Tired of weight fluctuations

Speakeasy76

I know it's normal, but because I'm on an SSRI (with a tendency towards anxiety anyway), I get worried when I see the scale go up. For example, according to my scale I went up more than 3 pounds since last week. Now I know that it is not physically possible to gain 3 actual pounds based on my food/activity level, but as a female and knowing where I'm at in my cycle it doesn't make a ton of sense. I also think my scale is wonky sometimes, but as I said, I know weight gain is common with SSRI's, especially the longer one takes them (6 months plus). I continue to track and even though I've reached my goal, I typically don't stay right around 250-500 below maintenance weight according to my Fitbit (which probably overestimates a bit anyway).

I can lean towards being obsessive about things (who am I kidding, I definitely can be), so I don't want to get caught up in it, but I also don't want my weight to creep up again. Does anyone else battle with this?

Strudders67

I try not to. I weigh myself every Monday, log my weight and then carry on with my life. There's another post in this bit of the forum about having a target range rather than a target weight, as you will fluctuate. Most suggestions I've seen have tended towards a 10lb range (being +5 or -5 from your goal). If, over a period of a couple of months, I was gaining or losing more than I'd like, then I'd look to do something about it, but I know fluctuations happen so I ignore them and track it over a longer period. In the last 30 days, the difference between my highest weight and my lowest is 3kgs which is just over 6.5lbs. One week I went up 1kg (2.2lb), the next I was down 1.5kg and the week after I went down another 0.5kg. I stayed there for a couple of weeks then went back up 0.5kg. It's noise.

How long have you been in maintenance? Also, if you've reached your goal, why are you trying to stay at 250-500 BELOW maintenance?

It is possible that what MFP thinks is your maintenance number actually isn't, but you'll only learn that from monitoring your weight vs intake over a period of time, rather like people do to find out what rate they're actually losing weight at. I thought my tracking was quite accurate until lockdown happened just as I reached my goal. Multiple different changes all occurred at once and then I actually found myself continuing to lose weight at my new maintenance number. I now aim for 100 cals a day above what MFP thinks I maintain at. My weight still fluctuates, but the trend is flat.

If you want to, enter your data into a trend tracker - and only be concerned if, over a period of a couple of months, it shows you're gaining. Otherwise, enjoy your new goal weight.

AnnPT77

Good advice from Strudders, which I endorse. Also, if information helps you, and you haven't read this (below) already, I highly recommend it:

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

I've been in maintenance for 5+ years now at a healthy weight, after around 3 previous decades of obesity before that. In the last 7 days, my low weight was 124.4 pounds, and my high weight was 127. I weigh daily, and those weights were 2 days apart, midway through the week; it's been everywhere in between those two numbers on the other 5 days. 🤷‍♀️ That's completely normal, just randomly. (I don't even *have* cycles anymore, haven't for a couple of decades - I'm 65.)

I can completely understand being stressed about unexplained changes, especially if newly maintaining. Over the 5 years, I've learned to trust my process: If I haven't eaten 10,500 calories above maintenance (or moved that much less), a 3 pound scale jump isn't fat. Can't be.

Bodies are weird.

Speakeasy76

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate the resources and reminders that weight fluctuations are normal. I have been at this "goal weight" since September, but I right after I hit that it seemed to go up a bit (which I feared may have been due to the SSRI). However, I was able to reach it again a few weeks ago with committing to not eating past a certain time most nights, or "fasting" for at least 12 hours. Before this, I lost 35 pounds back in 2012 and kept it most--if not maybe 5-7 pounds--off. I think part of the reason I am nervous is because this is a new goal weight and I haven't been this weight for quite some time, so I am worried about whether or not I can actually sustain it. Ironically, I purposely lost it very slowly with the idea in that mind that it would be sustainable and not ever feel deprived.

ahoy_m8

OP, I think you are asking how to frame thoughts about fluctuations to minimize angst, and I don’t have anything to add to good suggestions above re: aiming for a goal range (and being happy with any weight In that range). I’ll add that I experience the exact same thing you described— inexplicably going up 3 pounds and sometimes staying there a while. But as AnnPT says, when I trust the math and the process, I will eventually see an inexplicable 3 lb drop. The math really does work over time, even if it doesn’t appear to in the specific time frame you want it to.

It sounds like you have approached this in a smart way, and you know how to manage the process. Rely on the skills and traits that get you to this point. You have what you need to maintain successfully. Also, I hope the SSRI works well for you.

LivingtheLeanDream

I think it takes time for us to feel comfortable with fluctuations, once we understand/get our heads around the reasons most fluctuations happen then we can feel more relaxed knowing that all is actually well.

nanastaci2020

If you know your scale is wonky, and odd weight fluctuations lead to anxiety: get a reliable scale?

cwolfman13

You really need to realize that weight isn't static...nobody is exactly XXX Lbs all of the time. The human body is comprised of roughly 55-65% water...that will always be in flux and show on the scale...more or less digestive waste in your system will affect the scale...numerous things cause weight to fluctuate...weight isn't static. I typically maintain around 182...that's an average...on any given day I could be 178...or 180...or 185...or 183, etc. That's normal...maintenance is a range, not a specific number.

Speakeasy76

nanastaci2020 wrote: »

If you know your scale is wonky, and odd weight fluctuations lead to anxiety: get a reliable scale?

I don't know that it's my scale, but probably more likely what others have said in other posts: that weight (even on a perfect scale) will fluctuate, and that I need to learn to be ok with that as long as I know I'm doing what I need to do to maintain. I know this already, but because I'm taking an anti-depressant, there is always that thought that it is what's causing the weight gain.

sijomial

Medications that are associated with weight gain can't directly make you gain fat without a caloric surplus.
But they can indirectly lead to weight gain either by interfering with your hunger signals (shouldn't be a problem to people food logging/calorie counting and so consciously controlling their intake) or by slowing you down / making you more lethargic which reduces calorie burns from daily life as well as exercise.

If you have been on your meds long term any effects really should be stable and accounted for.

I think you really need to work towards acceptance rather than battling something that is normal. Easier said than done of course but fluctuations need to be processed logically rather than emotionally. The realisation that nothing significant happens in a short time scale does help twinned with the confidence that if you do get a genuine weight gain you can correct that. Maintenance isn't a flat line, often it's a series of corrections.

nanastaci2020

That makes sense. In your original post, you mentioned your scale being 'wonky' so I took that to mean you knew it did not work very well.

Speakeasy76 wrote: »

nanastaci2020 wrote: »

If you know your scale is wonky, and odd weight fluctuations lead to anxiety: get a reliable scale?

I don't know that it's my scale, but probably more likely what others have said in other posts: that weight (even on a perfect scale) will fluctuate, and that I need to learn to be ok with that as long as I know I'm doing what I need to do to maintain. I know this already, but because I'm taking an anti-depressant, there is always that thought that it is what's causing the weight gain.