Little confused... UNsteady weightloss??

Options
erulasse
erulasse Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I asked before about my 5 week plateau after less than a month of dieting and even after trying all forms of diet/exercise tweaking, nothing changed. However, about a month later I lost 6lbs all in the space of about 2 days..

Since then, this has become the norm... I seem to maintain for an annoyingly long period of time, regardless of what I do and then suddenly - as if overnight - I drop between 4-8lbs.
In the long run, this does work out at about 1-3lbs a week, so it's not terrible; I was just wondering if anyone knows why I'm storing for so long?

Replies

  • zhvah18
    zhvah18 Posts: 158 Member
    Options
    I can't explain why, but I can tell you that you're not alone. my entire weight loss was like that, up for a few weeks, then back down lower than where I started at the beginning of the month. The only think I can think of is that I slowly start retaining water over the month because the sudden drop in weight usually coincides with or is right after my TOM. Two steps forward, one step back. As long as the trend is going downwards, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    Options
    All I can say is just keep your diary and look back over it and see if it is is foods or water that create the pattern.

    But the good thing is you are losing weight, right?
  • operation_cute
    operation_cute Posts: 588 Member
    Options
    I needed to read this, my scale dropped 9 lbs overnight after barely anything for over a month... I thought I was going to need a new scale lol
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Options
    There's some science that suggests as the fat cells "empty" out of fat, in some people they refill with water, basically meaning you don't change weight. Then at some point your body decides it doesn't really need that water and you woosh it out (via breathing and peeing). Grats on your losses!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    This is an interesting theory which seems to strike a chord with many people....

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

    My weight loss was very rarely linear. Some people just have to take a longer term view and, as you have, average things out over an extended period of weeks rather than hope to see weekly progress.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    erulasse wrote: »
    So, I asked before about my 5 week plateau after less than a month of dieting and even after trying all forms of diet/exercise tweaking, nothing changed. However, about a month later I lost 6lbs all in the space of about 2 days..

    Since then, this has become the norm... I seem to maintain for an annoyingly long period of time, regardless of what I do and then suddenly - as if overnight - I drop between 4-8lbs.
    In the long run, this does work out at about 1-3lbs a week, so it's not terrible; I was just wondering if anyone knows why I'm storing for so long?

    that's how it works...weight loss is not a linear process...this is exactly why looking at the trend (i.e. it works out to be around 1-3 Lbs per week) is important.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Options
    Weight loss fluctuates do this proves that you're perfectly normal! It's great that you've been able to see your body's pattern. Now you know what to expect.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Options
    Yeah, that's not anything out of the ordinary. Your body changes daily, including weight, so if you see several weeks without weight loss, know that most people will have the same issue. Especially if you're near your goal. The less overall you have to lose, the more this happens. Just keep your routine the way you have been and only worry if it's been a couple of months without a change.

    One thing that helped me was measuring the ounces as well as the pounds. Sometimes the weight change is only a couple of ounces for a week for me, so it would take me several weeks to lose one pound. Seeing the ounces change as well let me know that yes, change was occurring! It also helps to keep track of the overall trend. My weight still goes up from time to time, usually only a pound or so (especially during TOM), but if I look at a graph for the past 6 months, the trend is going down, so that's what's important.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Options
    a) Weight loss = calorie deficit / 3500
    b) Weight loss is not linear

    incompatible statements error
  • PaulHalicki
    PaulHalicki Posts: 576 Member
    Options
    yarwell wrote: »
    a) Weight loss = calorie deficit / 3500
    b) Weight loss is not linear

    incompatible statements error

    Over the long haul, a) is correct. But the human body has autonomic systems that react to stimuli in complex ways that attempt to keep things under control. So people retain water, etc., sometimes longer than necessary. A friend of mine has lost nearly a hundred pounds and he said (similar to mentioned above) that he will plateau, then pee all night and lose 5 lb. by morning.

    The two statements are no more incompatible than saying "it got cold last night" and "the earth is getting warmer." Short term versus long term.
  • jessathemessa
    jessathemessa Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    The "whoosh"

    Me too.

    I like to use weightgrapher.com which you can add your weight manually or important from another device (such as fitbit). It will tell you how much you've lost in the last month, the last week, and your trending weight. For me, it helps a lot to see that "monthly loss" number because sometimes I don't have a weekly loss to look at. It also has a line above your current weight showing where you were 30 days prior.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Options
    Our bodies sometimes do strange things! As long as it's all going in the right direction, I wouldn't fret too much. :)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited September 2015
    Options
    PaulHalicki wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    a) Weight loss = calorie deficit / 3500
    b) Weight loss is not linear

    incompatible statements error

    Over the long haul, a) is correct. But the human body has autonomic systems that react to stimuli in complex ways that attempt to keep things under control. So people retain water, etc., sometimes longer than necessary. A friend of mine has lost nearly a hundred pounds and he said (similar to mentioned above) that he will plateau, then pee all night and lose 5 lb. by morning.

    The two statements are no more incompatible than saying "it got cold last night" and "the earth is getting warmer." Short term versus long term.

    So a) is not correct all the time, only on a long run average. Tonight it might be calorie deficit / 3250 etc ? or perhaps we can only rely on it being the same to +/- 4 lbs because of water etc variations.

Categories