fatty and salty food. Fat is good for the digestive system and gets things moving. So maybe you've just been to the toilet. Salt leads to an increase in water weight. Water is also needed for a good poop. If you normally are not so well hydrated again this might get things moving.

    Note: Just a theory, based on observations.

    Actually I’m afraid I’m not going enough. I might introduce some more fiber to my diet. I’m maybe going once a week.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Yep. If I overeat it's mostly fatty and salty food. Fat is good for the digestive system and gets things moving. So maybe you've just been to the toilet. Salt leads to an increase in water weight. Water is also needed for a good poop. If you normally are not so well hydrated again this might get things moving.

    Note: Just a theory, based on observations.


    That’s a very good theory though!
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    The most likely thing is that adipocytes are replacing triglyceride storage with water, and something about the calorie surplus encourages releasing the water. In some instances the release mechanism maybe be cortisol (stress) mediated.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    if you are eating low carb, google wet and dry refeeds and see if it applies to your situation.

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