Weight Loss is Not Linear

Lizzy_Sunflower

This is a year of daily weighing. I love the graph, because it makes it easier to think in the big picture.

btdublin

This is a year of daily weighing. I love the graph, because it makes it easier to think in the big picture.

Cool graph, where is that from?

hollyberry2012

What a PERFECT visual for the beginner like me! Thank you so much! You might feel like you are walking up a mountain, but you are meandering down a lovely hillside as you go. When you plateau you are just stopping to smell the flowers, bending and stretching and breathing the fresh air, when head down again, you are running and laughing or walking and whistling. Sometimes you see something exciting just up a rise and you travel up to catch a better glimpse, It's a bunny rabbit !!! you stay for a bit, and then carefully step your way back down to the trail. And so it goes. This is a beautiful life. Not a daily grind.

efarester

Such a great post! Thank you

blondejillie

Your post is perfect timing...I was bummed when I got up and weighed in 1 pound heavier this morning (I do weigh in wednesdays). The good news is, my waist is down a half inch. So....will keep slogging away!

EroseT23

Wow! You are all amazing. When I went to bed last night, I think this only had 5 replies and I was prepared to let it get pushed aside. Thank you all so much for your responses! For those of you that also posted graphs, well done! I love having a visual to see the overall effect. It's very encouraging. For my graph, I went to www.chartgo.com and input my numbers manually.

What a PERFECT visual for the beginner like me! Thank you so much! You might feel like you are walking up a mountain, but you are meandering down a lovely hillside as you go. When you plateau you are just stopping to smell the flowers, bending and stretching and breathing the fresh air, when head down again, you are running and laughing or walking and whistling. Sometimes you see something exciting just up a rise and you travel up to catch a better glimpse, It's a bunny rabbit !!! you stay for a bit, and then carefully step your way back down to the trail. And so it goes. This is a beautiful life. Not a daily grind.

THIS is beautiful! I love this description. :happy: Thank you so much for sharing!

tradingfoods

hi that's so true and great to see that. thanks for posting

ImaSongbird

Mom2M_and_O

There are always new posts every day about people who haven't lost weight -- or even gained -- despite doing everything right. They think that since they set their goal at 1.5lbs/week, they should lose a steady 1.5/lbs a week. But even if you meet all your calorie and macro goals and manage to workout a decent amount of time, that is NOT a guarantee that the weight will come off THAT WEEK. Sometimes you gain due to water retention. Maybe you need a food scale or HRM to really, REALLY make sure you're calculating everything right. Maybe you aren't getting enough sleep or drinking enough water. Or maybe there isn't really an explanation you can find. Our bodies are individual things and don't always adhere to the guidelines and goals we set out. My body doesn't do what someone else's does. That's okay.

The graph above is a chart of my personal weight loss progress since August 24. As you can see, sometimes I lose a little weight, sometimes a lot, and sometimes I even gain. I cut out most of the ones where nothing changed just because it took up too much space on the graph. But the TREND is always down. That's the part to focus on. The big picture.

This is a long, long process, and that's okay. When you get frustrated at the scale, think about the trend. And maybe even forget about that number for a bit and consider all the things you do every day that point you in the right direction. For example, I make it a point to eat fruits and/or veggies at every meal, and I always aim to get my 5-9 daily. I try to workout at least 4 times a week. I'm *almost* a US size 12, and I fit into medium tops and dresses for the first time since junior high. That's big news.

So try not to freak out when you don't see the numbers you were hoping for. Just breathe, log it, and keep moving forward. You'll get there in time. It's okay. :flowerforyou:

Most excellent! I only track my losses on MFP but I do keep track of my daily weight in another app, and you're right, seeing all the various ups and downs among the overall downward trend helps tremendously! It also helps you learn your own body. Now I know that for two weeks as my body deals with PMS and TOM that losing weight is out of the window -- at least it ain't gonna show on the scale. But when I look at the overall month, there's always a 3-4 lb loss.

It helps you forgive your body for not obeying exactly the way you want it to. It also removes the stress of wanting to see a particular number by a particular date. Some things we just can't control. Just keep on keeping on!

back2stacey

Thank you for this reminder post. I just weighed myself and after working out 6 days and following calorie guide lines, I went up 2 pounds this week. Then I read your post and I will not focus on this number today. It is all about the big picture.

Tara4boys

SOOOOoooooo true!!!

SocWkrBee

bump

mreuvers

Thanks for posting this. I've only been at it for 3 weeks but was a bit worried when I occasionally gained .5 pounds or stayed the same. It make much more sense now and I won't let it get me down.

awerewka

thanks for the reminder

Slove009

Everyone who is feeling discouraged should read this post! Very motivational! Thanks!

DesignGrrl

So needed this post! My weight's been all over the place since I started C25k but overall still down. Gotta trust the process. Thanks!

ElectricMayhem

Completely agree. Check out mine. I have been losing on average 1kg per week since 1st jan but some weeks that is 1.5kg some only 0.3kg (this week! Grrr!)

This is also a reason why I recommend weighing in every day. You will quickly learn it is not linear and understand how your body reacts to your diet/exercise/TOTM (for the ladies). Will help you make right choices.

Good reminder OP, thanks! and THIS^^ is exactly why i weigh myself daily, i've learned how my body reacts to everything now plus it keeps me accountable :bigsmile:

yarwell

Funny that you fit a straight line to it, rather than an asymptotic curve which is what non-linear weight loss usually means.

californiagirl2012

I don't have a chart but that is how it worked for me too! Thanks for sharing this. Many people need to know this.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Camille0502

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I've wanted to do the same thing but was too lazy! Did you eye-ball that line or was it an algorithm? I'm an engineer and even though the weight loss is not falling directly on the line, since a straight line fits the points, it could be argued that weight loss *is* linear. But that's just the geek in me.

2hmom

Thanks so much for posting this,especially before the weekend. I have been fighting the same 3 lbs. for a month now and know I have been working hard! This was such a great help.

sarahharmintx

WendyTerry420

I love charts! You've inspired me to post mine tonight!

msaestein1

Thx so much.. it is members like yourself who take the time to encourage others like us. This can be very discouraging to the point I dread going to the scales to avaoid frustration and disappointment.Im 62 and struggling and on the verge of saying whats the use. Its comments like yours that just make us want to drive on for another week.

I had this moment yesterday and I completely agree. Also, good for you for taking charge of your heath and losing so much weight at 62. You are an inspiration to me and I am sure other members by showing that people of all ages can get healthy and lose weight. Please don't give up/

onyxgirl17

I just want to add that this website has an excellent tool for tracking weight loss over time and trends. It's been pretty accurate for me to help me determine what my TDEE is compared to the calculators.

The more often you weigh yourself, the more accurate the trend tool will be, so for those who weigh daily this is a real great tool.


https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet


You have to create an account but it's free.

kenazfehu

Yes; this is so true. Sometimes what you see on the scales makes no sense at all. In the past on WW, I'd have a perfect week as far as calories and exercise, and my weight would be up. Another time I'd have a crappy week of too many calories and/or no exercise, and my weight would be down. I know it's the perfect weeks that lead to the weight would be down part, but it can take awhile for efforts to show up. That's why I am deemphasizing the scales by weighing seldome and focusing on doing the right things - tracking calories and exercising.

moraldd

Great post. Thanks. :happy:

05saleengirl

Great post!!

kttaylor

I think this is an excellent reminder of the process and the overall journey not the stops along the way.

veschrim

You dont even know how much I needed this post!!!!!
Seriously im fighting tears.
Thank you thank you thank you!
I thought something was wrong with me.
You're a motivation saver.