How long can water weight etc. mask weight loss

Dewymorning · March 2014

I am plateuing at the moment. My weight has been bouncing up and down in a approx. 2 pound range for the last 4 weeks.

I know I haven't been eating the best everyday for the past 4 weeks, but I did the maths, and I should have lost 2 pounds this month.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but this bouncing up and down and all around is really starting to frustrate me.

Am I not losing weight, or just bouncing around due to water weight!?

What do you guys think?

arguablysamson · March 2014

I am plateuing at the moment. My weight has been bouncing up and down in a approx. 2 pound range for the last 4 weeks.

I know I haven't been eating the best everyday for the past 4 weeks, but I did the maths, and I should have lost 2 pounds this month.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but this bouncing up and down and all around is really starting to frustrate me.

Am I not losing weight, or just bouncing around due to water weight!?

What do you guys think?

Plateaus should last no longer than 3 weeks. If longer than a month, then you aren't losing. I know people tend to get reactive to people "going overboard" with weight loss measures, but don't be afraid to step up your efforts (with whatever you're doing). But be honest about what is working and what you can or can't stay doing.

Water weight should be the first thing to come off and then you should start cutting into the real stuff. Yes, there will be fluctuations, which is why you shouldn't be weighing more than 7 days since you'll psyche yourself out, but if there is no real downward trend, then something isn't right. Reevaluate.

Dewymorning · March 2014

I am plateuing at the moment. My weight has been bouncing up and down in a approx. 2 pound range for the last 4 weeks.

I know I haven't been eating the best everyday for the past 4 weeks, but I did the maths, and I should have lost 2 pounds this month.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but this bouncing up and down and all around is really starting to frustrate me.

Am I not losing weight, or just bouncing around due to water weight!?

What do you guys think?

Plateaus should last no longer than 3 weeks. If longer than a month, then you aren't losing. I know people tend to get reactive to people "going overboard" with weight loss measures, but don't be afraid to step up your efforts (with whatever you're doing). But be honest about what is working and what you can or can't stay doing.

Water weight should be the first thing to come off and then you should start cutting into the real stuff. Yes, there will be fluctuations, which is why you shouldn't be weighing more than 7 days since you'll psyche yourself out, but if there is no real downward trend, then something isn't right. Reevaluate.

Yeah, I know I can do better than I have the past few weeks. Maybe a few of the days I was out with friends I actually ate more than I logged.

I do weigh daily, but I use the app Libra, which just maps the trend. I tried weighing weekly, but it freaked me out more because when I gained I wasn't sure if it was water weight or actual gain,

At least this way I know I haven't gained any weight, the worst is that I just have not lost.

arguablysamson · March 2014

I am plateuing at the moment. My weight has been bouncing up and down in a approx. 2 pound range for the last 4 weeks.

I know I haven't been eating the best everyday for the past 4 weeks, but I did the maths, and I should have lost 2 pounds this month.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but this bouncing up and down and all around is really starting to frustrate me.

Am I not losing weight, or just bouncing around due to water weight!?

What do you guys think?

Plateaus should last no longer than 3 weeks. If longer than a month, then you aren't losing. I know people tend to get reactive to people "going overboard" with weight loss measures, but don't be afraid to step up your efforts (with whatever you're doing). But be honest about what is working and what you can or can't stay doing.

Water weight should be the first thing to come off and then you should start cutting into the real stuff. Yes, there will be fluctuations, which is why you shouldn't be weighing more than 7 days since you'll psyche yourself out, but if there is no real downward trend, then something isn't right. Reevaluate.

Yeah, I know I can do better than I have the past few weeks. Maybe a few of the days I was out with friends I actually ate more than I logged.

I do weigh daily, but I use the app Libra, which just maps the trend. I tried weighing weekly, but it freaked me out more because when I gained I wasn't sure if it was water weight or actual gain,

At least this way I know I haven't gained any weight, the worst is that I just have not lost.

That's exactly why you shouldn't weigh everyday because you are going to develop a disorder and become obsessed with the whole "weight loss thing." I have been here for a very short amount of time and am noticing a lot of this scale worship going on. Your body doesn't care about weight and by you giving too much of your energy over to it, you are stressing and actually slowing down your progress.

Do what you want, but by weighing every seven days on the nose and keeping track, you will spot whether or not you are putting on the weight that matters or taking off enough weight to matter. Does that make sense? We humans process time badly, hence, the waiting period.

Weigh once a week and then do what you must, but think about other things and live your life. Don't be afraid of what you might find. If you gained ten pounds a week from now, well, that is something to be concerned with, but since that won't happen, don't worry. Just keep watching the weekly ups/downs and you should see a definite downward trend.

Dewymorning · March 2014

I am plateuing at the moment. My weight has been bouncing up and down in a approx. 2 pound range for the last 4 weeks.

I know I haven't been eating the best everyday for the past 4 weeks, but I did the maths, and I should have lost 2 pounds this month.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but this bouncing up and down and all around is really starting to frustrate me.

Am I not losing weight, or just bouncing around due to water weight!?

What do you guys think?

Plateaus should last no longer than 3 weeks. If longer than a month, then you aren't losing. I know people tend to get reactive to people "going overboard" with weight loss measures, but don't be afraid to step up your efforts (with whatever you're doing). But be honest about what is working and what you can or can't stay doing.

Water weight should be the first thing to come off and then you should start cutting into the real stuff. Yes, there will be fluctuations, which is why you shouldn't be weighing more than 7 days since you'll psyche yourself out, but if there is no real downward trend, then something isn't right. Reevaluate.

Yeah, I know I can do better than I have the past few weeks. Maybe a few of the days I was out with friends I actually ate more than I logged.

I do weigh daily, but I use the app Libra, which just maps the trend. I tried weighing weekly, but it freaked me out more because when I gained I wasn't sure if it was water weight or actual gain,

At least this way I know I haven't gained any weight, the worst is that I just have not lost.

That's exactly why you shouldn't weigh everyday because you are going to develop a disorder and become obsessed with the whole "weight loss thing." I have been here for a very short amount of time and am noticing a lot of this scale worship going on. Your body doesn't care about weight and by you giving too much of your energy over to it, you are stressing and actually slowing down your progress.

Do what you want, but by weighing every seven days on the nose and keeping track, you will spot whether or not you are putting on the weight that matters or taking off enough weight to matter. Does that make sense? We humans process time badly, hence, the waiting period.

Weigh once a week and then do what you must, but think about other things and live your life. Don't be afraid of what you might find. If you gained ten pounds a week from now, well, that is something to be concerned with, but since that won't happen, don't worry. Just keep watching the weekly ups/downs and you should see a definite downward trend.

I believe in doing what is best for you.

I weigh every day, ignore the fluctuations, and take the average for the week.

My concern is not the fluctuations, but the fact that the average has been exactly the same every week for the past 4 weeks.

I am a statistician by trade, so trend analysis is something I am good at.

I know that weighing everyday is not what is best for everyone, but I also know that I am not obsessed with the scale weight.

I am just trying to work out if I do need to pull myself up on what I am doing, or if I just need to be more patient.

Dewymorning · March 2014

I guess i should make it clear that it is the bouncing around without being able to see a downward trend that is frustrating me, not the bouncing around itself, since I have been weighing daily for most of the last year, I know ALL about how weight fluctuates, I just have never had a plateau for this long before.

RunMyOregonBunsOff · March 2014

If you are regularly eating foods that are higher in sodium and/or aren't drinking enough water, you could continue to have extra water weight for a while but even then, if you are still losing real weight there should be some downward trend. Soooo it could have jumped up a couple lbs from water and be holding that but if you are losing fat and/or muscle you will still see the scale move and then it will drop even more when the water weight comes off.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is just that it gets much harder the closer you are to your goal weight. Try buckling down on your healthier eating and see what that does but also don't expect an average of a lb or more a week as you start getting closer to your goal. Good luck!

Dewymorning · March 2014

If you are regularly eating foods that are higher in sodium and/or aren't drinking enough water, you could continue to have extra water weight for a while but even then, if you are still losing real weight there should be some downward trend. Soooo it could have jumped up a couple lbs from water and be holding that but if you are losing fat and/or muscle you will still see the scale move and then it will drop even more when the water weight comes off.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is just that it gets much harder the closer you are to your goal weight. Try buckling down on your healthier eating and see what that does but also don't expect an average of a lb or more a week as you start getting closer to your goal. Good luck!

Yeah, I think that is a big part of it.
Also, I started part time study at the start of this month, on top of my full time job, and I think that it is harder to focus on weight loss and study at the same time.

Well, more accurately, I find it harder to be disciplined about both my study and my eating, exercise is fine since I have got to the point where I exercise because I enjoy it and not because I want to lose weight.

Maybe I just need to accept the fact that I am much healthier now then I was a year ago. I am 2/3s of the way to my goal weight, how much does the last 1/3 matter? :P

RunMyOregonBunsOff · March 2014

There is nothing wrong with kind of simmering at where you are now for a while. Let your body kind of feel happy where you are after all this wight loss that you have already made happen and focus on your studies for a bit so long as you don't let it slide. Just focus on maintenance for a little while. You may find that if you give yourself a little break and then hit it hard again at the end of the term, it will come off a little easier again. It's hard to balance too many plates without dropping something.

changergirl · March 2014

I lost my first 20 kilos pretty quickly and without any issues, averaging around a kilo a week. It took me 4-5 months. Without changing anything, I stopped losing weight for 2 months straight. I was still weighing everything and eating 1600 calories which was at least a 500 calorie deficit, depending on how active I was that day. It took until I went on a 3 week holiday where I didn't care about what I ate for me to start losing again. It was pretty much a diet break. I came back weighing about 7 pounds heavier than I had left, but that weight dropped in a week and a half and then I went back to losing. Since I was closer to goal it was closer to .5-1 pound a week, but it was still much better than the 2 month plateau. Maybe you need a bit of a break. Eat at maintenance for a week or so and then go back to a deficeit.

jmv7117 · March 2014

If you are regularly eating foods that are higher in sodium and/or aren't drinking enough water, you could continue to have extra water weight for a while but even then, if you are still losing real weight there should be some downward trend. Soooo it could have jumped up a couple lbs from water and be holding that but if you are losing fat and/or muscle you will still see the scale move and then it will drop even more when the water weight comes off.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is just that it gets much harder the closer you are to your goal weight. Try buckling down on your healthier eating and see what that does but also don't expect an average of a lb or more a week as you start getting closer to your goal. Good luck!

Yeah, I think that is a big part of it.
Also, I started part time study at the start of this month, on top of my full time job, and I think that it is harder to focus on weight loss and study at the same time.

Well, more accurately, I find it harder to be disciplined about both my study and my eating, exercise is fine since I have got to the point where I exercise because I enjoy it and not because I want to lose weight.

Maybe I just need to accept the fact that I am much healthier now then I was a year ago. I am 2/3s of the way to my goal weight, how much does the last 1/3 matter? :P

The idea that it is harder to lose weight the closer to your goal does not ring true for everyone. The downward trend has actually increased the closer I get to my goal. I credit that to knowing more about weight loss and fitness.

Have you adjusted your calorie burn for your new weight? As you lose weight you burn less for the same amount of time of activity. That means you either have to increase intensity or duration to get the same or higher burn. If you haven't adjusted and are just recording the same activity and time, it is giving the calorie burn for your old weight so you don't have the calorie deficit that you think you do. This is one reason I don't think the recommendation to eat back all your exercise calories is a good one especially since the burns from MFP are overestimated to begin with.

I did not give myself a chance to reach a plateau. I weigh daily and every time I saw fluctuation around the same weight for four or five days, I tweaked one aspect. For example, I switched my macros from 50:30:20 to 40:30:30. A bit lower carb and higher protein really made a difference for me. Another time, I added kettlebell training to my routine. I do a lot of short duration routines so switch them up to keep my burn rate high. Something as simple as creating just a slightly larger deficit can be enough to keep the weight loss on target. You can also try shifting when you exercise. Exercise in the morning on a fast for fat burn; exercise in the afternoon to build endurance. With that in mind during weight loss, the best time to exercise is in the morning prior to eating. After exercising eat a high protein, low carb snack or meal to prevent lean muscle loss.

How long can water weight etc. mask weight loss

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