How to stop weight flucations bothering me so much?
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The poster who said log your daily weight is giving great advice. For my first year, I took the road to weighing once a week; yeah, i would peek out of curiosity in between, but not worry about those in-between numbers. As I was nearing my second year here and for the last 9 months or so, , I have decided to only weigh once a month. This works for me as I am clearly aware of natural daily, weekly and monthly fluctuations
If you are unable to refrain from daily weighing, then weigh yourself daily and log each day's weight. Look at your fluctuations over time. Hopefully, that will help you to truly accept that our weight fluctuations as a matter of daily life and that fluctuation is a regular, not-a-reason-to-overact happening.
MFP is here as a tool for you to use in the manner to best help you. If that means weighing daily, do it. Maybe, one day, you will no longer feel it necessary to weigh yourself that frequently.0 -
ok, I admit i'm a bit too obessed, without the obsession I don't I could keep it off, even thought I've done so well up to today, there's always the fear of failure, and the fear if I gain new fat, the fear of not being able to lose it the second time round, I'm enjoying my weight right now, and like to enjoy it for the rest of my life,
Need to set myself a wider weight range, my 2kg range didnt work out, maybe I should try 5kg, anyway still very new to maintaining, its just trial and error, and reason I been asking a lot of questions and advices.0 -
ok, I admit i'm a bit too obessed, without the obsession I don't I could keep it off, even thought I've done so well up to today, there's always the fear of failure, and the fear if I gain new fat, the fear of not being able to lose it the second time round, I'm enjoying my weight right now, and like to enjoy it for the rest of my life,
Need to set myself a wider weight range, my 2kg range didnt work out, maybe I should try 5kg, anyway still very new to maintaining, its just trial and error, and reason I been asking a lot of questions and advices.
Nah, 2kg is a good range for your weight. That's 4.4 pounds. Ideally, you'd widen the range to about 5 pounds or 2.25kg to cover just about everything you would face.
This is a good read as it talks about digestion, water retention, sodium, bowel movements, etc.... which all contribute to the daily fluctuations.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/weight-fluctuations-explained.html
DOMS, sodium, hydration levels, how many times you have a sit down "movement" all factor into your morning's weigh-in, so keep all of that in mind. Likewise, losing water through sweat during exercise can really give a false reading as well. I can easily weigh 2, 3, 4, 5, and even 6 pounds less after an intense multi-hour bike ride.0 -
i used to be a once a week weigher when I was losing enough at a time that I should see some scale movement even if I was on an upward fluctuation at the time that I weighed that particular day. Now that I'm at my goal weight (still wanting to drop just a few more pounds before heading into maintenance calories since I'll put back on some water weight, as I understand it) I not only weigh every day, but I weigh several times throughout the day. Mostly for curiosity's sake. It's like a fun toy. How much do I weigh in the morning? How much do I weigh after work (always several pounds less than the morning, even though everyone tells you that's the best time to weigh. Bah, I say!), How much do I weigh right before and right after a run so I can see how many liters of sweat I lost and increase my sodium accordingly, Also.....how much do I weigh right before and right after a poop....because that's the cleanest way to satisfy my curiosity about how much weight a buttload of fibre the night before will clear out.....hah. buttload. see what I did there?
Anyway...a few sundays ago I decided to try a half marathon length run. I dropped 6 pounds on that run. I then proceeded to put that back on plus 4 pounds by the time dinner was all said and done....So when a person can fluctuate 10 pounds on any given day and sees that happen on a regular basis, said person tends to stop giving a rat's behind about individual readings.0 -
I think calling the OP obsessive is a bit harsh - we all have been on this weight loss journey a while and it takes time for us to move out of 'losing' mode and into 'maintaining' mode when we finally reach that elusive goal.
I still weigh and log everyday, in the sure knowledge that I will go up and down in both lbs and calories! I don't like it when I go up above a certain number - and some days yes I do freak out. But then I go get the tape measure and that pair of jeans in size 20 that I saved and measure myself and put on the jeans. I am not fat anymore.
Some of us get to the place where we can ease off on the weighing and logging quicker than others..... for us slowcoaches, we will get there and telling us to 'go get help' is not going to make that come any day quicker.
It's not harsh...he is showing signs of issues...he admits he is obsessive...
Yes we've all done this..some still doing it...but that being said if you go into maitenance in the right frame of mind it's not a hard transition. You set new goals such as fitness goals or macro goals or heck personal goals...not weight loss goals.
I log everyday and will continue to...I do not weigh everyday...once a week is plenty....
There is nothing wrong with logging everyday...or even weighing everyday...it's the guilt and shame people feel over a few lbs flucuations or the "need" to keep losing or the feelings that "it's not good enough" that lead to us saying get some help.
This particular poster admits he is obsessed and has some disordered thinking, he refuses to eat at maitenance for fear of gaining and instead continues to lose weight...and if he gains a few lbs crash diets for a couple days...
that is not a healthy relationship with food, logging or weight...0 -
only the computer is your scale.0 -
This ^^^ Is great!!!! I agree!!!! I weigh daily but don't get freaked out if it's up a couple of lbs. I go more by my calorie intake. If I measure my food and am pretty sure I'm at a calorie deficit then I trust that I'll continue to lose weight. This was a progressive mind set. I'm getting close to losing 40 lbs and have 49 to go. My weight loss has slowed down drastically but I know I will continue to lose b/c its just the way it works. Maintenance has to be a bit tricky though. It's a mindset that happens gradually and you can do it!! you've already shown that you've got what it takes to get healthier. Just believe in yourself and know that minor fluctuations happen and the scale is a tool that can be a bit misleading at times. Good Luck!!!!I think your question for this topic "accurately" portrays the problem. Its not the weight fluctuations that is the problem, that's normal 2-3lbs weight change, water weight and etc. Changing your view of the them and not preventing them is the solution.
Doing that is not being irresponsible, to weight self every day is not the same as logging every day to track food consumption that will affect weight. Weighing every day is just providing you with your weight its not affecting (or shouldn't) your food consumption. Try sticking to what you are doing, and not trying to adjust everyday because of scale it is not productive or healthy it seems for your. The fact that this topic was posted is evidence of that. You sound frustrated:noway: , panicky, a bit irrational and unsure:ohwell: of yourself.
Yet your accomplishment shows you have what it takes to lose weight, if you have changed eating habits and have a good exercise regimen then enjoy your achievements and continue on course! You know losing weight and maintaining can become obsessive and weighing daily can become an addiction/compulsion.
CBT is effective way to help change your thought process: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/SelfHelpCourse.pdf
I
:flowerforyou:
Renee
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I weigh myself every a.m. and p.m. and note the two numbers in a cheap, drugstore calendar. That way, I can identify patterns of weight "gain". Most frequently I find that I "gain" weight on weekends when I'm eating out more and my portions are larger then lose the weight during the week. So long as the average number stays within a 3 lb range I don't obsess.0
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If you weigh every day, record those weights and average them once a week. This shows overall trend and factors in the daily fluctuations. In my experience, it's more accurate than once-a-week weighing, because even if you weigh at the same time of day on the same day of the week (e.g. weight-loss group weigh-ins) you could still be catching a high or low, which can freak you out either direction.
This was what I was going to say next -- Bernadette606, you took the words right out of my mouth!I weigh myself every a.m. and p.m. and note the two numbers in a cheap, drugstore calendar. That way, I can identify patterns of weight "gain". Most frequently I find that I "gain" weight on weekends when I'm eating out more and my portions are larger then lose the weight during the week. So long as the average number stays within a 3 lb range I don't obsess.0 -
P.S. I think people are too quick to jump all over a question and call the person obsessive. Do you brush your teeth every day? Maybe twice? Do you feel weird if you don't? Is that obsessive?0
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Stop weighing yourself, buy a soft tape measure and focus on that.
Great idea! Do this. :drinker:0 -
I weigh daily too. Always have. During the last 15mths during my weightloss, I also tracked it here and in an excel chart. When it fluctuated I analysed my diary and as I am a woman, where I was in my hormonal cycle.
I often found very valid reasons for a kilo up and also found foods, that helped get it back off. Most fluctuations are water. In my case they come from some of the following:
More intense exercise
Higher sodium foods
More grain carbs on a given day
hormonal cycle
not drinking enough water
sodium / potassium ratio is off (we often get too much sodium and not enough potassium)
no BM before weighing
And so I learned to live with the fluctuations and look at the trend over a week, month, several months. If that goes downward, I OK. I'm close to maintainance, have increased my daily cals. So fluctuations are larger, losses are slower. But it's the trend that's important.0 -
P.S. I think people are too quick to jump all over a question and call the person obsessive. Do you brush your teeth every day? Maybe twice? Do you feel weird if you don't? Is that obsessive?
Maybe that might be because some of us have seen the OP's previous posts, which have run along the same lines, and expressed guilt on eating and guilt on the scale showing a fluctuation, to a point he diets again.0 -
P.S. I think people are too quick to jump all over a question and call the person obsessive. Do you brush your teeth every day? Maybe twice? Do you feel weird if you don't? Is that obsessive?
Do I feel weird? Yes. Do I freak out, feel guilty, and take some extreme measure? No. That's the difference.0 -
Have someone you know and trust hide your scale from you (or even remove it from your home) and ask them to bring it out only once a week for you.0
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Only weight yourself once a week before breakfast then you won't see the daily or hourly flux in your weight.0
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Normally I weigh myself every two weeks because I don't like dealing with day to day fluxuations. I don't have a scale, I log daily - exercise and food. I have trouble eating enough and am working on that. I am concentrating on other goals now than weight. I've moved on. Try that. ;-)0
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You apparently haven't grasped the concept that our bodies can flucuated several lbs/kgs on any given day. It's normal, it doesn't mean you ate too much so you either have to educated yourself more and stop obsessing and get a grip or stop weighing yourself on a daily basis.
Right. I'm a big fan of the daily weigh, but you have to couple it with a good understanding of the normal behavior of that sort of data.
I liken it to weather vs. climate. When Fall comes, for example, it tends to get colder (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway). If you wrote down the temperature every day, it would not be unusual to see a series of decreasing numbers.
But then, if there was a hotter day or two, would you freak out and think the Earth had slipped off of its axis and Fall was not actually approaching? :laugh: Of course not! You'd understand that your periodic samples are going to have natural variance, and that it didn't mean there wasn't still an overall downward trend.
I think the weather analogy is a good one. I've only been at this a week but found I wanted to see a drop every day and have that keep on going. Of course, like the weather, and the journey of weight loss itself, one is going to have ups and down. I freaked the first time it went up but now have regained my sense of proportion. I am one who is going to weight myself daily and closely scrutinize my sodium, water, protein, carbs to try to see what made the difference. It can be sleeping patterns, time you ate, lack of fiber--so many factors it is ultimately impossible to closely control. Like the idea of a daily weigh but look at the graph instead of the weight the day before.0 -
I can hardly call 2,200 - 2,700 calories a day a eating disorder, nvm today I for the first time I just didn't weight myself, my clothes still fit just as loose, still just as cold, then someone told me today I'm too skinny, so why I'm worried about a single number, and it's all been night weight, where most ppl are at their heaviest, just got so use just seeing 69kg, then finding maintance in the long term is harder than i first thought...
I eat 2000-2200 a day and I am a woman but regardless of that here is the reason I said seek help
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1349112-those-maintainingStarting Weight: 125kg
Goal Weight 75kg
Current weight: 68kg
The flulications bothered me too much so I very slowly crept and lost more, I literically half the person I used to be.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1339299-seriously-considering-at-stopping-the-loggingI think constant logging in the long-term just slows down your metabolism, keeps you feeling cold and miserable, and even unplanned weight loss
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I think I've changed my mind, I've already started stacking off with the logging and suddenely gained over 3 pounds, and havent got enough infomation recorded to work out where I got wrong.
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and I believe logging has left me with a slight food disorder
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1325070-still-losing-on-2-500-calories-a-day
Where you know you lose weight on 2500 yet still insist on eating below it
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1317660-overestimating-am-i-the-only-one
Where you know you need to weigh food because you are over estimating and losing weight still
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1313123-is-maintaining-harder-than-weight-lossWeight loss was actually the fun part, its only a temporary change, you eat defliect and you are rewarded with new lower numbers on the scale.
Maintancing is still at a deflect, its a life time commitment, your only reward is to see your weight not returning, so long term effect maintance can feel so a slow starvation, so yeah it is harder.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1302653-never-feeling-satisfied
Where you say you are always hungry even tho you are "eating at maitenance" but still losing
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1288825-tracking-calories-foreverI may look the same as thin people today, but mentally I'm not.
I have to track my calories everyday, they don't
I'm cold all the time, they're not.
I have to work hard, just to feel a part of the crowd.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1276551-how-much-does-weight-flucatations-bother-youMakes me feel shameful and guilty the next day, so I eat less, then 2 days later I find out it was just water weight, the scales drops down I've lost too much weight.
These are posts from you where you have indicated through words you have an issue. This last post is just another one...you feel shame, guilt admit mentally you feel fat even though you are below goal weight, freak at a 3lb difference on the scale so do a crash "diet", feel that maitenance is just slow starvation etc...
You need help...
^ to much time on your hands lol
It's hard to grasp your size when you've lost half of yourself, there are allot of mental issues that can arise. You should look into speaking with a professional. It took me roughly a year to grasp my actual size after losing all my weight. I didn't have the dependency of the scale like you do though, once I hit my number I went by body image/ how I looked not the scale.0 -
I can hardly call 2,200 - 2,700 calories a day a eating disorder, nvm today I for the first time I just didn't weight myself, my clothes still fit just as loose, still just as cold, then someone told me today I'm too skinny, so why I'm worried about a single number, and it's all been night weight, where most ppl are at their heaviest, just got so use just seeing 69kg, then finding maintance in the long term is harder than i first thought...
I eat 2000-2200 a day and I am a woman but regardless of that here is the reason I said seek help
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1349112-those-maintainingStarting Weight: 125kg
Goal Weight 75kg
Current weight: 68kg
The flulications bothered me too much so I very slowly crept and lost more, I literically half the person I used to be.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1339299-seriously-considering-at-stopping-the-loggingI think constant logging in the long-term just slows down your metabolism, keeps you feeling cold and miserable, and even unplanned weight loss
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-
-
I think I've changed my mind, I've already started stacking off with the logging and suddenely gained over 3 pounds, and havent got enough infomation recorded to work out where I got wrong.
-
-
and I believe logging has left me with a slight food disorder
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1325070-still-losing-on-2-500-calories-a-day
Where you know you lose weight on 2500 yet still insist on eating below it
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1317660-overestimating-am-i-the-only-one
Where you know you need to weigh food because you are over estimating and losing weight still
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1313123-is-maintaining-harder-than-weight-lossWeight loss was actually the fun part, its only a temporary change, you eat defliect and you are rewarded with new lower numbers on the scale.
Maintancing is still at a deflect, its a life time commitment, your only reward is to see your weight not returning, so long term effect maintance can feel so a slow starvation, so yeah it is harder.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1302653-never-feeling-satisfied
Where you say you are always hungry even tho you are "eating at maitenance" but still losing
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1288825-tracking-calories-foreverI may look the same as thin people today, but mentally I'm not.
I have to track my calories everyday, they don't
I'm cold all the time, they're not.
I have to work hard, just to feel a part of the crowd.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1276551-how-much-does-weight-flucatations-bother-youMakes me feel shameful and guilty the next day, so I eat less, then 2 days later I find out it was just water weight, the scales drops down I've lost too much weight.
These are posts from you where you have indicated through words you have an issue. This last post is just another one...you feel shame, guilt admit mentally you feel fat even though you are below goal weight, freak at a 3lb difference on the scale so do a crash "diet", feel that maitenance is just slow starvation etc...
You need help...
^ to much time on your hands lol
It's hard to grasp your size when you've lost half of yourself, there are allot of mental issues that can arise. You should look into speaking with a professional. It took me roughly a year to grasp my actual size after losing all my weight. I didn't have the dependency of the scale like you do though, once I hit my number I went by body image/ how I looked not the scale.
I disagree. This was the most powerful response in the entire thread. Someone actually took the time to look at a track record and give some solid advice. I'd guess that half the people that are showing only encouragement to the OP didn't read the entire thread and care much less about his well being. Concern seems like a much more responsible response then encouragement at this point.0
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