Weight Loss Chart like a rollercoaster - help!

Liathanail · July 2014

Hi all,

I've been trying since the start of the year to lose weight. I started at 17st 8lbs on 31st Dec and the lowest I've been since is 16st 8lbs on 30th June. I seem to have a pattern of losing 5-8lbs over the course of a month, then putting 3-5lbs back on and starting the whole cycle again.

I track my food religiously (including weighting and measuring portions) and use FitBit which I sync everyday. I also have the FitBit Aria scales and I weight myself every morning at the same time, after I've been to the bathroom and before breakfast.

I'm not doing crazy low calories or furious excercising. I try to eat around 1500-1700 calories per day (my BMR is 1568 using Katch McArdle and 1753 on Mifflin St Jeor). I have an office based job so my average steps are around 5-6 thousand, average daily calorie burn according to FitBit is 2400. I workout 3 times a week - 1 x 30 minute weights circuit session with a personal trainer and 2 x mixed cardio and free weights, usually about 45 minutes each. I definitely feel fitter than I did and initially I lost some inches when I started seeing the trainer and going to the gym, but that seems to have stalled now.

Any advice on what I can do to kick start a bit would be welcomed as this feels painfully slow and the spikes back up are really demoralising.

Thanks in advance!
Liath

4legsRbetterthan2 · July 2014

well fluctuations are normal, and I see on your profile you are female, my question is does your gains line up somehow to your period, because since you mentioned they are monthly that is what I am thinking. Most women gain a few lbs that week, its an unfortunate side effect to having a uterus.

Look at your trend over time and try to estimate the linear weight loss without all the ups and downs mixed in. If that matches up fairly well to the deficit you have been creating then you are on track.

sandryc · July 2014

If you are losing 5-8 and then regaining only 3-5 you are doing pretty well with a 2-3lb monthly loss. Weight loss is never a strait line and there can be incredibly frequent fluctuation just due to water weight. I say keep up what you are doing and switch yourself to 1 x per month weigh ins.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

bergpa · July 2014

Ups and downs have been the norm for me too. I know that anytime my weight goes down a lot, it will then to go part way back up for a while. The important thing is being able to see an overall downward trend when you look back over time. If it entered my weight very day on MFP, I would have the craziest chart imaginable.

NumbrsNerd · July 2014

well fluctuations are normal, and I see on your profile you are female, my question is does your gains line up somehow to your period, because since you mentioned they are monthly that is what I am thinking. Most women gain a few lbs that week, its an unfortunate side effect to having a uterus.

Look at your trend over time and try to estimate the linear weight loss without all the ups and downs mixed in. If that matches up fairly well to the deficit you have been creating then you are on track.

^She's right on!

I weigh every day because I love to mess with numbers (hence the user name). I like to average my daily weights for a week and them compare them to prior weeks. I have a great downward trend when I do it this way....AF messes it up....but the trend is still downward overall....

*Edited for typo

Liathanail · July 2014

Thanks for the reply. I was trying to pattern spot, but other than some gain when I was away on business for a week (mainly water weight from hotel food and a 13 hour flight) I can't see any pattern. It doesn't line up with period gains.

My deficit is around 750 - 1000 calories a day so by my maths (3,500 per lb = 1.5-2lbs per week and I've been doing this 6 months) I was hoping to be celebrating losing around 2.5 - 3 stone by now rather than 11lbs :ohwell:

I'm sure there must be something I can do differently.

StaciMarie1974 · July 2014

How are you using the Fitbit w/ MFP? Do you log any activities or just let the Fitbit track your steps, transfer the burn estimation to MFP?

And how often do you weigh your food vs. estimate/eyeball/measuring cups?

StaciMarie1974 · July 2014

Ps-your diary is private.

Liathanail · July 2014

I don't log any activities, just let FitBit track steps then sync the calories burned with MFP.

A lot of my food is fixed portions (Weetabix, yoghurts in packed lunches, wraps etc.) Anything else which isn't pre-portioned I weigh or measure (milk for the weetabix, potatoes for jacket spuds, cold meat for sandwich wraps, steaks or chicken breasts etc.). The only exceptions are apples, kiwi fruit or bananas I put in as 1 fruit.

Liathanail · July 2014

Changed my diary settings

WBB55 · July 2014

are you eating back the extra calories fitbit/MFP is giving you from exercise?

StaciMarie1974 · July 2014

I asked the Fitbit because I've found that using apps like MapMyWalk give me 'credit' for an inflated # of calories burned. The Fitbit, to me, seems to more conservative in its estimate than anything else.

On the food - you may want to firm up your weighing. You clearly have a deficit as you're losing 2-3 per month, but its not as much as you expect. So the logical conclusion is you're eating more than you think. One thing to be wary of: serving sizes. I've started weighing everything. The bread for my sandwich at lunch? Supposed to be 41g weight for 2 slices. Today it was 45g, but it varies between 45-49g. That happens with alot of other things also - it seems they can be off by 10-20% and still be within legal guidelines. Fruit can vary also. I eat 3-5 bananas a week. Anywhere between 75-125 calories depending on the size.

Discrepancies like that can trim your deficit.

On the spike in your weight, could it be based on sodium? That affects me in a big way, and sometimes 1-2 days later.

4legsRbetterthan2 · July 2014

whats your current weight and how many steps do you usually get? I was having the problem with my fitbit where it was adjusting my calories up to maintenance everyday even though I had my goals set the same as on MFP.

ETA - you can check this at the end of the day if you check your MFP calorie goal against the total calories burned for the day at the end of the day.

shadow2soul · July 2014

The only exceptions are apples, kiwi fruit or bananas I put in as 1 fruit.

eek don't do that.

A small banana (approx 101g) is 90cals
A med banana (approx 118g) is 105 cals
A large banana (approx 136g) is 121 cals

Little differences like that will add up.

I wouldn't trust pre-packaged serving sizes either. I have found that sometimes they short you a bit and other times they give you more than 1 serving (not generally enough to label it as 1 and a half, but if it's a calorie dense food, even a few grams over a serving size can add extra calories that you don't realize your consuming).

Liathanail · July 2014

I'm not using MFP for calorie recommendations. Generally I'm sticking at 1500-1700 per day which seems to sit well with giving me a 750ish deficit on FitBit. I don't therefore eat back exercise calories.

My weight is 16st 10lbs as of this morning and I usually do around 5700 ish steps a day.

Thanks for the tip on weighing everything. I've been assuming things like weetabix and bread slices are fixed weight, I hadn't thought about the small fluctuations.

lindsey1979 · July 2014

How many carbs are you eating per day on average? It's possible that you may have a carb sensitivity issue, like insulin resistance, where you'd see better results reducing your carbs for the same amount of daily calories. Just a shot in the dark.

Liathanail · July 2014

The nutrition tab has me averaging 46% carbs, 27% fat and 27% protein. Is that okay? Or are the carbs too high?

Don't know if this is relevant or not but I had a bunch of blood tests recently including fasting glucose and they were all normal.

StaciMarie1974 · July 2014

The 1500-1700 seems appropriate. If anything on the macros, maybe strive for a little more protein each day?

As to steps - moving more is good for us in so many ways. Set goals for yourself, nothing insane but its ok to push yourself. If you're averaging 5700 now perhaps push to increase the average to 6500 and gradually higher. Exercise doesn't have to be complicated. Run in place for 5 minutes here & there: great activity. NOTE: stretch your calf muscles after!

Weight Loss Chart like a rollercoaster - help!

Replies

Categories