What do you Consider Actual Weight Loss vs Fluctuation?

ColleenRoss50

Is there a way to put in your weight without it automatically posting it on your wall? I like to weigh daily because I am a numbers nerd and like to have a daily record that I can use for future projects. I realize that we fluctuate day by day so it sometimes is annoying to see the same "loss" on my wall every other day as my weight fluctuates. I would like if only my true losses are posted.

The only way you can avoid that is by going to your wall and clicking on "remove" beside the entry to remove it from your wall. It only takes a couple of seconds to do that.

However, it will still show up on your ticker and that can't be avoided.

Graciecny

I'll post whatever has happened, and yes, I've logged gains too. I feel like it helps keep me motivated. My graph of loss on this site looks like a heartbeat graph...up, down, up, down. Thankfully the overall trend is downward at least. :laugh:

mcrowe1016

Under "Settings" - Automatic News Feed update settings - Uncheck the box about updating when you lose weight.

BrianSharpe

I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

What's everyone else's thoughts?

I'm pretty much in line with you; + or - 1 lb is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things (unless it's the last pound before your goal weight :laugh: )

It always amazes me that people will complain about gaining 2oz or such. Are anyone's home scales that accurate?

llkilgore

During my weight loss period I weighed myself "for the record" at the same time, on the same day, and under the same conditions every week and recorded the number that came up - whatever it happened to be. This week's data point is no more and no less "actual" than last week's was, and the inevitable noise in the data has a way of averaging itself out over time. That's just as true for the weeks you exceed your goal as for the weeks you fall short of it.

ibbray04

My weight tends to fluctuate 2-5lbs per day so if I have three to four days in a row where it says one thing then I take that as a loss.

^^^This.

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MaraDiaz

It seems to me that people should do what works for them. If you stay on track by noting and posting a weight loss of .2 pounds, by all means, carry on, and I for one will congratulate you if I see the post. This is a tough and very individual journey, find what works for you and go with it, and if it stops working, change it up. I won't judge. How can I? I never know what will work for me from week to week.

cPT_Helice

I do understand what you're saying but I never fluctuate- I weighed 120.8 every morning/every day for like 3 weeks.. then finally it moved to 120.6 and has stayed like that for a couple weeks,, It's disouraging to barely lose weight but b/c the scale finally moved and I never fluctuate I count that.. If my weight was a little different every day (my bf fluctuates 5 lbs a day) then I wouldn't record it unless I maintained that new weight every day for at least a week..

I tend to agree with what you are saying. It;s very rare, especially for women, to never have any weight fluctuations. If you know you don't, then that's a different story.... and you are amazingly lucky!!

cPT_Helice

I weigh in once a week officially, on Wednesday mornings. I record whatever it says, good or bad. And how snobbish of you to feel that a small loss is fake or insignificant.

For the record, it has nothing to do with being "snobbish". The FACTS are that scientifically speaking, if your scale will weight down to 0.01 pound, anything past the first place after the decimal IS insignificant and can not be considered accurate. If your scale weighs to the first decimal place (the tenths of a pound), then that figure is insignificant. I didn't choose this word. This IS the scientific term.

If you would like to do some more name calling because you don't understand my post, I will gladly further explain this to you.

cPT_Helice

I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

What's everyone else's thoughts?

I'm pretty much in line with you; + or - 1 lb is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things (unless it's the last pound before your goal weight :laugh: )

It always amazes me that people will complain about gaining 2oz or such. Are anyone's home scales that accurate?

No, they are not!

kristen6022

I weigh at the same time Friday mornings. Whatever the scale says I put in my tracker. I'm in Maintainence right now and need to know if what I'm eating is enough to keep me at the same weight. So, if I report a .1 or a .2 difference, it is what it is.

Di3012

I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

What's everyone else's thoughts?

I weigh once per week (except for last week, I actually forgot :noway: ), if there is a loss there - even 0.2lbs, I log it. If that 0.2lbs turned out it was just a fluctuation, it will show the next weigh-in.

I congratulate on every loss that any of those on my friends' list register, as they have all worked their butt off to get thus far and it is certainly not up to me to judge whether their loss is substantial enough to warrant a WTG from me - actually I would consider that a bit of an insult, if I were them and realized that Di3012 did not consider it a big enough loss to say well done LOL.

TadaGanIarracht

When I weigh in I record it regardless of whether or not it's a significant loss but honestly I only get excited it I see at least five pounds...

kdeaux1959

I agree that there is such a thing as fluctuation. Actually, urination will cause up to a half-pound loss as well. I usually post whatever loss there is whether it is a pound or half a pound. Probably the most accurate way to keep up with weight loss is to do it the same time on a weekly basis and do it whether it is a loss or gain or whatever. As long as the trend is in the right direction, we are on the right path.

MaraDiaz

I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

What's everyone else's thoughts?

I just want to say that you're correct, from a logical and scientific viewpoint. But have you ever met Mr. Spock? I haven't. Humans aren't logical and scientific, not in practice! However, you are also doing what works for you, surrounding yourself with the people you need around you, so carry on with doing what works for you.

quill16

I weigh everyday and only report a loss. Sometimes a loss occurs days in a row and then a few days with nothing or a gain. It is the weekly or monthly trend to look at for weight loss. The daily thing keeps me on track to push and try my best. Currently I am at goal wt so I like to lose a few pounds to have room to play with .

myfitnessnmhoy

My scale only reads to a half-pound. I weigh daily and usually log it.

I weight what I weigh, and it fluctuates constantly. I weigh at a consistent time under reasonably consistent conditions and understand that there are still variances. I realize that on a daily basis some of it is water weight gain, undigested food, etc etc, but the trend is what counts.

"Actual weight" to me is the lowest reading I have managed in the previous week. I'm eating at a deficit, so it's nearly impossible for me to have gained actual bodyweight during a given week.

My goal is set to 5 pounds below what I'd really like to weigh, so once I finally go on maintenance I'll weigh myself regularly and start a deficit again if I creep above my "real" goal.

wsuduce

I put my weight in everyday. If it changes great... if not great. I am looking at the trend. I way myself same time same routine everyday. It fluctuates but I can see that since everyday is logged.

secretlobster

I think that you should ALWAYS log a loss that you see on the scale. Whether it's .1lb or 5lbs. But I wouldn't log an upward fluctuation greater than 4-5lbs because I know it's water weight.

Here's why: Your weight on the scale can't fluctuate down past your actual body weight. Only upward. Your lowest point is closest to your actual body weight. Therefore, that's the trend you should be looking at.

MrsRawwwr

I record my weight at the same day/time each week-regardless of loss/gain. The number I record is not always the lowest number I have seen over the week (nor is it always the highest). So the number I record will include some amount of daily fluctuation (I fluctuate a lot-3/5/7 lbs from day to day is not uncommon), but I'm looking at the overall trend. I know a lot of people don't record at a regular day/time and only record losses or a "new" weight they have seen for some period of time (days/weeks). As someone who fluctuates quite a bit, I could also see recording the "lows" of the fluctuations-under the assumption that as my actual weight lowers, the "low" end of where I fluctuate to will also be lower.

So that .2 lbs that someone posted may be recorded from a different standpoint than the way someone else records. Meaning, if I post a .2 lb loss, it's because that's what the scale said on Sunday AM-not necessarily because I jumped on the scale and saw a "new" number. Everyone does things their own way in whatever works for them (or as trial and error to find what works for them). Assuming that everyone is doing the same thing or thinks the same way could be a mistake. As such, I congratulate any loss-I don't know that person's philosophy or what all they might have been doing to get that .2lbs. Perhaps that .2 lbs represents the first "low" after a long plateau or a loss despite a not so good week.

Well said, this is me too.

Faye_Anderson

I input my weight on my mobile as whatever it says on my digital scales on weigh in day, I don't work out what I have lost, I just see what it says when it posts to my wall. this week it said 0.4lb lost, I was so embarrassed I deleted the post :embarassed:

mathiasg

I log my weight every morning the same way, whether it shows a loss/gain or not. Since it fluctuates, I was a little paranoid this would show the same small losses over and over again, but MFP seems to only post new losses to the timeline. At one point, I went in and turned off the posting of weight loss to my wall out of fear of spamming all my new friends, but since my intent is not to solicit accolades for every ounce lost, but simply to keep a daily record, I decided to turn it back on. I'm in this for the long haul, and I like the consistency of being in the habit of checking my progress/status every day. This approach may be overkill for some people, but for me I need to remain diligent and focused. I am definitely addicted to it too. Sometimes I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and my thoughts immediately turn to the fact that I get to weigh-in in just a few hours....

lporter229

I weigh in every Friday. I started recording my weight to the tenth of a pound for the very reason that you mentioned. When I was rounding, a 0.2 lb difference showed up on my tracker as a whole pound. 115.6 was posted as 116. then I went to 115.4, which would have been 115. I thought this seemed deceptive, so I started posting the tenths, so now, yes, it says I lost 0.2 lbs and I think that sounds more honest, so it might not mean anything, but at least it's not saying I lost a pound if I did not.

garnet1483

Count me in with the people who weigh once a week, in the same conditions every week. Anything else that happens during the week is moot.

At the same time, I do play around with the scale the rest of the time, and one big thing I've noticed, while I'll fluctuate a bit during the course of a day (most obviously around meal times) I don't get nearly the fluctuation from day to day that I used to get when I first started. I could waffle up close to five pounds, and drop them the next morning (water weight). Now, I stay pretty consistent, with tiny fluctuations of less than 1 lb, usually, barring any unusual circumstances or habit changes.

thatblueyedchic

"Actual weight" to me is the lowest reading I have managed in the previous week. I'm eating at a deficit, so it's nearly impossible for me to have gained actual bodyweight during a given week.

^^^ This!

I log the lowest weight in the week because I know that I have trouble with sodium and retaining water. I think my scale is pretty accurate, and if I have never weighed that low before, you bet I count it and celebrate it! In the grand scheme of things, a dollar is pretty insignificant, too. But those dollars can sure add up quick. For me, this is a journey and if I don't pat myself on the back now and again or belittle myself because my loss wasn't "big enough," this is going to become more negative than positive. Do what works for you.

mellabyte

I pay attention to the trend of my weight. If I land on a weight I have never seen before (even .5 or 1 lb) and I maintain for a few days without spiking back up to the conquered weight then I will certainly log it.

There could also be some benefit to logging every weight fluctuation to give yourself an understanding of how we lose. Could be interesting in a few years down the road seeing all the spikes and drops etc..

^^ This.

I have a separate app that I use in conjunction with MFP that keeps records and evaluates my "trending" weight. If I see things logging as a consistent downward trend (like I have been since the end of May, yay conquering plateaus), then I know what I'm logging are losses not fluctuations.

After awhile, I start to understand my 7-day trend variation and estimated forecast for the week - _IF_ I keep up what I'm currently doing (good eating and exercise habits), obviously things all go to hell if I don't. :P

The smallest I log is .5 lbs losses, since with 1200 net, I'm only estimated to lose .8lbs a week with my current activity level (lightly/moderately active - slowly getting back to working out 5 X's a week from 3).

toffee322

i used to weight every sunday morning to be consistent but haven't been doing so.. just weighing myself about 2 times a week in the morning. i do log it when i weight.. mfp just automatically posts the info when the # is less than previous.. i recently removed it because i find it quite annoying. it's just for my records not to tell anyone that i have lost 0.3 lb or whatnot. i like to see the graph and how it fluctuates like a zigzag.. but in a long run, if the line is heading down, that's a good sign!

jadedone

I post most losses. Not the .2s unless they push me into a new 'decade" of weight. I tend to either drop .8 pounds or gain a bit. I only log decreases.(I've only gone up 1-2 pounds on an "up" period, so I consider that a natural fluctuation.

carld256

I weigh every morning, but I don't record every small fluctuation up and down. My scale reads in .2 pound units, so I'll sometimes record a .6 pound loss, but I usually wait until I've lost at least a pound.