If you are confident in your logging.... wait it out! aka Whoosh
257_Lag
Posts: 1,249 Member
You've been doing this for awhile now.
You're pretty confident in your logging.
You LOVED your losing streak, you named it CLIFF!
And then you hit a wall...
Three months and virtually no loss. The same 2 pounds over and over.
And then patience paid off and you break into your happy dance
Three pounds in about a month. What did I change? NOTHING
I've been at this for 2 1/2 years now, weighing and charting daily so I know all about fluctuations and stalls. I reached my initial "goal" of 200 in May and then reset for 185-189 to get me into my healthy weight range. I'm in no hurry whatsoever to get there. I'm happy with a pound a month. I eat very close to my goal every day and log (and eat back) half my exercise calories.
During June, July and August I was extremely close to my calorie goal every day except a 5 day vacation in late July, evident in the chart. (One pound for 5 days of vacation eating at an all inclusive? Totally acceptable to me!) Just when I was thinking I had to change something, WHOOSH!
So if you are confident in your logging, particularly if you are getting close to your goal, have patience!
You're pretty confident in your logging.
You LOVED your losing streak, you named it CLIFF!
And then you hit a wall...
Three months and virtually no loss. The same 2 pounds over and over.
And then patience paid off and you break into your happy dance
Three pounds in about a month. What did I change? NOTHING
I've been at this for 2 1/2 years now, weighing and charting daily so I know all about fluctuations and stalls. I reached my initial "goal" of 200 in May and then reset for 185-189 to get me into my healthy weight range. I'm in no hurry whatsoever to get there. I'm happy with a pound a month. I eat very close to my goal every day and log (and eat back) half my exercise calories.
During June, July and August I was extremely close to my calorie goal every day except a 5 day vacation in late July, evident in the chart. (One pound for 5 days of vacation eating at an all inclusive? Totally acceptable to me!) Just when I was thinking I had to change something, WHOOSH!
So if you are confident in your logging, particularly if you are getting close to your goal, have patience!
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Replies
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LOVE this! 0
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This is great!
I weigh myself everyday so I can try to understand what the heck my body is up to.
I seem to have a whoosh for 3 days each month. Then the same weight for 24 or so days and then another whoosh.....
Now I don't panic each week because I know it's coming! 0 -
Why am I not surprised that such a good post gets so few comments?
Patience - check
Adherence - check
Consistency - check
Long term focus - check
Ingraining good habits - check
Total win - check
I'd say you have a good handle on this OP.0 -
I can confirm this. Every plateau was followed by a whoosh. So the long term average still worked out to be what I expected.0
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Awesome post. I have wondered whether it's the "the fat cells fill with water" thing, or that cyclical water retention masks the loss, or whether the hormones somehow get released in "waves". But whatever it is, certainly weight loss isn't linear when you look up close, and while it's really hard to resist the urge to tinker or panic, you've set out a great example of patience and long term focus. Thanks 0
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Great visuals to accompany your post! Intellectually, I know to be patient when the scale stalls. Realistically, it's gut wrenching and makes me question everything I'm doing when I fail to see a decline. Your post is a great reminder that our bodies may not lose weight in a perfectly linear fashion! Thank you for sharing your post with us.0
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My hat is off to people that have gone start to finish without stalls. I've had stalls in the past that came from sloppy logging but this one I was pretty confident through.0
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This is why logging everyday is so helpful! I can predict my water retention gains and hormonal variation, and the only surprise really is how much of a woosh I get, but there is always a woosh as long as I log. Thanks for the reminder, I hope others find this helpful! Trendline are much better than individual scattered date points.0
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IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt wrote: »Great visuals to accompany your post! Intellectually, I know to be patient when the scale stalls. Realistically, it's gut wrenching and makes me question everything I'm doing when I fail to see a decline. Your post is a great reminder that our bodies may not lose weight in a perfectly linear fashion! Thank you for sharing your post with us.
yes what the hippo said0 -
Why am I not surprised that such a good post gets so few comments?
Patience - check
Adherence - check
Consistency - check
Long term focus - check
Ingraining good habits - check
Total win - check
I'd say you have a good handle on this OP.
Agreed. Congrats OP. Also, what app are you using to log your weigh ins? I just signed up with trendweight, but it seems they don't have an app, and it has to link to fitbit or similar reporting system. I have a fitbit, so it works, but an app would be more convenient.0 -
I needed to see this today. I gained 0.6 lbs this week after losing 1.6 lbs last week and let me just say, I've not been a nice person today. I yelled at my husband because he lost some weight and I didn't even say goodbye to my daughter before leaving to work. My brain knows I need to calm down and just keep up the hard work but my heart takes these minor setbacks so badly.0
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Why am I not surprised that such a good post gets so few comments?
Patience - check
Adherence - check
Consistency - check
Long term focus - check
Ingraining good habits - check
Total win - check
I'd say you have a good handle on this OP.
Agreed. Congrats OP. Also, what app are you using to log your weigh ins? I just signed up with trendweight, but it seems they don't have an app, and it has to link to fitbit or similar reporting system. I have a fitbit, so it works, but an app would be more convenient.
I use the Happy Scale app.
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I believe sloppy logging is probably most people's downfall. I have been spot on with my logging in the 40 something days I've been on MFP except for yesterday were I confused myself by doing quick add all day. Never again!
I will go back to my previous method that has been working for me. I literally don't put it in my mouth until I log it FIRST with NO quick add.
I started off shaky on MFP because I only had 10-12 lbs to lose, and have been trying to lose it unsuccessfully for probably 4 years. As most people know, the last 10 lbs are the hardest.
I decided to trust the process and kept going, and have lost 5 lbs in 5 weeks, when my settings are at 1/2 lb per week. The majority of that weight came off in the last 10 days.
Happy, happy, joy, joy!
It's science, nothing magical or elusive. Just be true to logging and keep going! The weight will come off!0 -
Why am I not surprised that such a good post gets so few comments?
Patience - check
Adherence - check
Consistency - check
Long term focus - check
Ingraining good habits - check
Total win - check
I'd say you have a good handle on this OP.
Agreed. Congrats OP. Also, what app are you using to log your weigh ins? I just signed up with trendweight, but it seems they don't have an app, and it has to link to fitbit or similar reporting system. I have a fitbit, so it works, but an app would be more convenient.
The app is an Android app called Libra. I don't know if it talks to Fitbit or not but I don't think it does.0 -
Good post, and I agree. If there's not much of anything to tighten up and crosscheck, all that's left to do is trust the process and wait it out.
The length of time between stalls and whooshes has only increased as my weight has got closer and closer to goal.
Right now about 3-4 weeks for a stall is what I've been dealing with as of late, and I expect that length of time to increase just as it has been.
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Happy to see this post! After juggling the same two pounds for about a month for a net loss of zero, I finally lost a big 2.5 pounds this week! It's always reassuring when you hear that others have gone through stalls and long periods of struggle.
I WILL be patient, and I WILL persevere!0 -
frankiesgirlie wrote: »I believe sloppy logging is probably most people's downfall. I have been spot on with my logging in the 40 something days I've been on MFP except for yesterday were I confused myself by doing quick add all day. Never again!
I will go back to my previous method that has been working for me. I literally don't put it in my mouth until I log it FIRST with NO quick add.
I started off shaky on MFP because I only had 10-12 lbs to lose, and have been trying to lose it unsuccessfully for probably 4 years. As most people know, the last 10 lbs are the hardest.
I decided to trust the process and kept going, and have lost 5 lbs in 5 weeks, when my settings are at 1/2 lb per week. The majority of that weight came off in the last 10 days.
Happy, happy, joy, joy!
It's science, nothing magical or elusive. Just be true to logging and keep going! The weight will come off!
Sloppy logging is why most people don't lose weight in the first place.
However, if you are consistently losing but hit a small plateau, the whooshes and squishy fat really is a 'thing'.
Of Whooshes & Squishy Fat0 -
Same experience I've had. With 19 lbs. left to go to hit my goal, my loss has slowed way down, but I still get a monthly woosh and it's glorious. I use a food scale, so I know my intake is correct. Just stick with the plan and let your body do the rest.0
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Thanks for the reminder. Patience is so important.0
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Thanks for posting this! I have been trying to remind myself all the time that the scale reading doesn't matter as long as it's a downward trend in the long run...0
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Especially true for women...0
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Thanks for sharing this!0
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I really needed to read this post today..Thanks.0
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I remember reading about this and wondering if it would happen to me. Here I am, 67 pounds lighter, and I spend three weeks bouncing +/- 2 pounds until - BOOM! - I drop 3-4 pounds in a matter of days. Just last week I was checking my progress over the month and it said ^.4 pounds (up .4 pounds!). Now, one week later. I'm down 4.1 pounds for the month.
I lost steadily for the first 6 months. Now it's become this pattern of nothing, nothing, nothing, YAY!
I think what's important is to not get discouraged and to not let the scale reading derail you.0 -
I really hope this happens to me. I've been at it again for 5 weeks and NOTHING. I saw a dip down to 129 for a few days but now I'm back where I started again.
So frustrating. 0 -
This is a great post! Whoooooosh!
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This is great timing for me. I've got a very slow loss rate due to being so close my goal and it is HARD to keep going! I know I have gotten my logging right (even with not cooking my own dinners) but when the scale hasn't moved more than what would be daily fluctuations, it's frustrating!0
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