Weight fluctuation vs. real weight loss

shakybabe

Well the issue is, I sometimes do weigh more than the previous day. If I'm trying to lose weight , and my weight is bouncing from 208 to 204 to 206 to 203 to 208 again in the morning, am I actually losing anything at all? Is it all fluctuation, is some of it actual weight loss?

that sounds just like fluctuations from 203-208. I wouldn't count it unless i had got on the scales and got under 203 for a few days in a row. This morning I got 128lbs for the first time ever, then got back on it was 134lbs then 136lbs... last week the lowest number I got was 135lbs and highest was 138lbs... as long as the range in the numbers are going down you're heading in the right direction!

It will depend on your TOTM too, write down all the numbers you get and work out your range, if the lowest & highest numbers start changing you are losing weight... take measurements too.

avaplusone

This happens to me also I've been battling from 150 down to 146 (my lowest) back to 150 for the last month i eat extremely healthy have two kids and work so I'm not sitting on my butt all day. Right now I'm up to 158 but just two days ago i was 156 its really frustrating. my doctor also prescribed me phentermine (a prescribed diet pill) to help with weight loss. i don't understand why I'm so stuck around 150 I'm naturally a small person size 4-5 and I'm about a 8 now. my goal is to get down to 135 and it seems like I'm having the hardest time doing it I'm so frustrated!!!

<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com"><img src="http://badges.myfitnesspal.com/badges/show/773/8056/7738056.weight-lost-lg.gif&quot; border="0"></a><p style="text-align: center;width:202px;"><small>MyFitnessPal - <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com">Free Calorie Counter</a></small></p>

omma_to_3

So 5 lb fluctuation is normal then? I've been told by multiple people, none actually doctors but some medical students, that that much fluctuation is kinda crazy. 1-3 lbs yes, but a full 5 is a bit much.

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True, 5 is kind of high, but if you had a high sodium day the day before that's why. I typically "lose" 1.5 to 2 lbs. each morning from the night before. On high sodium days, I can lose more than that.

heathermpeterson3

My weight fluctuates 1 to 3 pounds a day. Still losing it...no worries.

Aaron_K123

Morning everyone.

I'm very new to the site and have been browsing around since last night. This morning I weighed myself and had a question.

Since buying my new scale a few weeks ago, I've weighed myself at different intervals during the day and various days of the week. I have a weight range that spans 5 lbs. I know that real measurements should be taken in the morning, with as little clothes on as possible and such, but how do you know what weight you've actually lost if you fluctuate as much as I do? I 'lost' nearly 4 lbs overnight, and I know for a fact it wasn't from diet and exercise.

That sort of fluctuation is completely normal and expected. You can "know" what your actual weight loss (meaning fat loss) is by consistantly weighing yourself day after day and recording it everytime and then looking at the overall trend over a period of months. Day to day your weight will bounce all over the place but your average weight week to week should be going down and month to month it should be going down at a fairly predictable rate assuming you are consistent with your diet. Lots of data spread over time will allow you to smooth out those fluctuations and get a good read on your actual fat loss.

Personally I use my weight data to calculate a moving average with a interval window of 7 days to get my weight loss trend.

Here is what my weight looks like just taken day to day as graphed by MFP



And here is that same data graphed as a moving average and trend fit.



This shows me I am losing 0.18 pounds a day or 1.3 pounds per week consistently and predict with good accuracy what my weight will be in the future if I keep the consistency of my diet. If my rate changes I can adjust accordingly using this data.

tycho_mx

So 5 lb fluctuation is normal then? I've been told by multiple people, none actually doctors but some medical students, that that much fluctuation is kinda crazy. 1-3 lbs yes, but a full 5 is a bit much.

\

True, 5 is kind of high, but if you had a high sodium day the day before that's why. I typically "lose" 1.5 to 2 lbs. each morning from the night before. On high sodium days, I can lose more than that.

Kind of high, depending on whom.

For those that enjoy athletic activities (esp. aerobic, I know a large amount of the community here emphasizes resistance training) 1 gram of glycogen stored (carbs) requires 4 grams of water for storage. A well trained athlete can store 1,000 - 2,000 cal of glycogen (which is why you don't pass out immediately if you try to work out fasted).

Do the math - 2,000 Cal of glycogen = 500 grams (roughly a pound). Plus 2000 g. of water. That's almost 6 pounds of stored, easily accessible energy (not fat). I used to freak out over this, being so heavy on "race day". Now I understand that it is normal, and not counting things like sodium/electrolyte induced water retention, gastric/bladder emptying, etc.

My largest fluctuation has been 4.5 kg. That's a full 10 pounds, from 7 am to 7 pm on a big bike ride day.