When does catching small weight gains turn into yo-yo dieting?

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newyorkmo
newyorkmo Posts: 32 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
If you have to lose the same last five pounds again and again as you navigate long-term maintenance, is that yo-yo dieting? or just maintaining? Seems impossible to keep my weight the exact same, so I'm often doing a small correction to lose a little again before my weight creeps up too far. What's your experience with this? Does having to re-lose 2-5 pounds qualify as being a yo-yo dieter?

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  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    newyorkmo wrote: »
    Does having to re-lose 2-5 pounds qualify as being a yo-yo dieter?
    No. 2 - 5 lbs is a normal weight fluctuation. Yo-Yo dieting is losing 15lbs (or more) and then gaining it back - over and over again.
  • jhellwig828
    jhellwig828 Posts: 109 Member
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    I find it easiest to have a range that I am happy with. I know that if I go above or below my range than I need to make some changes. Otherwise, I chalk up small 2-3 pound changes to water weight, whether or not I have exercised, etc.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Most people diet to lose fat. Rapid fluctuations aren't due to fat gains and loses.

    Trying to keep your weight "exactly the same" is an exercise in futility and will just make you unhappy and obsessive when you should be feeling good about yourself for achieving something beyond the capability of most people.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    newyorkmo wrote: »
    Does having to re-lose 2-5 pounds qualify as being a yo-yo dieter?
    No. 2 - 5 lbs is a normal weight fluctuation. Yo-Yo dieting is losing 15lbs (or more) and then gaining it back - over and over again.

    +1

    The average adult human body is 50-65% water so a daily fluctuation of 2-3 lbs is rather norm. For some who tends to retain more water I'd even say up to 5 lbs can be attributed to just a good couple glasses of water.

    In maintaining, I think it's important to be able to differentiate the difference between normal body weight flux from actual weight gain. Many maintainers set a 'caution' weight that if they reach that it potentially is not within the normal flux.

    So for example, I'm averaging 94 lbs for 10+ mths now (I'm only 4'10"). My allowance for myself is 94 - 97 lbs. & I fluctuate between 94 & 95 pretty regularly. If my weight ever go up to 98 I'd reflect on my eating habits to see what's up.

    So I'd suggest to set a 'caution' weight in your mind & chalk anything below that as the natural human water weight flux.

    Best of luck!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,039 Member
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    I have the 3% rule... three percent of my "goal weight" fluctuating up or down is just normal for me. Outside of that, I review MFP Food and Activity Diary. I don't quote absolutes in pounds because my goal weight is 128, my husbands is 175 and the OP is 94. .
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited October 2014
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    More importantly, what do you do to get back in your range? Is it just eating a little less or going on a deficit for a week or is it unhealthy and severe restrictions? If the former I think that's fine. If the latter, I could see it being bad for you.

    P.S. I'm assuming you have a target range of 5 pounds or so and aren't trying to stay perfectly at one weight. Yes? We all fluctuate a bit day to day.
  • runny111
    runny111 Posts: 58 Member
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    I don't consider 5 lbs a yo-yo. I gain 2-3lbs twice a month in water. I think if you maintain the same size clothing (fits well/tight always, perhaps a bit snug and then you pare back) that's a normal amount of fluctuation.

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