WRONG DIRECTION SCALE!

SquidVonBob

Hello kind peeps of MFP, I was hoping you guys could help me figure out what I'm doing wrong because I'm ready to hit the wall in frustration.

A few weeks ago I decided to take some advice and up my calories from 1200 to 1400, and that was hard because I was terrified of gaining and going back to where I was before. First two weeks and I'm down 2lbs to 158.5. AWESOME. Next week up 1lb, another week up another pound, and a third week. Last two weeks I'm down a bit and hovering at about 160.

I've been logging 100% for the past week so that I could ask you fine folks for help. I exercise several times a week, 20-30min of cardio and light resistance training after. My diary is open and I'm desperate for help and advice.

TL;DR: Why am I not losing weight?

Phoenix_Warrior

First off, congratz on 66 lbs lost! As you get closer to your goal weight, logging Consistency is key. Are you weighing and measuring your food? I see like 3 oz of meat logged on one day and I was curious if you truly eat that little? That's a very tiny piece. It's going to take more than a week to start seeing things moving in the right direction. Weight loss isn't linear. Just make sure you're being accurate and honest, keep up the great work and be careful not to overestimate calorie burns through exercise and you should see that naughty scale move in the right direction again :flowerforyou:

lucan07

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

bethannien

If you're gaining weight, your calorie counts must be off somewhere. If you're eating tons of sodium, you COULD be retaining water, but I don't know if bloat would last for 3 weeks. I have to agree with above poster, weigh and measure your foods diligently. Your margin of error gets smaller the closer you get to goal weight

aakaakaak

If you're gaining weight, your calorie counts must be off somewhere. If you're eating tons of sodium, you COULD be retaining water, but I don't know if bloat would last for 3 weeks. I have to agree with above poster, weigh and measure your foods diligently. Your margin of error gets smaller the closer you get to goal weight

Yes.

Use a food scale.

SquidVonBob

I just weighed again and the scale says I'm down 2lbs. I know weight fluctuates throughout the day but this is weird...

born2drum

Find a legitimate workout program. Stick to IT! Calculate your TDEE and eat at 20-25% below that NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS. Just do that and you will be fine. Oh, and log everything to a T

rgugs13

You should pick one time of day to weigh yourself and stick with it. It is normal to see a 1-2+ pound increase in weight throughout the day. I weigh myself most every morning because it is easier to see a trend with more data points. Other people freak out about it. So long as the trend keeps going down, I don't worry too much about it. It is a very individual thing. Even if you do weigh daily, pick one day to make your official weigh in day, so you only compare weights from every Monday. Also, give programs more than a few weeks before freaking out about results. I'd give it at least a month. That gives you a bit of cushion against abnormalities skewing data. The holidays are a rough time for losing weight, so any weightloss you can get during this time is awesome!

ThriceBlessed

I have a big problem with water retention sometimes. You could be retaining water from eating too much salt... or for some people their body responds to ANY stress by retaining water. (I'm one of those people.. if I change my diet, even for the better, my body responds with water retention. If I am stressed out at work... my body holds water. If I increase my exercise... my body holds water. The only thing that makes my body NOT hold water is going low sodium while drinking lots of water for several days, and getting 8 hours of sleep each night for those days... then it lets go of the water).

aakaakaak

I just weighed again and the scale says I'm down 2lbs. I know weight fluctuates throughout the day but this is weird...

Only weigh in once a day. You really do fluctuate a lot during the day. Most people I know who are successful weigh themselves naked right after their morning pee. It' supposed to be your lightest time of the day.

_db_

I had the same issue: scale showing 2-3 lbs difference within hours. Suspecting this was a scale error, I tested the scale by measuring my weight and then measuring my weight with a 1 lb weight in my hand. Sometimes it wouldn't show the extra weight and other times it would show nearly a 2 lb difference; it never got close to showing the correct 1 lb difference.

The weight watchers/conair scale was inconsistent and inaccurate.

I ordered one of the eat smart scales from amazon and it seems to give repeatable and accurate measurements. It passed the 1 lb test that the old scale failed. And I'm no longer "losing" 2+ lbs some nights.