So frustrated and confused!

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mirnissan
mirnissan Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It seems that no matter how little I eat and exercise my weight goes up. My weight just fluctuates constantly and drastically. Or sometimes just a little. I don't understand why though.
For instance, yesterday I weighed 113lbs and today I weighed 114lbs. But I worked out yesterday (cardio, climbing and core workout) and my intake was definitely less than 1200 calories.
Does anyone a have insights as to why this happens?

Replies

  • Himurahotaru
    Himurahotaru Posts: 29 Member
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    Weight fluctuations like that are normal. Try weighing yourself at the beginning of the day after the bathroom. But honestly try just looking at measurements and how your clothes fit. Depends on how long you've been going too.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    When you exercise your muscles retain water for repair. Secondly, weight loss is nowhere near linear. It's a bumpy road.

    Also, make sure to hit your 1200 goal (without exercise). If you exercise, eat back a portion of those calories. You need to properly fuel your body to continue doing those workouts. That being said, think about purchasing a food scale and weighing your food portions so that you can log as accurately as possible.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    weight loss is not linear. my weight fluctuates by up to 5 pounds in a single day. it is NORMAL. you are looking for an overall TREND.



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  • foreverslim1111
    foreverslim1111 Posts: 2,612 Member
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    This fluctuation is normal as the scale weighs more than just fat. It weighs excess fluid, food in your system etc. Be patient, stay in your cal deficit and maybe only weigh once a week if the fluctuation bothers you - you will eventually see results.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,361 Member
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    Weight fluctuates on a daily basis, as long as the overall trend is downwards over time all is good. What is your goal weight? Typically those with only a small amount of weight to be lost, will lose only a very small amount each week.
  • simplycidalia
    simplycidalia Posts: 46 Member
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    mirnissan wrote: »
    It seems that no matter how little I eat and exercise my weight goes up. My weight just fluctuates constantly and drastically. Or sometimes just a little. I don't understand why though.
    For instance, yesterday I weighed 113lbs and today I weighed 114lbs. But I worked out yesterday (cardio, climbing and core workout) and my intake was definitely less than 1200 calories.
    Does anyone a have insights as to why this happens?

    I NEVER weight myself daily. Weight fluctuates day to day, and a one pound fluctuation is NOTHING.
  • mirnissan
    mirnissan Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks everyone.
    I'm recovering from an eating disorder so the fluctuations really bother me, as for a goal weight, that a complicated question for me. I just mainly want to be happy with myself, but try not to get back to that dangerous point I used to be at.
  • RodrickF
    RodrickF Posts: 11 Member
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    I don't worry too much about my salt intake as I have pretty normal blood pressure. But I do notice that after a day of some particularly salty meals, my weight would go up even though my calorie intake was according to plan. This also happens when I don't drink enough water. Make sure you do take in the recommended eight cups of water a day. You might tend to think this would give you a slight increase in weight, but the extra water flushes out excess sodium in your system that retains water and extra weight.

    The best bet to not driving yourself crazy is to only weigh yourself once a week. I weigh-in every day, but the weight does sometimes fluctuate upwards two or three pounds and sometimes more, but I learned after losing 70 pounds a couple of years ago that this is entirely normal. It will go down!
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
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    I wouldn't call 1lb up from the day before a drastic fluctuation. I have gained 6lbs overnight before.

    Daily fluctuations of weight are normal especially when exercise, TOM and just being human are involved. If you choose to weigh daily be prepared to see these fluctuations or use use a weight tracking app to look at the weight trendin over time.

    Also unless under medical supervision you shouldn't be eating less than 1 200kcal.
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
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    I would suggest you make an appointment with your counselor, just for a touch up or to reinforce what you've talked about. Recovery from an eating disorder, eating less than 1200cal and worrying about a 1lb increase is not a good combination. You need to focus on your health, not the scale. A conversation with your doctor or counselor might help calm your anxiety and reinforce the healthy habits you are familiar with. Good luck.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Look at it this way: if you weigh yourself, drink a pint of water, and then weigh yourself again, you'll weigh 1 lb. more than before you drank the water. Obviously the difference isn't due to gaining any fat, muscle, bone, connective tissue, hair, etc.

    Every day a typical person takes in about 11 pounds of oxygen, water, and solid food, and exhales or excretes roughly the same weight of carbon dioxide, water, and solid waste. The key is "roughly." At an aggressive weight loss target of 2 lb./week, you'd be losing only 0.29 pounds of fat per day. So the loss of CO2, water, and solid waste is two orders of magnitude greater than the loss of fat. It's easy to see how consistent fat loss will be masked by fluctuations in the other stuff.

    If you weigh yourself daily and take the exponentially smoothed moving average, you can identify the general trend.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    mirnissan wrote: »
    Thanks everyone.
    I'm recovering from an eating disorder so the fluctuations really bother me, as for a goal weight, that a complicated question for me. I just mainly want to be happy with myself, but try not to get back to that dangerous point I used to be at.

    i usually advise those recovering from eating disorders to stay away from the scale. weigh once or twice a month and stay away from it the rest of the time!
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
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    my weight fluctuates by 1 lb when I drink a glass of water or pee. Or blow my nose. Or step on the scale a second time. I watch for the trends on the high and low end and worry about the highest number I am seeing and the lowest number I am seeing because I can easily have a 10 lb variation over the course of a day or 2 depending on what I eat, when I poop, what day it is etc.

    If you are recovering from an ED though please be careful the advice you seek on boards and make sure you are continuing to work with qualified professionals, we aren't really qualified to offer that sort of advice here I'd imagine.

    Best of luck to you in developing a healthy relationship with your scale :)
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Stop weighing yourself everyday. You can't handle the truth. (said in best Jack Nicholson voice)

    If you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder your physician or nurse practitioner should have explained the basics of diet, nutrition and why weight fluctuations happen. You need this knowledge to make healthy decisions.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Mavrick_RN wrote: »
    Stop weighing yourself everyday. You can't handle the truth. (said in best Jack Nicholson voice)

    If you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder your physician or nurse practitioner should have explained the basics of diet, nutrition and why weight fluctuations happen. You need this knowledge to make healthy decisions.

    This.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Does your recovery team know you're trying to lose weight? Please stop what you're doing and seek counseling. The behaviors in which you're engaging are not helping your recovery.
  • scottsull7
    scottsull7 Posts: 12 Member
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    bwogilvie wrote: »
    If you weigh yourself daily and take the exponentially smoothed moving average, you can identify the general trend.

    This is what I do. I weigh myself after using the bathroom EVERY morning (at roughly the same time). I track this in a spreadsheet which also has a 10-day running average. The only weigh-in I count as "official" is my weigh-in on Monday mornings.

    Having the 10-day running average helps you to see how even a 1 or 2 pound fluctuation from day to day has little effect on your running average, and it is easy to see the trend as the average steadily decreases. It has been very helpful for me, though I know that it may be too much work and/or information for many people.

  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
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    mirnissan wrote: »
    It seems that no matter how little I eat and exercise my weight goes up. My weight just fluctuates constantly and drastically. Or sometimes just a little. I don't understand why though.
    For instance, yesterday I weighed 113lbs and today I weighed 114lbs. But I worked out yesterday (cardio, climbing and core workout) and my intake was definitely less than 1200 calories.
    Does anyone a have insights as to why this happens?
    mirnissan wrote: »
    Thanks everyone.
    I'm recovering from an eating disorder so the fluctuations really bother me, as for a goal weight, that a complicated question for me. I just mainly want to be happy with myself, but try not to get back to that dangerous point I used to be at.

    With a weight of 113 to 114, are you considered underweight?

    When was the last time you saw your treatment team?

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