This is what maintenance looks like
The_Enginerd
Posts: 3,982 Member
And this is the reason why maintenance and your goal weight should always be a range, not a number. These are my weigh-ins for the past month and a half, including a 5.8 lb swing in 3 days. All of these weigh-ins were taken first thing in the morning the day after lifting so they would be consistent as possible. If I included weight changes that happen during the day after eating, this would be closer to a 10 lb range.
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Interesting!0
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Goal weight should be specific. Goals have to be specific and not a range. Maintenance however should definitely be a range. Weightgraphers helps with a trend0
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That is what your maitenance looks like...mine doesn't.
I weight once in the morning...but only record Friday.
I don't weigh more than once a day there is no point in measuring fluctuations that have no bearing on the task at hand.
My maitenance is a steady slow decrease down on a graph...if I were to graph everyday it would be wwwwwwww that...I might be up half a pound or even a pound one day but it's gone the next...and it continues through the week and sometimes on Friday it was the same as last friday other Fridays I am down 1/4 to 1/2 lb.
My goal weight was 155...I hit it...my range for maitenance is 150-158...0 -
Of course, not everyone's maintenance will look like that, but I can just about guarantee MINE will :laugh:
I love data, so I weigh myself daily, throughout the day (I only log 1st morning weigh-in on my Libra App, and "official" weigh-in is on Monday morn). My weight loss chart looks like a downhill, twisty, bumpy roller coaster. I'm sure my maintenance will be a horizontal, but equally bumpy road. No worries, though, that's how my body works, always has.0 -
Thanks for sharing. Although we're all different, I find everyone's data helpful for perspective, so I'll share mine too.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart for the past year (about when I hit goal) and a close-up of the past 6 months (when maintenance started to become truly challenging.) My goal weight was to get under 140 (my "healthy" BMI threshold), and my maintenance seems to have settled around 130 +/- 5lbs. For perspective, I'm 5'4" / 41yo / female / SW 188.
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I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.0
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I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.0 -
I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
Even during TOM? Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl, I want your scale.
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I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
Even during TOM? Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl, I want your scale.
I don't have a period usually...my birth control totally stops it...last time I had one I went up that 1 pound...then dropped 2 afterwards...0 -
I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
Your scale is broken.0 -
That is what your maitenance looks like...mine doesn't.
I weight once in the morning...but only record Friday.
I don't weigh more than once a day there is no point in measuring fluctuations that have no bearing on the task at hand.
My maitenance is a steady slow decrease down on a graph...if I were to graph everyday it would be wwwwwwww that...I might be up half a pound or even a pound one day but it's gone the next...and it continues through the week and sometimes on Friday it was the same as last friday other Fridays I am down 1/4 to 1/2 lb.
My goal weight was 155...I hit it...my range for maitenance is 150-158...
Um, if your "maintenance" is a steady, slow decrease, then I think that you are still in a deficit & still losing weight. Thus, not in maintenance.
OP, thank you for sharing your graph. It made me feel better about potential fluctuations in weight (should I ever reach maintenance!) and made me consider determining what range would make me most comfortable.0 -
I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
Your scale is broken.
No it's not. it's the same on two different scales and my sister weighs on it and it matches her scale...
People don't have to have big ups and downs from day to day...Um, if your "maintenance" is a steady, slow decrease, then I think that you are still in a deficit & still losing weight. Thus, not in maintenance
Well I hit goal weight in May and yes I have gone down since then but I am still within my range of maitenance so yes I am in maitenance...for example I stayed the same today as I was yesterday and the day before..actually I've been the same since Friday...
esp since this thread is about "having a range" for maitenance...if I hit my low end pre septemer then I tweak otherwise I am good to go.0 -
I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
I'm always amazed at how little mine fluctuates also. I'm trying to be mentally prepared for a big fluctuation, but in reality, I think I'd freak out. I hardly ever fluctuate more than a pound if I weigh consistently.
Yah I always expect one as well...for example 2 weekends ago I was over by about 3k calories...(family reunion) and I expected a big jump on Monday...nope...1/2lb maybe...still expecting it actually...
but my days are pretty consistent, when I look at the food graph on my phone...it's a pretty steady line as well...and my exercise is very consistent...lift 3x a week, walking 2-4x a week..0 -
I barely fluctuate too -like, one pound or so, no more - and I weigh myself about 3 times a week.
So - not everyone fluctuates wildly.0 -
I wish my weight held steady. This week alone my weight has varied by 5.6 lbs. There was a three pound variation from one day to the next this week. It drives me crazy.
It is the crazy fluctuations that cause me to weigh daily, I need to look at the trend as opposed to the number on the scale that morning.0 -
The funny thing is, for my first year of maintenance, I was one of those people. My weigh hardly fluctuated, ±1 lb in my weekly weigh in. I saw other people had larger swings and knew it was normal, but I did not. I know the reason for my large swings are due to my activity level. Back then, I was doing a short warm up on the elliptical followed by weight training 3 days a week. Now that I'm running regularly and doing longer distances; I have daily calorie burns ranging from 0 (rest day) to 1500 (weekly long run). I gain/lose a LOT of water/glycogen weight because of that. Preparing for my half marathon, I gained 5 lbs in one day as I filled up my glycogen stores the day before the race. And the day after, I promptly lost those 5 lbs.I know I haven't been in maintenance long, but I can't see that my weight would start suddenly fluctuating wildly at this point. As you can see, big fluctuations don't happen to everyone. And, yes...I did record every weight, even those that went up.
To the OP- I'm glad you posted this because I really do want to get mentally prepared in case my weight does actually go up suddenly. It helps calm the fears to realize that for most people, graphs like yours are typical. Thank you. :flowerforyou:0 -
Last year around Christmas time, I had several days where I ate 6000 calories a day and I averaged over 1000 calories/day over my maintenance level during that week. I LOST weight that week. Weight can be funny sometimes. I was a bit torqued about it at the time because it was during a bulk period and I was trying to gain weight.:indifferent:My exercise is pretty consistent too. I hit maintenance on July 25th, so these charts mostly show my losses. But, I weigh and record twice a week (Tues. afternoon/Friday morning). There's only one time I went up and that was back in May for a Birthday/Anniversary Vacation trip. 4 pounds of water weight, lost within a week. I'm amazed myself. The 90-day graph shows more clearly my half-pound fluctuation since 7/25 when I went into maintenance.0 -
Not techie enough to post my graph but as I have been in maintenance I am almost always between 173 and 175. I weigh in when I wake daily and the scale logs it for me.0
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The funny thing is, for my first year of maintenance, I was one of those people. My weigh hardly fluctuated, ±1 lb in my weekly weigh in. I saw other people had larger swings and knew it was normal, but I did not. I know the reason for my large swings are due to my activity level. Back then, I was doing a short warm up on the elliptical followed by weight training 3 days a week. Now that I'm running regularly and doing longer distances; I have daily calorie burns ranging from 0 (rest day) to 1500 (weekly long run). I gain/lose a LOT of water/glycogen weight because of that. Preparing for my half marathon, I gained 5 lbs in one day as I filled up my glycogen stores the day before the race. And the day after, I promptly lost those 5 lbs.I know I haven't been in maintenance long, but I can't see that my weight would start suddenly fluctuating wildly at this point. As you can see, big fluctuations don't happen to everyone. And, yes...I did record every weight, even those that went up.
To the OP- I'm glad you posted this because I really do want to get mentally prepared in case my weight does actually go up suddenly. It helps calm the fears to realize that for most people, graphs like yours are typical. Thank you. :flowerforyou:
I noticed this exact same pattern as my running distances increased. The only reason why my weight graph looks more stable is because I track my 7 day rolling average weight to reduce most of the variance.0 -
Goal weight should be specific. Goals have to be specific and not a range. Maintenance however should definitely be a range. Weightgraphers helps with a trend
Your goal is whatever your goal is. If your goal is to be 155 pounds, then your goal is a specific number. But if your goal is to keep your weight between 150 and 160 lbs, then your goal is a range, not a single, specific number.
There's nothing saying an approach to maintenance cannot be a combination of a specific goal weight AND a range. In fact, it seems many people, when gauging maintenance by their weight, are actually identifying a particular goal weight and then establishing a "buffer zone" above and below that weight, where, as long as they stay within X pounds / kilograms of their goal weight, they aren't going to change their behavior or diets.0 -
I am 53 and always had knee trouble. I in fact gave up on trying to run so I started walking a lot. I started playing a GPS based multi-player game (Ingress.com) to make my walks more interesting. To up my score I started running between some locations and very slowly built up. I also got fitted for some running shoes. Hey what do you know, all of a sudden my knees didn't hurt anymore. I worked up to 35 miles a week and entered my first race, a half marathon, still no knee pain. I now do 25 miles a week so it may be possible for you. You may want to modify the way your foot strikes the ground too. I saw on here where someone posted "imagine you're running on egg shells and trying not to break them.
The funny thing is, for my first year of maintenance, I was one of those people. My weigh hardly fluctuated, ±1 lb in my weekly weigh in. I saw other people had larger swings and knew it was normal, but I did not. I know the reason for my large swings are due to my activity level. Back then, I was doing a short warm up on the elliptical followed by weight training 3 days a week. Now that I'm running regularly and doing longer distances; I have daily calorie burns ranging from 0 (rest day) to 1500 (weekly long run). I gain/lose a LOT of water/glycogen weight because of that. Preparing for my half marathon, I gained 5 lbs in one day as I filled up my glycogen stores the day before the race. And the day after, I promptly lost those 5 lbs.I know I haven't been in maintenance long, but I can't see that my weight would start suddenly fluctuating wildly at this point. As you can see, big fluctuations don't happen to everyone. And, yes...I did record every weight, even those that went up.
To the OP- I'm glad you posted this because I really do want to get mentally prepared in case my weight does actually go up suddenly. It helps calm the fears to realize that for most people, graphs like yours are typical. Thank you. :flowerforyou:
I noticed this exact same pattern as my running distances increased. The only reason why my weight graph looks more stable is because I track my 7 day rolling average weight to reduce most of the variance.
Ah....this is the reason then. I do strength training M/W/F followed by 20-30 minutes of cardio on the machines. I guess since my energy expenditure is so close time after time, my body doesn't notice the difference as much. Good on you guys for working so hard. Me...I'm 48 and trying to learn to run, but my knees are taking 4-5 days to recover from 3-min. run/walk intervals. Doesn't bode well for doing long distances in the future. The stairs and elliptical will have to suffice, although I haven't quite given up on running yet.0 -
It is important for people to understand the your weight in maintenance isn't going to be static. I see so many posts on MFP of people who are "maintaining" and they freak the **** out because they're up 3 Lbs overnight due to natural weight fluctuations and they think they need to go back on a diet.
This graph is important...and no, not everybody's is going to look the same...but nobody's body weight is static. I personally have natural weight fluctuations of a good 1-5 Lbs day to day...most of them are smaller, but I will have a bigger jump on the scale if I change something up on a workout or maybe eat a little heavier than normal on the previous day (excess waste, not fat), or have a higher sodium day than normal, etc.
What people should be taking away from this is that their weight isn't going to be static...they shouldn't obsess about a singular number and freak out because they're not exactly XXX Lbs 24/7...that's just not the way it works.0 -
This looks like a drawing of New York City. Thanks for sharing a nice city pic with us.:laugh:Thanks for sharing. Although we're all different, I find everyone's data helpful for perspective, so I'll share mine too.
Here's my weekly weigh-in chart for the past year (about when I hit goal) and a close-up of the past 6 months (when maintenance started to become truly challenging.) My goal weight was to get under 140 (my "healthy" BMI threshold), and my maintenance seems to have settled around 130 +/- 5lbs. For perspective, I'm 5'4" / 41yo / female / SW 188.0 -
It is important for people to understand the your weight in maintenance isn't going to be static. I see so many posts on MFP of people who are "maintaining" and they freak the **** out because they're up 3 Lbs overnight due to natural weight fluctuations and they think they need to go back on a diet.
This graph is important...and no, not everybody's is going to look the same...but nobody's body weight is static. I personally have natural weight fluctuations of a good 1-5 Lbs day to day...most of them are smaller, but I will have a bigger jump on the scale if I change something up on a workout or maybe eat a little heavier than normal on the previous day (excess waste, not fat), or have a higher sodium day than normal, etc.
What people should be taking away from this is that their weight isn't going to be static...they shouldn't obsess about a singular number and freak out because they're not exactly XXX Lbs 24/7...that's just not the way it works.
Agreed...I do flucuate just not big amounts...yet.
I am sure if I change something major up I would..but I don't...
Weight isn't static and the fact I am staying between my range makes me happy regardless of the ups and downs.0 -
Great chart! I've always weighed myself every other week because of just that. Now that I'm at maintenance, I don't need to see those swings.0
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I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
I second this. Although I use a non-digital scale so don't notice the 1/4-1/2 fluxes.0 -
Just starting my maintenance...bump to find this again.0
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I don't think its possible to have the same exact weight everyday. it'll fluctuate a few lbs up or down depending on your salt and water intake, type of food eaten the previous day. If activity level and consumption level as are not too far off, number on the scale shouldn't be too far off either.
it actually is...I can weigh the same for days on end and if I do flucuate it's maybe 1/4-1/2lb and that is typically after I lift weights...
I don't think I have gone higher than 1lb in flucuations and that is pushing.
Even during TOM? Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl, I want your scale.
Oddly enough, I actually lose up to 4 or 5 pounds when TOM comes to visit. It goes back to normal after. Other than that I pretty well stay consistant to the ounce. I fluctuate during the day, but (for example)....when I weigh myself in the morning every day I'm 146.1 and after getting home from work around 6pm every day I'm 143.8.0 -
Mine moves around about 2lbs.
I've got to the point now when I know what it's going to be.
My calories fluctuate between 1750 and 2500 depending on exercise, I usually gain water, glycogen and food weight if I do a few of those high workout days, particularly if I weight train, even more so a few days leading up to tom.
A few days after tom I will have a total rest day on 1750 and after that I am usually hitting my lowest number of 126/7.
It's interesting, and used to frek me out before I understood that weight is made up of lots of different elements apart from fat, and most of those elements you actually want to be high in weight. Just not the body fat bit.0 -
Aw now I'm gutted I don't bother recording my fluctuations in maintenance!!!
I have been maintaining for 3 years and it has always varied within a 5lb though mostly 3lb range which has never bothered me. All manner of things affect my weight for various weigh ins from exercise, to undigested food, hormones, illness, TOM etc etc.
I guess I stick with my average maintenance weight and don't bother changing it (as it's generally consistent) because then I'd be changing my HRM and Fitbit every 5 minutes.0
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