Is my scale correct?

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suchissteff
suchissteff Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I started this app 4 days ago....and according to my scale I have lost 6.5 lbs in 4 days!!! Is this normal? I am eating as suggested per calorie count ( even went over one day, but just by a little) and had a day of hard exersise. I have never dieted before, counted calories or even needed to, but have gained about 20 pounds this past year, with no end in sight!!!! So this us all new to me. I guess it will taper off and then start to be a pound or 2 a week?? Thanks for all the comments/advice in advance!

Replies

  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited January 2015
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    There is no real "normal".

    I can lose 6 pounds in a day, even when not dieting. Weight fluctuates from day to day and my normal ups and downs are from 4 to 6 pounds in a single day.

    You are fine.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Weight loss isn't linear and a lot of what we see on the scale is our water weight which
    1) Naturally flucatuates across the month with sodium intake, exercise, hormones
    2) Tends to drop very quickly at the start of any controlled diet

    Once the first (up to 10lbs) of water weight, which will include a small amount of fat loss has gone after the first couple of weeks you will start to see it levelling out - but some weeks it might not drop, some weeks you may even go up.. you're looking for a trend of loss

    stick to your calorie defecit and it will happen, just try not to be impatient

    also very important to weigh under the same conditions eg I weigh first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom and nekkid .. also make sure you don't move your scales or you rebalance them each weigh in
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    could be water/sodium weight, or even a combination of that and normal fluctuation. Don't get too excited though (i know! so hard not too! LOL). Just keep doing what youre doing and do better each day to keep seeing those numbers drop!
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    Some people drop a bunch of weight when the first clean up their diets. This can come from flushing fluid from your system, clearing your GI track of undigested food, and actually reduction of body fat. I would keep your goals the same for 3 weeks and then make an adjustment if needed. If you are still losing more than 2 lbs/week after 3 weeks, congrats, you get to eat more and lose weight :D

  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Good tips here. I'll also add to make sure your scale is on hardwood or tile. It can be very inaccurate on carpet, even thin commercial grade carpet.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    It is normal to drop several pounds when you first start eating less. Most of it is due to not carrying as much food around in your gut.
  • suchissteff
    suchissteff Posts: 4
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    Thanks everyone, and yes I put the scale on a tile floor and at the same time in the morning after I first wake up!! Looking forward to fitting back into my clothes!!
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
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    Yes, this is totally to be expected when you first start dieting. The same thing happened to me and now it's tappered off to 1-1.5lbs a week.
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    I "gain" over 5 lbs when I eat at or over maintenance for a few days, but it disappears again a couple days after I get back into eating at a deficit. Sort of like the difference between running on a full tank compared running it at or near empty.

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