Weight fluctuation and water retention

Bulldogs1717
Bulldogs1717 Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello

I have been keeping a 500-700 calorie deficit for a few months now but have hit a plateau on the last 3-5 lbs. i suddenly keep retaining water (my weight fluctuates day to day up to 7 lbs sometimes!) so I am not sure why that would be. I run 25-30 miles/week and lift weights 3 days a week, so pretty active. I’m feeling defeated because I’m struggling with this and feeling a serious lack of energy even though I haven’t changed anything about my diet :/ not sure what to do - any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

Thank you :)

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    Hey, you did well! Congratulations on your slow loss. that's brilliant. Also congratulations on recognizing water weight fluctuation.

    Have you changed anything on your exercise routine? that might be the answer to your question as water weight usually goes up when new exercises are added. And in some people every time after doing strength training, for muscle healing. With such big fluctuations weight loss might very well be masked by them. With so little left to lose weight loss will be very slow, and much slower than when you started anyway. Thus patience.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    There are probably thousands of threads on this forum that explain that weight goes up and down, due to a lot of things, stress, new exercise, time of month, salt intake, food waste in your body, etc, etc. It is not unusual to swing that much. The day to day fluctuations are not fat weight - it just physically can't be. It is just water weight. You just need to be patient.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    I just wouldn't worry about it and stop focusing on weight if you are basically at goal and living a healthy lifestyle. Now is the time to focus on how you will maintain.
  • ChickenKillerPuppy
    ChickenKillerPuppy Posts: 297 Member
    I know this is not what you asked, so feel free to disregard, but have you examined why you feel the need to lose those last 3-5 pounds? It's hard to imagine your clothes would fit any differently, or your activity would be affected, or that you would feel any different day to day. Sometimes we get a number in our head and feel like we have to hit it. I am guilty of this too (I am in maintenance but sometimes I feel I need to stay in the low end of my maintenance range just because I get numbers obsessed), but in reality there is no difference in my life if I weigh in at 118 or 121 or even 123.

    Just wanted to put that out there as food for thought (no pun intended). You are doing great, and I wish you continued success!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,232 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    feeling defeated because I’m struggling with this and feeling a serious lack of energy even though I haven’t changed anything about my diet

    Is the serious lack of energy deflation and depression because things are not working out or physical reaction to caloric restriction beyond reasonable for your current state?

    In any case... time to increase calories to closer to maintenance.

    If you are actually still interested in losing the weight, do the increase gradually instead of all at once. Though if you've been applying 500+ Cal deficits I would definitely make the first increase at least 250 or 300 Cal and give it a couple of weeks.

    If female you have to give yourself time to account for monthly hormonal fluctuation especially with large water weight movement on a daily basis as a complication.

    Weight trend app is in use?

    Beyond that if a large degree of water retention is happening which didn't use to happen, I would consider running that past my GP / primary care doctor.

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