Rant, vent etc.

jhanleybrown

I'm in the need to lose 20 lbs group. Have lost 9 of 20. Losing about 1 lb per week. I'm middle aged but reasonably fit. Exercise is a big part of my thing.

I've always eaten pretty healthy. Although if I have a glass of wine at night I tend to snack post dinner before bed. So a big part of my weight loss is giving up alcohol. (Which I really miss...) That leads to me not snacking and hitting goals most of the time.

Anyway, its mostly going well...mostly. This is just a rant/vent for the most frustrating part of this process.

Here's my vent...I've noted a trend that I will be ahead of my weight goal for the entire week, then when I weigh in Monday (my self imposed official weigh in day) I'm typically 2 lbs heavier than any other day. And, the weekend is generally very good from a deficit perspective. In particular, Sundays I'll go for my longest workout (usually an outdoor ride of 40-50 miles). And it's often my biggest calorie deficit day.

Note: I am logging food accurately. I've researched my main exercises and use the most accurate (and usually the most conservative) cal expenditures for exercise.

I think its because:
1) Sunday is my biggest exercise load day...so maybe some swelling...
2) While Sunday is usually a higher than usual cal deficit (because I'm not hungry enough to eat back all of the cals from a long ride...), it's a heavier carb day because I crave carbs post ride. (I log accurately but it's the only day I see a piece or two of pizza or pancakes and say..."Hell yeah!!" Still coming in at a bigger deficit.)

So i think its swelling and water retention due to the carbs.

But it sucks to see that weight spike every Monday after feeling like I put in *more* effort over the weekend (not to mention not drinking over the weekend...did I mention not drinking? )!!!!!

Rant over.

Carry on.

Shortgirlrunning

Just make your official weigh in day a different day. There’s no reason it has to be Monday.

jhanleybrown

Well. That's the obvious smart and logical answer.

But this is an illogical and emotional rant unbound by reason.

picklenees7538

I back up your logic 100% I also cycle and yea, I swear when I unclip after a long ride I feel poofy. I think your right- more carbs and more water just has a tendency to cling kinda sucks

hunkofmexican

you had me at Pizza and Pancakes ,,,... Suck it up Butter but , carbs retain water. What counts is the end of another month, 40-50 miles ? your a beast , now eat your calories back in healthy choices and see if that makes a difference in muscle tone and weight loss. Goodluck

tiptoethruthetulips

Does it really matter if you have pinpointed the reasons and as long as the long term trend is down? If you don't like the weekly Monday weigh ins, make them monthly instead or do a weekly Friday morning weigh instead

snowflake954

One thing that I still find hard to accept is that after being "good" for several days, weight loss doesn't show up the day after (there might even be a gain). This has to do with food and liquids in the digestive tract. They may take 2 days to move on. So yes, it takes patience and you have to trust the system.

ReenieHJ

I understand what you're feeling. I weigh 1-2 times a week, usually on a morning after I know I had a good couple of days prior. But what happens?? I've gained .5-1#. It's maddening to say the least. It's hard for me to pack away the scale for a month as was suggested because for me, that's an immediate and tangible tool to use in my progress. But maybe that's what you and I both have to do, don't check the scale each week, just keep sticking to it and see what the scale brings in a month. Or if you can't hold out a month, weigh every 2 weeks?
It's so hard to stick with the program though, if you don't feel validated for all your hard work. We have to realize it's a lifestyle and journey, not simply a temporary thing.

ReenieHJ

Out of curiosity I weighed myself this a.m. I was 144 yesterday, same time of day, everything. This a.m. I'm 141.5. Go figure. I can't think of anything I did differently yesterday than the day before so have no idea why the fluctuation.

LivingtheLeanDream

Rants help but just change your weigh in day... I always weigh higher Mon-Wed and then my weight drops to normal range again - extra carbs do it every time regardless of being within my cals. Either use a trending weight app so you can see the actual trend or weigh on a different day - 'don't worry be happy'

moonangel12

I weigh in everyday, just so I can see the trend... that way one bad day won’t discourage me if I catch it wrong. I have been frustrated the last couple of weeks, feeling like I had stalled out. I knew it was coming though, based on things I read here (the ebbs and flows of WL). But my weekly average was still down just a smidge so that made me feel a little better (I think .1lb - but at least in the right direction!). I would have been irked if that one spike point about a week ago would have been my “official” weekly weight.

jhanleybrown

moonangel12 wrote: »

I weigh in everyday, just so I can see the trend... that way one bad day won’t discourage me if I catch it wrong. I have been frustrated the last couple of weeks, feeling like I had stalled out. I knew it was coming though, based on things I read here (the ebbs and flows of WL). But my weekly average was still down just a smidge so that made me feel a little better (I think .1lb - but at least in the right direction!). I would have been irked if that one spike point about a week ago would have been my “official” weekly weight.

Hey. This is useful. Does MFP have a function that will show you running daily average for the prior week? That would be a useful feature. (I also weighed in 2 lbs lighter today...Tuesdays seem to be my lightest day of the week. So I discard Monday as too heavy, but Tuesday as unreasonably positive. )

Running 7 day average is way more informative and would solve my issue. "Trust the system" is great and all but looking at 7 day average trend seems like a feature that is super useful and more reflective of how weight loss occurs.

*And* has the side benefit of helping me avoid going full Christian Bale (from American Psycho) on my easily shatterable glass scale.

Lietchi

jhanleybrown wrote: »

Hey. This is useful. Does MFP have a function that will show you running daily average for the prior week? That would be a useful feature.

Not in MFP.
I calculate this weekly average myself in Excel, but I think many people here use the app Libra, or another one (can't remember the name, WeightTrend maybe?).

moonangel12

The Fitbit app currently has my favorite tracking - weekly averages and the chart pictured above... now that I am using a Garmin, I feel like I need to find something else, but still tracking my weight through Fitbit for now.

Looking at the Happy Scale app I have seen mentioned a few times, it looks promising.

nuzziek

This is one of those "let the process be the goal" moments! I know it's hard, but try not to obsess over the scale. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Cutting out alcohol is HUGE. If you make it through the day without drinking, got in a good workout, logged your calories within your goal.. you're succeeding. Weight loss will eventually be a side effect of many successful days. It's so easy for weight loss to get hidden in fluctuations from undigested food, water retention, etc. I know it's frustrating but just stick to it! You're doing great!

pridesabtch

When I rode all the time, I weighted on Fridays. I knew after the long rides on the weekend that I would have a couple of beers and likely some bar food. I definitely burned enough calories for it but the food isn't broken down immediately, it sits there in your gut along with the copious amounts of water you consumed for a few days. Cheers to log rides and the ability to have a couple slices of pizza and still lose weight!

pridesabtch

Oh and to rant... I've been riding road bikes for years now. Raced TT a few years back. I admittedly I got a little soft and slow, but it still pisses me off that my husband got on a roadie for 2 days and can crush the hills with the A riders. He's still wobbly and slow on the flats, but the years of marathon running stacked his legs for the climbs. Sigh... He's skinny too. And tan...

jhanleybrown

pridesabtch wrote: »

Oh and to rant... I've been riding road bikes for years now. Raced TT a few years back. I admittedly I got a little soft and slow, but it still pisses me off that my husband got on a roadie for 2 days and can crush the hills with the A riders. He's still wobbly and slow on the flats, but the years of marathon running stacked his legs for the climbs. Sigh... He's skinny too. And tan...

I refer to my wife as smarter, better looking and a better athlete.

Oh and shes nice (as opposed to slightly snarky).

It's so *weird*. People never disagree with me when I say that....

jhanleybrown

nuzziek wrote: »

This is one of those "let the process be the goal" moments! I know it's hard, but try not to obsess over the scale. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Cutting out alcohol is HUGE. If you make it through the day without drinking, got in a good workout, logged your calories within your goal.. you're succeeding. Weight loss will eventually be a side effect of many successful days. It's so easy for weight loss to get hidden in fluctuations from undigested food, water retention, etc. I know it's frustrating but just stick to it! You're doing great!

"Let the process be the goal" makes me imagine butterflies and rainbows and people that quote Robert Frost.

[Not happening for me.]

quiksylver296

Here's a great read, OP.

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

jhanleybrown

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Here's a great read, OP.

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

This was great.

I still would prefer my 7 day floating average trendline though.