So frustrating :-(

Last week i lost 3 lbs:happy: BUT this week I gain 5lbs :noway: i know I should expect this in my journey but still it feels frustrating. does anyone also experience this?

yes... Weight fluctuation is normal.

I have big fluctuations, too, sometimes 5 or 6 pounds over one or two days. It's retained water weight, and it happens when I go overboard with my sodium intake (or during that time of the month), but within another day or two my weight is back down to where it should be, and upping my water consumption/watching my sodium intake is what helps. I try to keep in mind that I didn't gain those 5 pounds in a single day, just like I know I didn't lose it in a day. It's frustrating, yes, but once you understand what it is and why it happens (and for many people its too much sodium), it becomes much, much easier to manage. Don't get discouraged!

To have actually lost 3 lbs of fat in a week, you would need to have eaten at a total deficit of over 10,000 calories.
To have actually gained 5 lbs of fat in a week, you would need to have eaten at a total surplus of over 17,000 calories.
I think you will agree that both of these scenarios are almost impossible.

Fluctuations are normal due to how much your body is holding on to at the moment - water retention, menstrual cycles, food moving through your digestive tract...

I recommend getting a soft tape measure and using your measurements as progress indicators, since the number on the scale can often be inconsistent, especially if you don't have a large amount of weight to lose (like 50-100+ lbs).

I think and have read that it is much more difficult when you have less to lose. I am 5'6 and weighed 148 9 weeks ago. Now I weigh 139-as of last Tues. I refuse to weigh again until this Tue. I find if I try and weigh myself more I see those 2-3 pounds in water, etc and get so pissed! However, there have been times where I still see the scale go up a pound even if I only weigh one time/wk. then, I see a large loss the following of 3-4 pounds! Keep your eye on the prize! How much have you lost on AVERAGE per week? Mine would be 1 pound loss per week so far. Even though it was an up and down ride, I got there and now have 4 pounds to go.

Totally agree. I would stop looking at the scale. I'm going through something similar right now while I'm 2 lbs from my goal weight (frustrating). First, your weight can flunctuate as much as 13lbs in the course of a day. Measurement is a better way to keep to track of your goals. For example, I haven't lost any weight in the last two weeks (actually gained almost a pound) but I lost an inch and half off of my waist. I bought an electrical impedence scale (about $40) and it tracks fat %, muscle %, bone density, and water %. Through keeping track of those numbers, I learned that my fat % is dropping and my muscle mass is raising (muscle weighs more than fat, thus the stall in weight loss).

I have the same Problem..... but I weigh myself about 10 times a day. I got to put the scales away and take them out a Maximum of once a week. I will rely on MFP to track everything and Keep me in line. I also will Focus more on measurements than the scale.