I'm stuck! Need some advice

zman1313
zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So up until recently, the weight was literally falling off. I've lost over 70 pounds since March 1st and I feel amazing. However, lately the scale has just been stuck...and fluctuating a lot. I started lifting again almost 5 weeks ago. For the first few weeks I refrained from weighing myself because I know from experience that I hang onto about 5lbs of water. It has now been 5 weeks and I'm still within a pound of where I was 5 weeks ago. Could this still be water weight or is there something else going on? Also, why would the scale be fluctuating on me? For example, yesterday i weighed in at 203, and today I was 205.2. Yesterday was a normal day and I was well under my calories for the day.

Before anyone asks, yes, I have a food scale and use it religiously. Any advice or wisdom here? Sucks that this had to happen right before I hit the 200 mark as that was my biggest goal

Replies

  • OllyJ_79
    OllyJ_79 Posts: 126 Member
    Have you re-calculated your BMR now you have lost weight? Your TDEE will be lower than it was when you were 70 pounds heavier, therefore you will need to reduce the amount of calories you are taking in to keep a deficit in place
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    Did you weigh at the same time of day. I know I weigh 3-4lbs more at night. Not sure why. I only weigh in the morning.

    Also, I've noticed that as I build muscle and things are sore that I don't lose weight. Then like 3 weeks later, I'll weigh in and all of a sudden see like 6 lbs come off. Maybe I retain more water with sore muscles?

    Interested to hear the answer.
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
    I agree with the first comment, recalculate your calorie goals. As you lose weight you don't require as many calories. :)
  • AmyG1982
    AmyG1982 Posts: 1,040 Member
    How's your sodium intake? A good friend of mine says she can have a 5 pound "gain" on the scale the day after only going to about 2/3 of what MFP suggests. She's just a little more sensitive, I guess. She says as long as she's about 50% of what MFP suggests for sodium she continues to see the numbers move in the right direction.

    have you taken measurements to see if you're losing inches?
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    Have you re-calculated your BMR now you have lost weight? Your TDEE will be lower than it was when you were 70 pounds heavier, therefore you will need to reduce the amount of calories you are taking in to keep a deficit in place

    I have advjusted my goals several times...usually after 10lbs of weight lost. I always weigh myself at the same time and before I eat/drink anything.

    Just recently I adjusted my calorie goals for a 1lb/week loss because I'm approaching my goal weight, would that have an effect on anything?
  • OllyJ_79
    OllyJ_79 Posts: 126 Member
    What are your stats? How much exercise do you do, and do you eat back any of the calories from it?

    Also I had a look through your diary, there are high calorie density items you are estimating, to be accurate you need to weigh these on a scale, cups are not accurate enough.

    Market Pantry - Roasted Almonds With Sea Salt, 1 oz about 1/4 cup
    Minute - Instant Whole Grain Brown Rice Corrected, 1 cup (43 g)
  • abear007
    abear007 Posts: 84 Member
    Weight loss is crazy like that - up and down with seemingly no reason - or even against reason. I know my weight can plateau for a couple of weeks even when I know I've been good every single day. When that happens, I try to do something to shake up the status quo - like some intermittent fasting or even working out less (believe it or not). Your body tends to have a "set point" that it tries to maintain and it's making that set point go lower that's the trick.
  • ajserafino
    ajserafino Posts: 1 Member
    It's not unusual for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds day to day. Even if you and drank the same amount and same things every single day you are going to have fluctuations. Our bodies BMR is affected by all sorts of things that are beyond control which effect how many calories it burns in a day.

    If you are at a calorie deficit for 5 weeks and you haven't seen weight loss then something isn't right. Either your BMR isn't right or you aren't counting your calories eaten/burned correctly.
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    How's your sodium intake? A good friend of mine says she can have a 5 pound "gain" on the scale the day after only going to about 2/3 of what MFP suggests. She's just a little more sensitive, I guess. She says as long as she's about 50% of what MFP suggests for sodium she continues to see the numbers move in the right direction.

    have you taken measurements to see if you're losing inches?

    I've actually cut down on my sodium lately, my body doesn't seem to be too sensitive to sodium--I went over on my sodium every day for months. Haven't taken any measurements, maybe I'll start doing that. Right now, all I want to see is 199, but my body seems determined to not let me have it, lol!
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    What are your stats? How much exercise do you do, and do you eat back any of the calories from it?

    Also I had a look through your diary, there are high calorie density items you are estimating, to be accurate you need to weigh these on a scale, cups are not accurate enough.

    Market Pantry - Roasted Almonds With Sea Salt, 1 oz about 1/4 cup
    Minute - Instant Whole Grain Brown Rice Corrected, 1 cup (43 g)

    See OP, I use a food scale and make sure I eat the proper amounts. Serving sizes are also given in grams on the boxes of those items.
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    What are your stats? How much exercise do you do, and do you eat back any of the calories from it?

    Also I had a look through your diary, there are high calorie density items you are estimating, to be accurate you need to weigh these on a scale, cups are not accurate enough.

    Market Pantry - Roasted Almonds With Sea Salt, 1 oz about 1/4 cup
    Minute - Instant Whole Grain Brown Rice Corrected, 1 cup (43 g)

    I set my activity as moderately active, because I walk anywhere from 2-4 miles a day at work, and am at the gym a minimum of 4 days a week for at least an hour. I don't count or eat back any exercise calories. MFP gives me ~2,600 calories a day and I usually only eat 2,300 give or take.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    So up until recently, the weight was literally falling off. I've lost over 70 pounds since March 1st and I feel amazing. However, lately the scale has just been stuck...and fluctuating a lot. I started lifting again almost 5 weeks ago. For the first few weeks I refrained from weighing myself because I know from experience that I hang onto about 5lbs of water. It has now been 5 weeks and I'm still within a pound of where I was 5 weeks ago. Could this still be water weight or is there something else going on? Also, why would the scale be fluctuating on me? For example, yesterday i weighed in at 203, and today I was 205.2. Yesterday was a normal day and I was well under my calories for the day.

    Before anyone asks, yes, I have a food scale and use it religiously. Any advice or wisdom here? Sucks that this had to happen right before I hit the 200 mark as that was my biggest goal
    Weight naturally fluctuates.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'd say just keep doing what you're doing, it will come off eventually.
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    Also, I've noticed that as I build muscle and things are sore that I don't lose weight. Then like 3 weeks later, I'll weigh in and all of a sudden see like 6 lbs come off. Maybe I retain more water with sore muscles?

    While I know that I'm not "building muscle" because I'm still in a calorie deficit, I did have my first real "leg day" in forever on Monday. My hamstrings and quads are still sore, lol. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Categories