How close to your calories do you stay ?

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Avolonlee
Avolonlee Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So for the best weight loss how many calories so you stay close to? The ones provided ? Under that? I'm trying to figure out why my weight is fluctuating so ...

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    When you say your weight is fluctuating, how much? And over what period of time?

    It's normal to weigh something different daily, even for our weight to sometimes go up while we are losing weight. It's the long-term trend that matters.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Fluctuation is more likely due to water balance...sodium intake and hormones mostly. Some people like trend tracking programs, I just don't weigh that often.

    I try to shoot under my MFP calorie goal by a couple of hundred calories and don't really track exercise calories. I would rather start on the low side and maybe add someday than cut as I lose. I do have a wristband activity tracker, but it logs walking slow the same as a run, so who knows on that.
  • howeclectic
    howeclectic Posts: 121 Member
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    I aim for losing 2 pounds a week in mfp with the expectation I'll likely under estimate my food intake. Sometimes I go over the goal. As long as I'm losing... I don't care. I'm trying to drop 15-20 by may or june. I usually end up losing 1pounds a week. I call that a success.
  • Avolonlee
    Avolonlee Posts: 21 Member
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    I fluctuate about 1-2 lbs .. Makes it hard to know which is correct . I have lost in a week 5 lbs . I think I'm on the right track , I try to not include my excersize points unless I am starving ! Just want to see how everyone else is doing it and if it's working ..
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Avolonlee wrote: »
    I fluctuate about 1-2 lbs .. Makes it hard to know which is correct . I have lost in a week 5 lbs . I think I'm on the right track , I try to not include my excersize points unless I am starving ! Just want to see how everyone else is doing it and if it's working ..

    That's completely normal (and is to be expected). I personally notice that I can fluctuate up to 7-8lbs from extra water/food/sodium/hormone weight (even when I accurately log and maintain a calorie deficit). The big thing is to look at trends instead of the numbers specifically.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    weight loss is not linear. on any given day, my weight fluctuates by up to 5 pounds. this is normal. as long as the overall trend (over time) is down, then you are fine. if not, then.....

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  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I go over or under my goal by about 500kcals but on most days I am within 200kcals of goal. Some days I am hungrier or less hungry than others so I go with that. It averages out near my caloric goal in the end.
  • bathmatt12345
    bathmatt12345 Posts: 145 Member
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    You can change weight by water content many lbs. It is not uncommon for fighters to drop 15-20lbs in a day and a half by water loading for a weigh-in and then regain it the night before a fight. Salt and carbs both cause you to retain water in your system, liver, muscles. Going out to eat and having a high carb salt dinner I expect to gain 2-3 lbs the next a.m. But it isn't real weight
  • LisaTcan
    LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
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    I normally have a 2-3 pound range from day to day so I just look for a trend that the range is shifting lower - i.e. I might weigh 135-138 one week but the next week I weigh 134-137. I weight everyday but only log my weight once a week. I choose to take the lowest weight of Friday, Saturday or Sunday and log that.

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