How much does weight flucatations bother you?

Spiderkeys

They bother me a lot, as you can't tell the difference between fat gain or just water weight..

Makes me feel shameful and guilty the next day, so I eat less, then 2 days later I find out it was just water weight, the scales drops down I've lost too much weight.

Due to these reasons i've lost more weight than I planned, I started maining at my goal of 167lb near 3 months, ago and now I find myself at only 156lb simply because I hate flucatations even more if theyt read past my goal, and I can never find out my maintenance level.

Graelwyn75

Having read your other posts, it really sounds as if you are at a very unhealthy place, mentally. This sort of reaction to fluctuations is actually common among those with eating disorders. Maybe taking a step back and looking at your reactions objectively might be an idea.

la_te_ra_lus

I used to be notorious for jumping on the scale daily.. it lead to some unhealthy psychological issues... Now I just go by what I look in the mirror and how clothes fit.

My weight flucuates up to 5-8 lbs a day.. in the past that would drive me bananas..

Spiderkeys

Wouldn't consider myself with an eating disorder, I eat footlong subways almost everyday, endless eating of fruits, bananas and apples, and even having icecream after dinner a lot, still surprises me I still lost at this rate, but then again I started a hard labour full time construction worker job a week ago..

Spiderkeys

Weighing myself daily keeps me in control, usually everyday I can stay on the same number, but sometimes it can go over so makes me keep thinking back, somewhere i must of gone wrong, then would aim to get back to that number, but instead I fall right under the number, now it back to eatting "a lot" a food again, well for a week anyway...

silencioesoro

I only weigh myself once a week, then adjust my diet accordingly. I'm in maintenance though, so I allow only up to 5 pound gain; I don't even punish myself when I do gain the 5.

Fattackler2013

Weighing myself daily keeps me in control, usually everyday I can stay on the same number, but sometimes it can go over so makes me keep thinking back, somewhere i must of gone wrong, then would aim to get back to that number, but instead I fall right under the number, now it back to eatting "a lot" a food again, well for a week anyway...

If I were you I would only weigh myself once a week at most because you're not going to lose much/gain (if anything) in one day otherwise you just become obsessed with weighing yourself and if you don't lose what you'd like to then it can ruin your whole; trust me I've been there, however I only weigh myself once every 2 weeks now and I go by how I look in the mirror and how my clothes fit.

fknlardarse

Weighing myself daily keeps me in control, usually everyday I can stay on the same number, but sometimes it can go over so makes me keep thinking back, somewhere i must of gone wrong, then would aim to get back to that number, but instead I fall right under the number, now it back to eatting "a lot" a food again, well for a week anyway...

If I were you I would only weigh myself once a week at most because you're not going to lose much/gain (if anything) in one day otherwise you just become obsessed with weighing yourself and if you don't lose what you'd like to then it can ruin your whole; trust me I've been there, however I only weigh myself once every 2 weeks now and I go by how I look in the mirror and how my clothes fit.

This interests me because if I weigh myself daily I can see the figures bouncing around but get a feel for whether I'm generally heading up or down so it keeps me in control. If I weigh myself weekly and say, on the day I weigh myself, I'm holding a lot of water, it would take another week before I knew if it was water or actual weight gain. Yet lots of people say weigh yourself weekly, so can you help explain how to get around this problem?

Skrib69

Weighing myself daily keeps me in control, usually everyday I can stay on the same number, but sometimes it can go over so makes me keep thinking back, somewhere i must of gone wrong, then would aim to get back to that number, but instead I fall right under the number, now it back to eatting "a lot" a food again, well for a week anyway...

This is precisely why I only weigh once a week! The issue is not what you eat, but what impact perfectly normal weight fluctuations have on you. Try weighing every other day as a start and try to enlarge the gap to weekly over several weeks. If you are unhappy with how light you are at the moment then try starting a short weight gain program. However, with your new job you might find this unecessary!

melsayshello

I hate it because I forget to measure and so when I see my weight go up .. Im like ugh! but in reality its muscle -_-

AHack3

I would recommend trying to just weigh once a week and having a maintain range of about 5 pds. Try to focus more on how your feeling than the number on the scale.

Missyjules1974

If you're going to continue to weigh yourself every day you need to be a little more objective about what the scales are telling you. I weigh every day but only for info, it actually has a better impact psychologically than every week. For example. I have eaten perfect net calories this week and lost my desired pound and a half. I went to my mums yesterday and had three slices of pizza and sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. I went 600 calories over. This morning I have "gained" 3.5 pounds. Obviously I haven't as that would mean I ate over 10000 calories over yesterday. So I know it's water and is just a fluctuation. Previously when I did weight watchers and only weighed weekly that would have killed me psychologically. I have an app called weight track which I input my weight into daily. It's really interesting when you look at your progress over time. For me the line overall goes down, gradually, but does have spikes. Hope this helps

fionarama

I've always been unhealthily obsessed with weight so I try to focus more on my bodyfat percentage. Amazing how you can gain weight but lose percentages!

fushigi1988

Try Trendweight (website), it removes those fluctuations for you

drewmmm

They don't bother me much, but my fluctuations are minimal. Like, the biggest difference I've seen in two days is one pound +/-. And I always know why is that happening. But if you feel they mess with your mind, and you are trying to maintain, weigh yourself once in a while..And keep doing what you're doing.

webbeyes

So, I DO monitor my weight daily. Yes, what I consider to be major fluctuations cheese me off.

I've been on a weight *gain* program since last August - but working judiciously to gain it "correctly" - mostly muscle, but recognizing that for every lb of muscle there's usually one lb of fat gain.

For my target weight, I built in a fluctuation - anywhere from 158 to 160 (small fluctuation, I know).

A couple of weeks ago I began to consistently be at my target "low weight" in the morning. That was awesome. Knowing that I've increased some of my freeweight routines up by 10-15lbs per arm as I've progressed tells me I'm hitting that muscle/fate balance I've been looking for. I put on 15 "safe" lbs since the fall.

So, now that I'm at my target range, I'm switching to the "lose those fat lbs, replace them with muscle lbs" - so real maintenance. Just started that goal this weekend with my workouts.

Yes - I was actually "sad" to see I'd dropped below my lower target weight - not by much, but it was there (a 2.6lb swing from yesterday morning). Yeah, I went well-past my target steps (as measured by Fitbit), and yeah I ratcheted up the workout yesterday morning.

Now, I recognize that I'm going to spend a little time adjusting to the new maintenance routine - that doesn't stop me from groaning a little bit when I slip outside the target range.

themedalist

Having read your other posts, it really sounds as if you are at a very unhealthy place, mentally. This sort of reaction to fluctuations is actually common among those with eating disorders. Maybe taking a step back and looking at your reactions objectively might be an idea.

I tend to agree with this. Feeling of shame and guilt, as you've mentioned, aren't really healthy reactions to what are very normal weight fluctuations.

Go_Mizzou99

My weight flucuates up to 5-8 lbs a day.. in the past that would drive me bananas..

+1

Kabiti

I'm currently maintaining for a while; I'll return to a better lifestyle and more weight loss (I'm about 2/3 of the way there) once my stress levels drop more. I am trying to keep healthy.

Fluctuations for me are great as long as they stay inside my 10 lb range. In fact, the more fluctuation inside that range, the better I look!!

wpwarrior88

I am in maintenance, so I only weigh and measure myself once a month. I workout daily and try to be under my cal goal. While I get the weight flux from daily weighing I don't like having to see the numbers go up. Weighing monthly I see very little change in my numbers.

vzgregg

if it's more than 3 lbs i kinda freak out. i do best when i only weigh myself once a week on friday mornings...because i do my best eating and working out during the week. i have found that if i weigh myself again on monday mornings i'm 3 to 5 lbs heavier due to my weekend socializing. i too try to go based on how i look in the mirror and how my clothes fit.

i've now started a weight training routine and know that the scale is going to stay static or gain due to the muscle gain. so, i'm going to have to mentally shift from the focus on the weight number. that will be tough for me.

sijomial

They bother me a lot, as you can't tell the difference between fat gain or just water weight..
maintenance level.

Of course you can easily tell the difference! One is quick and one is slow. Simple really as you know you aren't under or overeating 3500 calories.

Makes me feel shameful and guilty the next day, so I eat less, then 2 days later I find out it was just water weight, the scales drops down I've lost too much weight.

This is a really unhealthy attitude towards food and your body - feeling shameful and guilty about daily fluctuations is something you need to address. If you can't address it alone then maybe seek professional help?

Due to these reasons i've lost more weight than I planned, I started maining at my goal of 167lb near 3 months, ago and now I find myself at only 156lb simply because I hate flucatations even more if theyt read past my goal, and I can never find out my maintenance level.

So you know you shouldn't react to fluctuations - the choice is stop weighing so frequently or just don't react to small fluctuations.
You will never find maintenance or peace of mind while you keep zig-zagging calories in reaction to something that is normal.

animalldy

Set a range for yourself, it's different for everyone what that range is. My range is 3 pounds. Weight at the same time each day, only once a day, under the same circumstances (no clothes, after going to the bathroom). I also choose to skip daily weigh-ins after eating out or drinking because I know the number is inflated due to water weight. I use a weight tracker app because it gives you more detailed analysis than MFP does.

SexiLexi1989

I know if I stay within my allotted calorie intake and follow my plan --IF I gain any weight it will be water weight.

My suggestion is do not weigh in every day (unless there is a medial reason for tracking water weight) make yourself weigh in once a week or every 2 weeks. This will cut down on the anxiety you experience when seeing the back-n-forth.

As for me: I am ok with a couple pounds if I jump on the scales daily. Usually by night I weight 2 or 3 pounds heavier than i will the net morning. I don't 'record' a weight until it has stayed there for a few days.

Stay healthy!

lorenzoinlr

Set a range for yourself, it's different for everyone what that range is. My range is 3 pounds. Weight at the same time each day, only once a day, under the same circumstances (no clothes, after going to the bathroom). I also choose to skip daily weigh-ins after eating out or drinking because I know the number is inflated due to water weight. I use a weight tracker app because it gives you more detailed analysis than MFP does.

I'm at my goal weight and have been within 3-4 pounds of that for the last couple of years. I weigh myself everyday as well measure my waist. I allow my weight to fluctuate but I'm more vigilant at the upper part of the range and less so at the lower.

This is what works for me. I go through periods of letting go somewhat until the upper part of the range followed by being stricter. I would be much less effective trying to be consistent all the time. Since I've maintained for years this way after dropping 25 lbs. logging here, I figure this is what works for me.

YMMV. What works for you might be different.

Acg67

They bother me a lot, as you can't tell the difference between fat gain or just water weight..

Makes me feel shameful and guilty the next day, so I eat less, then 2 days later I find out it was just water weight, the scales drops down I've lost too much weight.

Due to these reasons i've lost more weight than I planned, I started maining at my goal of 167lb near 3 months, ago and now I find myself at only 156lb simply because I hate flucatations even more if theyt read past my goal, and I can never find out my maintenance level.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069962-the-former-fat-boy-girl-syndrome?

MBrothers22

Absolutely not at all.
-I know I'm eating at a deficit
-I know it happens to everyone
-I know weight loss isn't linear
-It's 'impossible' to gain that much fat in one night/day

manzarek

Are you guys (with all these huge fluctuations) measuring yourself always first thing in the morning?

Siegeljanet

I fluctuate between 2 to 5 pounds a day. I weigh in once a week now.

jerber160

for what it's worth I tend to obsess with the scale, jumping on a couple of times a day.. BUT I only record and accept my weekly weigh-in on friday mornings. as long as THAT number is doing what I want it to, I have to think I'm moving in the right direction, AND my body is healthy.

PJPrimrose

I weigh myself daily and will continue to do so for about 6 months to get a baseline on what my body does especially around menstruation. I also measure. The fluctuations don't bother me. It's just information on how to best maintain my maintenance and see what my body is doing. For example I noticed the more I work out the less PMS bloating and cravings I have. I gain weight every time I increase my workout time or lift, even a small amount heavier, for a couple days too, followed by a drop that goes below where I started. Outside of information over a period of time I do not see the point in weighing everyday.