WEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS

mandiex0
mandiex0 Posts: 174
edited September 24 in Motivation and Support
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND THEM!!!

-they ruin my day
-they ruin my week
-they ruin my mood
FAAAAACK

No, but really. I have been dealing with weight fluctuations since I started dieting October 6th. I just don't understand them. I know I can go look it up, and I have, but I want to know how does your weight fluctuate? From day to day, or morning to night.

Monday - 174
Today o_O - 176

But ive done everything the same. Ate mostly the same stuff. Is it really pounds? Or what. And, should i weigh ONCE a week? I weigh every morning. And then write down what my weight is every Monday.

Yes, its gone down every time but I hate seeing the number go up on the scale. Really ruins me.

Replies

  • polo571
    polo571 Posts: 708 Member
    You weighing yourself everyday?
  • mandiex0
    mandiex0 Posts: 174
    Yes. I have a habit to weigh every time i go in the bathroom.
  • mmariano
    mmariano Posts: 15
    That's why I just weigh one time a week.....a women's weight just fluctuates. That's how we are...
    Just keep plugging and note how much you lost already.
    Great job ...
  • mmariano
    mmariano Posts: 15
    Great job on your weight loss!
  • LoveLaughLive1
    LoveLaughLive1 Posts: 9 Member
    It can be for all sorts of reasons... sodium, water weight, your period. PS. almost all meat, canned goods ect have LOADS of hidden sodium.... Put the scale away and take it out once a week. My weight fluctuates all the time and now I only weigh in on Saturday. You're working hard right? Don't sabbotage it by focusing on the numbers on the scale :)
  • Keltinator
    Keltinator Posts: 265
    everyone's weight fluctuates... it depends on everything, including hydration, when the last time you ate was, even the last time you went to the bathroom...

    just a suggestion, if you like to weigh yourself everyday, you could always write it down and then find the average at the end of the week.
  • VegGrrl
    VegGrrl Posts: 336 Member
    I weigh once a week and still have the crazy fluctuations! I thought it was water, but when I have weighed after getting up 5 times at night to pee, I have still had bad weigh-ins! I have no idea what's going on, but I think I'll just take my measurements every 3 months, and weigh in once a month from now on so I don't get freaked out. 'Cuz it does REALLY freak me out when I've been eating well and exercising and have a bad weigh in!
  • amandabrady
    amandabrady Posts: 203 Member
    Weigh once a week, once every other week, or even once a month...there's more to becoming fit and healthy than just a number on a scale. Focus on other things, like how much stronger you feel, the way your muscles are changing, the way your clothes fit, the pride you feel when you finish a day of making good choices at meals...becoming obsessed with the scale isn't going to do you any good and it's just not worth the hassle!
  • shugamuffin
    shugamuffin Posts: 12 Member
    I used to weigh in daily. Like you said, it ruins my day. I've started doing it weekly which makes me less uptight and I think it's more accurate overall. If you weigh daily it will stress you out and sometimes just freaking out will make your body hold onto the weight. Sounds crazy I know, but I really truly believe it. Great job on your progress!
  • Ral263
    Ral263 Posts: 318 Member
    Everyone's weight fluctuates-- think about how much 2 extra liters of water weighs; imagine how drinking more on one night would affect your weight the next day. Weigh yourself only 1x per week in the morning and keep it at that!

    However.... I did take a look at your diary, and I would suggest revamping your diet a bit. You eat almost EXCLUSIVELY processed foods, which are insanely high in both fat, sodium, and low in fiber-- all which are going to hinder your weight loss.

    Make an effort to add at least 5 servings of vegetables to your diet everyday, and to always eat lean protein and unprocessed carbs, and I guarantee your weight will drop and not fluctuate as wildly. Having a healthy diet is NOT just about the calorie count, its about the QUALITY of the foods you eat.
  • mandiex0
    mandiex0 Posts: 174
    Everyone's weight fluctuates-- think about how much 2 extra liters of water weighs; imagine how drinking more on one night would affect your weight the next day. Weigh yourself only 1x per week in the morning and keep it at that!

    However.... I did take a look at your diary, and I would suggest revamping your diet a bit. You eat almost EXCLUSIVELY processed foods, which are insanely high in both fat, sodium, and low in fiber-- all which are going to hinder your weight loss.

    Make an effort to add at least 5 servings of vegetables to your diet everyday, and to always eat lean protein and unprocessed carbs, and I guarantee your weight will drop and not fluctuate as wildly. Having a healthy diet is NOT just about the calorie count, its about the QUALITY of the foods you eat.

    I really dont have time to cook. And ive lost 43 pounds in 4/5 months so i think im doing OK, you know? Im a highschool student.
    Up at 530, on the bus at 630
    Home at 3, then go to the gym
    Home at 4, then more exercising
    Done by 5, shower time
    530 homework
    630/7 Dinner
    7 Finish up HW
    9 BED!!
  • eleonoreOU
    eleonoreOU Posts: 83 Member
    My weight fluctuates ALL the time. Like on tuesday I was 178 (one lbs more than the previous day) and this morning I was 176....
    You really shouldnt worry about it. AND IT SHOULDNT RUIN YOUR DAY!
    There are many variables that will change your weight. So don't focus on that. Just be positive...It will be better tomorrow.

    If it's that big of a deal to you, just weigh yourself once a week but not everytime you go to the bathroom. Dont make it an obsession. There's much more to being healthy than numbers on the scale.

    Hope your days get better
  • mandiex0
    mandiex0 Posts: 174
    My weight fluctuates ALL the time. Like on tuesday I was 178 (one lbs more than the previous day) and this morning I was 176....
    You really shouldnt worry about it. AND IT SHOULDNT RUIN YOUR DAY!
    There are many variables that will change your weight. So don't focus on that. Just be positive...It will be better tomorrow.

    If it's that big of a deal to you, just weigh yourself once a week but not everytime you go to the bathroom. Dont make it an obsession. There's much more to being healthy than numbers on the scale.

    Hope your days get better

    Thanks. Ive become obsessed with the scale.. I really think i need to try my hardest to just weight ONCE a week. I know ill be a lot happier.
  • Callen64
    Callen64 Posts: 4
    Mandie,

    I am no expert but from what I can tell you are not eating enough throughout the day, and some of the things you are eating are killing your calorie counts (Spaghetti O's). Try adding healthier alternatives such as low fat, fat free, or sugar free etc. My fitness coach told me people should eat three meals and two snacks a day plus 8 glasses of water per day. This increases the body's metabolism, which leads to more fat burned/weight loss. If one does not feed their body appropriately, the body will retain fat because it thinks it is starving. The other thing is not to weigh daily, either weigh once a week or once every two weeks. The body can retain water and therefore a person's weight can fluctuate between one to two pounds each day. Congratulations on your total weight loss so far.
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
    Lots of factors can influence this. But I would really recommend finding A time on ONE day of the week that you weigh yourself. Otherwise you fall victim to ... well, exactly what's happening to you. There's too much variation from day to day. Move the scale somewhere else if you need to. Even put it on a shelf and just get it down once a week. Anything to break that habit. As was said above, too, there's much more to your fitness than the number.

    I get it, though. I want to find out all the time, but I've put our scale in a spare room in the house that I don't go into for normal purposes. This way I just see it when I go in to weight. Every Friday morning when I get up. (And not to get too grotesque, but the timing of your bowels may have an impact on this, too).
  • eleonoreOU
    eleonoreOU Posts: 83 Member
    My weight fluctuates ALL the time. Like on tuesday I was 178 (one lbs more than the previous day) and this morning I was 176....
    You really shouldnt worry about it. AND IT SHOULDNT RUIN YOUR DAY!
    There are many variables that will change your weight. So don't focus on that. Just be positive...It will be better tomorrow.

    If it's that big of a deal to you, just weigh yourself once a week but not everytime you go to the bathroom. Dont make it an obsession. There's much more to being healthy than numbers on the scale.

    Hope your days get better

    Thanks. Ive become obsessed with the scale.. I really think i need to try my hardest to just weight ONCE a week. I know ill be a lot happier.

    Hey dont give me wrong I do weigh myself everyday LOL but it motivates me and if it fluctuates, it's not that big of a deal to me because at the end of the week, ive lost weight anyways.... Makes sense?
  • eleonoreOU
    eleonoreOU Posts: 83 Member
    Mandie,

    I am no expert but from what I can tell you are not eating enough throughout the day, and some of the things you are eating are killing your calorie counts (Spaghetti O's). Try adding healthier alternatives such as low fat, fat free, or sugar free etc. My fitness coach told me people should eat three meals and two snacks a day plus 8 glasses of water per day. This increases the body's metabolism, which leads to more fat burned/weight loss. If one does not feed their body appropriately, the body will retain fat because it thinks it is starving. The other thing is not to weigh daily, either weigh once a week or once every two weeks. The body can retain water and therefore a person's weight can fluctuate between one to two pounds each day. Congratulations on your total weight loss so far.

    I agree with this. By the way, now that we're friends...My diary is open. I believe I make some pretty good food choices. At least I eat AT LOT of good for you food so I'm not hungry :) Have a peak, it might help!
  • Eilonwy74
    Eilonwy74 Posts: 22
    I'm right there with you. It doesn't help that I work at a company that calibrates and sells industrial scales, and we're invited to use on in the calibration room whenever we want. That's how I've become obsessed with monitoring fluctuation, and it has become obvious that it will never really settle down--women retain water like crazy at the drop of the hat. I've gained like four pounds of water weight this week, and although it will most likely melt off by next week, it is driving me nuts too. You work and you work and you work, yet it is so hard to keep a stable weight. Unfortunately I have no advice to offer on how to deal (other than water pills) but I certainly sympathize.
  • -they ruin my day
    -they ruin my week
    -they ruin my mood
    FAAAAACK


    ... tell me about it , its been killing me !
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,809 Member
    I know it is so tempting, but only get on the scale once a week. But I feel your pain. I have been sick for two weeks with bronchitis and I am on all kinds of meds right now which are making me bloat up like a damn puffer fish. It is so hard to not get on the scale, but I cannot do it to myself. Most of these flucuations are because of water weight and are temporary.
  • avninjalette123
    avninjalette123 Posts: 129 Member
    Okay I too wanted to weigh myself every time I saw the scale. It's becomes a bad thing and make you un-motivated seeing even half a pound more than the last time. I wrote on my bathroom mirror with a window marker saying...."WEIGH ONLY ON WEDNESDAYS!" It's helped me to keep me to one day only...and it gives me extra motivation and something to look forward to.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Haven't read any of the response. This is from my own experience.

    Our weight fluctuates 3-5 pounds throughout the day, mostly due to water retention.

    I weigh everyday after I pee, before I hop into the shower for work (I got past the number obsession a while back because of seeing the pattern).

    My weight goes up a bit on the weekend. I slack a little on calorie counting (and sugar and sodium); I work hard at it during the week so I like to relax a bit on weekends. (Have a high sodium dinner and you will see an "up" on the scale the very next morning - salt is the biggest culprit of fluctuations). So on Monday morning I might be up a couple of pounds. I don't sweat it because I know it will change. I am usually back to normal by Wednesday and sometimes will see a loss on Thursday or Friday.

    My Time of Month: I gain 2-3 pounds overnight! And it goes back down very, very slowly.

    The more you weigh yourself the more fluctuations you will see. That's why I stopped worrying about the number. I focus on how I feel and how my clothes fit. Taking measurements are much better to do. I fit into pants that were tight when I was lighter than I am now (thanks to strength training and cardio!)
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