Yay... then... meh.

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NS81
NS81 Posts: 192 Member
in Motivation and Support
Is it normal to lose a big number (3lbs!) one week, then almost nothing the next? It's a little discouraging, since it feels like I've actually been working out more this past week than I have in previous weeks... I'll keep swimming (of course), but blah!

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  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Very common ... especially at the beginning or if you have a lot to lose. The process is not linear.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Yup

    Just stick with it, keep the end goal in mind and be patient.

    You didn't get fat over night, you won't get skinny over night
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Good to hear it's "normal" - Easy to get frustrated... I know nothing is overnight, and it's a lot of hard work over time, but when you finally make the decision to get healthy, you want it to happen right away! :smile:
  • dearannna
    dearannna Posts: 60 Member
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    Yep - happens to me all the time. It is difficult but you just have to trust the process. If it threatens to derail you because you think 'oh well if i'm not going to lose weight i might as well eat the biscuit/cake/ takeaway etc' then just switch to weighing monthly
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Very few people lose a pound every week. I will lose nothing for a couple of weeks and then 2 or 3 pounds the next. There are tons of factors that can effect each individual week (hydration, bowel movement, muscle soreness). As long as the trend is down in the long term, don't be discouraged by a week or two.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    bump I lost three pounds last weigh in. I will let you know this Friday. My weight lost has been average two like 2 pounds every 4 days. I want to get my streak to be even closer to the scale weight lost.
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
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    This has been my whole weight loss, pretty much, after the initial big-losses starting period. I will go two, three weeks without losing anything, and the in one week, I will lose 3 pounds. It's not how I would prefer things to go, but I am happy as long as there is an overall downward trend. These things just cannot be gauged. Good luck to you.
  • savelando
    savelando Posts: 10 Member
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    i think it's pretty common. i go 2-3 weeks with no movement and then drop 5lbs all at once.
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
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    Good to hear it's "normal" - Easy to get frustrated... I know nothing is overnight, and it's a lot of hard work over time, but when you finally make the decision to get healthy, you want it to happen right away! :smile:

    Yep. It's very normal. Look to the long term trend.

    Good luck!
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I love MFP for this reason... to see that others are going through / have gone through, the same struggles / accomplishments that I have... it's super helpful!
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    Good to hear it's "normal" - Easy to get frustrated... I know nothing is overnight, and it's a lot of hard work over time, but when you finally make the decision to get healthy, you want it to happen right away! :smile:

    Yep. It's very normal. Look to the long term trend.

    Good luck!

    This is my favorite snapshot of what weight loss is really like.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    people on this site are so mean.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,375 Member
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    Good to hear it's "normal" - Easy to get frustrated... I know nothing is overnight, and it's a lot of hard work over time, but when you finally make the decision to get healthy, you want it to happen right away! :smile:

    Yep. It's very normal. Look to the long term trend.

    Good luck!

    This is my favorite snapshot of what weight loss is really like.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

    Why have I never seen this before? This is awesome!

    ETA apparently I did see it, because I already upvoted it. Guess my memory went with my fat.
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Good to hear it's "normal" - Easy to get frustrated... I know nothing is overnight, and it's a lot of hard work over time, but when you finally make the decision to get healthy, you want it to happen right away! :smile:

    Yep. It's very normal. Look to the long term trend.

    Good luck!


    This is my favorite snapshot of what weight loss is really like.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

    This is fantastic! and sooo very true it seems!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    This has been my whole weight loss, pretty much, after the initial big-losses starting period. I will go two, three weeks without losing anything, and the in one week, I will lose 3 pounds. It's not how I would prefer things to go, but I am happy as long as there is an overall downward trend. These things just cannot be gauged. Good luck to you.

    This. Although I did NOT have initial big loss at all (even with a very high start weight).

    I started this site last March, and every month is pretty much the same. I lose a little most weeks, but sometimes shy of a pound. Then, the week before my TOM I lose 2-3 lb. During my actual TOM I lose nothing. Then it's back to slow losses again. When I look at my tracking of weight it's extremely obvious when my TOM is because there's a big dip right before it.

    To me this just shows everyone is different, as many women have a bad week right before their TOM and lose a lot immediately after.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I record my weight weekly on MFP. Last week it was up a pound. This week it was down a couple pounds. That's normal. I also keep a spreadsheet with my daily weights an an exponentially smoothed weighted average. My daily weights can be 2-3 lb. higher or lower than the previous day, whereas even an aggressive, 2 lb./week goal means only 4.5 oz. a day. A weighted average is the best way to discern the trend beneath the daily fluctuations.
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    I record my weight weekly on MFP. Last week it was up a pound. This week it was down a couple pounds. That's normal. I also keep a spreadsheet with my daily weights an an exponentially smoothed weighted average. My daily weights can be 2-3 lb. higher or lower than the previous day, whereas even an aggressive, 2 lb./week goal means only 4.5 oz. a day. A weighted average is the best way to discern the trend beneath the daily fluctuations.

    I think we've had a similar discussion (Scale Obsession) ... I weigh myself daily, though only record it on Mondays - I see fluctuations, but overall, to this point, it's all been very little in the upward motion sense... I guess the lack of weight lost this week just threw me a bit... a new thing to get used to! Thank you for the input! :smile:
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
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    Yeah pretty much. Even though my goal is set to lose x amount per week, it's more like I stay the same for one-two weeks, then it drops. Nothing, then drop. lol it's a bit discouraging when I don't lose a thing some weeks, but I keep plugging away and losing.
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Thanks again, everyone!
  • tmj4477
    tmj4477 Posts: 145 Member
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    Yup happens to me all the time.

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