Question about weird fluctuations. Getting discouraged

It's either water or food retention. Did you eat something with a lot of sodium in the past few days?

This is why I weigh daily. I graph it and use a trend line to smooth out the fluctuations. My overall trend is down.

It could be almost anything. Time of the month, water weight from exercise, higher sodium meals the last few days. This is one of the reasons I weigh daily. Easier to see the fluctuations and pinpoint the reason.
Weight loss isn't linear and our weight can go up/down between 3-8lbs in one day so I really wouldn't be too concerned. You can switch to daily weigh ins. There are apps that will track your overall trend, I think Libra is one.

typicallyjazzy wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

It's either water or food retention. Did you eat something with a lot of sodium in the past few days?

This is why I weigh daily. I graph it and use a trend line to smooth out the fluctuations. My overall trend is down.

Yes, I had about cup of lasagna last night. I estimated it to be about 400 calories. I also had potatoes. But I thought it'd balance out because I walked on the treadmill afterwards for about 30 minutes at 3.5mph, 3% incline. I could see it being sodium or water retention. I just wish I knew for sure if this is working. Since I can't tell just looking at my body overall.

Exercising doesn't remove the food you eat from your body immediately -- you still need to process it. Eating a high sodium or high carbohydrate meal can result in temporary water weight gain even if you exercise right afterwards.

To know if it is working, focus on the trend -- not your weight day-to-day. With so little to lose, .5 a pound a week is a more realistic goal.

typicallyjazzy wrote: »

Wicked_Seraph wrote: »

Speaking from experience, it's likely water weight. Just cut back on the sodium, don't go overboard with carbs, and drink plenty of water. And don't give yourself a numerical expectation of weight loss - the weight will come off when it wants to.

So it doesn't matter whether or not I weigh myself on the same day, at the same time, and under the same conditions? There's still a chance of fluctuation based on water and sodium? I thought weighing myself on an exact day and after I wake up would give me the most accurate results.

Right. You could weigh yourself three Mondays in a row, all weighing in at the same weight, but still overall be trending downward on weight loss (see second link I posted above).

typicallyjazzy wrote: »

Wicked_Seraph wrote: »

Speaking from experience, it's likely water weight. Just cut back on the sodium, don't go overboard with carbs, and drink plenty of water. And don't give yourself a numerical expectation of weight loss - the weight will come off when it wants to.

So it doesn't matter whether or not I weigh myself on the same day, at the same time, and under the same conditions? There's still a chance of fluctuation based on water and sodium? I thought weighing myself on an exact day and after I wake up would give me the most accurate results.

It IS a good idea to weigh yourself at around the same time of day, usually first thing in the morning after you go to the bathroom, before you have anything to eat or drink. But even so your weight can fluctuate drastically in a matter of hours. Case in point today: I got up at 5:30 a.m. Went to the bathroom. Got on the scale. Was down from 237 last week to 232.8 today (this is my first week back on track so I expected a large drop this week). HOWEVER, I went back to bed because I had a headache. Got up at 8:00. Went to the bathroom AGAIN - then I thought, what the heck, let me weigh myself again. I was now down to 231.8!!! I had already logged my 232.8 loss so I am going to leave that to count for next week. LOL

But 1 lb different in the course of a couple hours. I didn't think I peed that much but I also had "stuff" still in my system that needed to be "processed" I guess. Or maybe I was still retaining a little water when I first got up and got rid of it by 8:00 ...I don't know. I do know that now if I hopped on the scale I'd weigh a good 3 lbs more because I have had my yogurt, fruit, and coffee.

Just hang in there. Be patient with your body. Keep doing all the right things, and the weight WILL come off. You just need to be patient. And your body doesn't care that you want to weigh in every Tuesday at 7:00 or whatever. I have had Tuesdays as my "official" weigh in days forever, but occasionally I have no loss on Tuesday, and see the loss instead on Thursday. Your body does its own thing in its own time. Doesn't give a hoot about your deadlines for performance. ha ha

I weigh in daily for the reasons others have described above--you truly learn how your body responds to different foods. For example, diet coke makes me bloat. I love diet coke, but after indulging in a few, the next day I weighed in a full 2 lbs heavier than I had the previous day. While I was still irritated at the scale weight, I also knew (because I weigh in daily and track my food) that it couldn't be true weight gain. Keep in mind things like carbs--people think they are "bad", but your body needs them. However, after a higher carb meal, your body will retain more water. Carbs are like sponges and each gram can hold two-3 grams of water-so, even though your calories are in line, you may still see a jump in the scale. Over the course of a day or two, that will go away and you will see a drop. Same with a higher sodium meal. I used to be a weekly scale person, but I've found for me, I've learned that the data is really useful, and ultimately, calming. Good luck to you!

I feel your pain. I am also trying to get down to 115. Two weeks ago I weighed in at 122. Over the last two weeks I have gone over my calories a handful of times, but have been under just as many. Two nights ago I had a sodium festival. I had close to 4000 mg in one day. Weighed myself this morning - 122. :P Am I worried? Not a bit. I called my scale some choice names and went about my day. It will come off soon enough.

1 pound means nothing in terms of fluctuations. Fluctuation means it goes up & down for various reasons, so you're not always going to see a straight line. I'm down to my last 10 pounds now and I only see a drop on the scale every 2 weeks or so. The rest of the time is up & down within a 1-3 pound range. I've just gotten used to it and accepted it. No need to stress out! I envy those who can lose tens of pounds or even more and never see a fluctuation!

typicallyjazzy wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

It's either water or food retention. Did you eat something with a lot of sodium in the past few days?

This is why I weigh daily. I graph it and use a trend line to smooth out the fluctuations. My overall trend is down.

Yes, I had about a cup of lasagna last night. I estimated it to be about 400 calories. I also had potatoes. But I thought it'd balance out because I walked on the treadmill afterwards for about 30 minutes at 3.5mph, 3% incline. I could see it being sodium or water retention. I just wish I knew for sure if this is working. Since I can't tell just looking at my body overall.

You don't have much to lose so it will be harder to lose it. Estimating doesn't work. You need to be more meticulous with your counting as in weighing your food to the gram on a food scale. As everyone has said your weight will fluctuate up and down as a result of many factors. Also, what are your stats? Perhaps you are being unrealistic in your goals.

I notice you are estimating your food with cups. Buy a digital food scale and weigh all solids. Use measuring cups and spoons for liquids.
Measure and weigh everything. PB, gets weighed, so does a slice if bread. Salad dressing, oil for cooking gets measured with a spoon if the calories are in ml.

With so little to lose it is really easy to go over your calorie goal just by underestimating a portion or two of food a day.

You will still fluctuate, but you will have a much better chance of reaching your goal.

Cheers, h.