Weight loss patterns - drop, stop and roller coaster

Aaron_K123

I do feel like the more I know about patterns and what to expect, the less I stress over fluctuations.

Sounds like a good attitude to have to me :-). Wish you the best.

Mav3rick54

I weigh every day, knowing that there will be ups and downs. I do not freak out about the ups after a down. I find it really interesting to see the daily fluctuations as I try to estimate what my next weight will be. After 2 months, I estimate correctly more often than not, I see a really predictable pattern emerging. And I almost always hit a new low on Saturdays.

^^^this..substitute 6 months for the 2 and I could have written it. My weight loss graph looks like a mountain range. :happy:

fairygirlpie9

I stall for a few weeks, often appear to go up on the scale and then I drop several pounds at a time. It happened at exactly the same time each month. Google 'weight losses and whooshes' there should be an article about it xx

bethlaf

my weight loss is almost EXACTLY like that, very rarely is it linear .
i drop to a new low, the next day i am up .5-1lb then stays up for a day or two then drops back down below the last"new " low number, it looks like an insane downward escalator...

i quit logging the "false regain" because i know it is just that, and now just log the losses, i still weigh nearly every day , but do not fret as much about it as i did at this time last year, that is for sure,
I have learned so much more about myself, my nutrition needs and how my body handles things it feels amazing to me.
hth

Anna_Joys_Journey

Yep, I'm like that. I will take a big drop to my lowest point right after my period, go up for no reason about 2-3 pounds in the next few days, lose another pound over the month to be just higher than the post-period weight, go up five pounds around my period and then take another drop that takes me 2 pounds below where I was after the previous period. It's pretty crazy but really consistent for me.

This seems pretty spot on for how I'm losing now as well...

aserranzana16

I stall for a few weeks, often appear to go up on the scale and then I drop several pounds at a time. It happened at exactly the same time each month. Google 'weight losses and whooshes' there should be an article about it xx

I just fell down the rabbit hole of "weight losses and whooses" articles...so interesting! Hoping for a whoosh any day now.

aserranzana16

Update: Just hit my whoosh. 1 more lb down!

hellodmo

Congrats!

Not sure about the hormonal thing. I'm a dude and this is exactly what happens to me. My big loss is almost immediately followed by a gain. Sometimes as big as it was before, and sometimes not. Usually I peak on a high again before losing a significant amount.

Believe it or not, some of my greatest whooshes have been immediately on the heels of when I've taken a day or two "off" (200-300 over goal) after being extremely strict for a couple of weeks. April 14, 16, and 17, I went over my goal (100-300 calories), after having been on a steady gain from 178.2 to 180.6 from April 10 to April 17. April 18 I then weighted 178.4, and then on April 19th, hit a new low of 176. It seems to be that my body takes a "lose then hold" pattern, just as you described.

If my calculations are correct, I should see another whoosh here in a day or two.

I'm so glad I found this thread. I was starting to get discouraged again, but this gives me hope that this whole thing is normal.

aserranzana16

Believe it or not, some of my greatest whooshes have been immediately on the heels of when I've taken a day or two "off" (200-300 over goal) after being extremely strict for a couple of weeks. April 14, 16, and 17, I went over my goal (100-300 calories), after having been on a steady gain from 178.2 to 180.6 from April 10 to April 17. April 18 I then weighted 178.4, and then on April 19th, hit a new low of 176. It seems to be that my body takes a "lose then hold" pattern, just as you described.

I just experienced this. I had a really good couple of weeks, and then this weekend, went pretty far over both Saturday and Sunday (though I worked out a lot, too). I was scared to get on the scale after that, but over the last two days, have dropped 2 lbs total for my lowest weight yet! It started me reading about calorie shifting/calorie zigzagging, and while I don't think I'll move to doing this on purpose yet, it's another (more fun!) tool I have to try when I hit those plateaus.

I'm so glad I found this thread. I was starting to get discouraged again, but this gives me hope that this whole thing is normal.

I'm glad you did too! I bet you see a drop any minute now.

hellodmo

I'm glad you did too! I bet you see a drop any minute now.

Yep. This morning I woke up 2 pounds less than my weight two days ago, right on schedule. Whoosh!

aserranzana16

I'm glad you did too! I bet you see a drop any minute now.

Yep. This morning I woke up 2 pounds less than my weight two days ago, right on schedule. Whoosh!

That's amazing! Congratulations!!!!!!!!

asciiqwerty

so weight loss isn't linear - but progress can be consistent
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/asciiqwerty/view/so-not-linear-but-the-trend-looks-good-655024
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/asciiqwerty/view/tracking-progress-654183

ThatLadyJ86

I'm glad I found this thread because I've been having the same issues. I started losing consistently and all of a sudden it started going up and down. It's even gotten so bad that I weighed myself yesterday, two pounds heavier than the day before. I'm learning to stop obessessing over the scale because I'm doing very well..... Yes I have bad days, but overall I do great!!

perseverance14

I lifted weights after work yesterday, when I woke up this morning, I weighed almost a full pound more. Not only that, since I started (yesterday was my 3rd time) I have been retaining water and glycogen, part from weights, part because I raised my calories although I am still in a deficit.

All of that said, I am learning not to be attached to the number on the scale. Between weight lifting, T-Tapp and Pilates, and some cardio although that is not my priority, I was looking in the mirror at my abdomen this morning (swollen or not) and thinking, darn woman look at that muscle tone!

My priorities are health, strength, and of couse looking hot in a bikini, but seriously, the number on the scale is just that.

You lose 30% muscle on average when you lose weight, the only way to lower that percentage is strength/resistance training, so that is where my focus is, scale schmale.

perseverance14

Those are called natural body weight fluctuations and are as a result of water retention/release, timing of food and beverage in/out, more or less waste in your system, etc. That is why everyone says weight loss isn't linear...when you get to maintenance you will also find that your body weight isn't static and you will have a range of weight due to the above factors among other things.

I've been maintaining for a year now and my weight can swing 3-5 Lbs day to day. Example, on Monday morning I was 186.4...Tuesday I was 182.3 and this morning I'm 183.1. My average over 12 months is right around 183 Lbs which is what I consider my "true" weight to be.

Regardless of your weight control goals, you have to view things as a general trend, not a linear function...which is difficult because most of use tend to be linear thinkers.

^ this ^

perseverance14

Daily weigh-ins are tricky.. They can be very discouraging when you get stuck on the numbers.. Weight can be from water retention, hormone-related, the amount of sodium in your food, food allergies..etc. I think a once a week weigh-in regimen might put your mind at ease

Yeah, I've considered moving to weekly weigh-ins. It's difficult though - I've got a compulsive streak in me that needs to step on the scale every day...I just have to keep reminding myself that it's the overall weight loss that matters.

I weigh myself every morning, just to make sure there is nothing amiss, but I expect the 3-5 lb. fluctuations, although I find if I weigh myself in the morning, they are not usually more than a couple of pounds as long as I have been regular...but at night, forget about it, even before dinner they can be over 5 lbs. Seriously, get in your underwear and take a good long look in the mirror, I do that at least a few times per week. Pinch all the areas that you hate the fat on, love handles, inner thighs...etc. and see the difference, take a look at your overall muscle tone. I look at that and I don't give a darn what the scale says, I can see how well I am doing, even though I still want to lose 25 to 30 more lbs., or the equivalent in fat, whichever comes first. I have realized that there are much more important things to focus on, like keeping the muscle and burning the fat.

aserranzana16

I'm glad I found this thread because I've been having the same issues. I started losing consistently and all of a sudden it started going up and down. It's even gotten so bad that I weighed myself yesterday, two pounds heavier than the day before. I'm learning to stop obessessing over the scale because I'm doing very well..... Yes I have bad days, but overall I do great!!

Yeah, I think that's the right attitude. At first, it was great motivation for me to weigh myself every day because the number was consistently dropping and that felt amazing and made me want to continue. But I think once we all establish a healthy pattern of eating and working out regularly, it's a good idea to maybe institute the once or twice a week weigh-in.

aserranzana16

Daily weigh-ins are tricky.. They can be very discouraging when you get stuck on the numbers.. Weight can be from water retention, hormone-related, the amount of sodium in your food, food allergies..etc. I think a once a week weigh-in regimen might put your mind at ease

Yeah, I've considered moving to weekly weigh-ins. It's difficult though - I've got a compulsive streak in me that needs to step on the scale every day...I just have to keep reminding myself that it's the overall weight loss that matters.

I weigh myself every morning, just to make sure there is nothing amiss, but I expect the 3-5 lb. fluctuations, although I find if I weigh myself in the morning, they are not usually more than a couple of pounds as long as I have been regular...but at night, forget about it, even before dinner they can be over 5 lbs. Seriously, get in your underwear and take a good long look in the mirror, I do that at least a few times per week. Pinch all the areas that you hate the fat on, love handles, inner thighs...etc. and see the difference, take a look at your overall muscle tone. I look at that and I don't give a darn what the scale says, I can see how well I am doing, even though I still want to lose 25 to 30 more lbs., or the equivalent in fat, whichever comes first. I have realized that there are much more important things to focus on, like keeping the muscle and burning the fat.

I want to be more like you! 42 lbs lost is amazing. It's still hard for me to look in the mirror, but it's important to be realistic about where I am and how far I've come, and to be happy with the fact that, with MFP, I've managed to lose weight in a more healthy way than I have ever.

ThatLadyJ86

I'm glad I found this thread because I've been having the same issues. I started losing consistently and all of a sudden it started going up and down. It's even gotten so bad that I weighed myself yesterday, two pounds heavier than the day before. I'm learning to stop obessessing over the scale because I'm doing very well..... Yes I have bad days, but overall I do great!!

Yeah, I think that's the right attitude. At first, it was great motivation for me to weigh myself every day because the number was consistently dropping and that felt amazing and made me want to continue. But I think once we all establish a healthy pattern of eating and working out regularly, it's a good idea to maybe institute the once or twice a week weigh-in.

I agree!! Not to mention it gets a little depressing watching the ups and downs of those numbers. Either way I'm gonna keep going. I'm not giving up on my weight loss journey this time!!

riffraff2112

Probably the best thread I've been involved with!!

It seems so many of us have the exact same pattern, and there is always strength in information. I just had another 'whoosh' after stalling for nearly two weeks, I have dropped 3 lbs in a few days.

Keep it up people, good things are happening