What's Your "Bounce Back"?

pinuplove
pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
edited December 24 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm sure there's a better term for it that my muddled brain isn't pulling out. The glycogen replenishment, extra food volume, etc., weight that you gain when transitioning from a losing phase to maintenance.

I'm determined to be more successful at maintenance than I was previously. While I'd still like to knock off a few pounds, I'm not trying very hard at it and consider myself in maintenance with occasional forays into a deficit. Depending on how Christmas goes, I'll probably end the year 0-5 pounds less than I started it. Sounds like maintenance to me!

All that said, I've noticed my weight swing when eating at full maintenance versus at a deficit (even a small one) is 5-6 pounds. That feels a little high for someone my size (130-135, 5'2-3ish) but it keeps repeating so I'm going to assume that's just my body doing its thing. Just curious what others have experienced :smile:

Replies

  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    Weighing daily since 7/2017 I'm sometimes still surprised at the amount of noise in my daily weight data. Since what I consider to be my most recent sustained weight loss in the fall/winter of 2017, my weekly average weight has stayed within a 5.6 lb range with my median daily weight squarely in the middle of that range. The low end of that range of weekly averages is about 3 lbs higher than my lowest single weight data point and median weight is about 3 lbs above that so that my answer to what a "bounce back" would be 3-6 lbs.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    I've noticed that when I switch from deficit mode to maintenance I go up 4-5 lbs which is also frustating because I was 132 lbs ( I am 5'4") and now I am sitting at 136 lbs for the past 2 weeks. Like you, I want to lose more but I am taking it very slowly now with a 250 calorie deficit for my last 12ish lbs.

    At least I'm not alone here, lol. It feels like (competitively) a lot, doesn't it? It's enough to make me reconsider my maintenance range. I wish my swing was only 2 pounds, ha!
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    I would imagine you are not accustomed to doing many things 'high'. :tongue:

    6 pounds if I am lucky. 9 pounds is my norm. 20 pounds if I am not lucky.

    I do not have much experience with it evening back out because I am usually right back in a deficit but recently it took 6 weeks to get back down to about 3.5 over what I was in deficit.

    I always thought my big swings were related to the millions of pounds that I was when I started but it may not be that clear cut. I am wondering if improving my fitness more earnestly now will have an impact. Time will tell.
    Well, I don't live in Colorado...

    Percentage of weight-wise I suspect we're not far off in the water weight swings, at least not as much as it seems. I know it's been driving you a little crazy. I can see why!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Zero bounce back.

    My dieting was only 2 days a week anyway (5:2 IF protocol).
    I also kept my carbs relatively high for exercise performance and satiety.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    For me, going from "lower carb and running all the damn time" to "eats all the carbs and tapers" swing is just about 4 pounds. So I figure that when I'm finally in a point where I want to go to maintenance, I actually need to shoot for about 4 pounds below my real target.

    Normal daily swings tend to be around 3 percent for cycles and sunburn.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    If it helps, over the holiday--three days of eating more than usual, but still in my weekly calorie budget as best I can estimate--I "gained" about 5 pounds. It is slowly coming off now that I've returned to my usual routine.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    I usually reverse diet (ramp up to maintenance calories slowly) so I don’t see a bounce ( unless I have a really big restaurant/salty meal or do something else associated with water retention), but I do notice more day-to-day fluctuation at maintenance than when in a deficit.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    When you say eating at 'full maintenance', how long a period are you talking about?
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    I've noticed that when I switch from deficit mode to maintenance I go up 4-5 lbs which is also frustating because I was 132 lbs ( I am 5'4") and now I am sitting at 136 lbs for the past 2 weeks. Like you, I want to lose more but I am taking it very slowly now with a 250 calorie deficit for my last 12ish lbs.

    At least I'm not alone here, lol. It feels like (competitively) a lot, doesn't it? It's enough to make me reconsider my maintenance range. I wish my swing was only 2 pounds, ha!

    Yes it does feel like a lot considering how freaking long it takes to lose weight when you're within a normal BMI! I am also most likely going to aim below my target like you are to account for this. Sigh.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    When you say eating at 'full maintenance', how long a period are you talking about?
    A few weeks to a month. Usually after being back at a small deficit 10 days or so, I'll see a drop of 5-6 pounds.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    When you say eating at 'full maintenance', how long a period are you talking about?
    A few weeks to a month. Usually after being back at a small deficit 10 days or so, I'll see a drop of 5-6 pounds.

    When you are eating at full maintenance are you consuming higher carbs/ high sodium? when you drop as much as 5/6lbs after 10 days it sounds like a lot of water weight whooshing.
    It could also be hormone related.
    Over the coming months if you keep doing the same thing and you maintain your weight then you know you're on the right path - at least you are maintaining one way or the other. If you want to lose a little more then it just means more days at deficit.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    Maybe like 2 pounds.
  • kcmcbee
    kcmcbee Posts: 179 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    If it helps, over the holiday--three days of eating more than usual, but still in my weekly calorie budget as best I can estimate--I "gained" about 5 pounds. It is slowly coming off now that I've returned to my usual routine.

    About the same for me after 5 days of Thanksgiving foods.

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