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Weird non-linear pattern to weight loss
phloxflamingo22
Posts: 11 Member
I have noticed my weight loss is in an odd pattern.
I will hit a low, then bounce up 2-3 lbs the very next day. Stay up for a week or two then go down to my low for awhile. A week or so later I'll have another small "whoosh" and lose another 2 lbs, hit a new low and the cycle repeats itself. It's hard to accurately gauge how much weight I'm losing over time because I'm so up and down. Over the period of 6 months? Sure, I'm down weight. Over a month? Maybe 5lbs? It's hard to tell.
It's very frustrating to see a new exciting number on the scale and have it disappear for up to two weeks at a time. It makes me just want to give up because I KNOW I'm doing everything right. I KNOW, logically, that I can't have gained 2 lbs overnight. I know I can't have overeaten 10,000 calories to have added back two pounds of fat. It just doesn't seem to make sense to retain water like this. I don't think I eat that much sodium, and I am not a carbaholic.
Does anyone else lose like in spurts like this?
I will hit a low, then bounce up 2-3 lbs the very next day. Stay up for a week or two then go down to my low for awhile. A week or so later I'll have another small "whoosh" and lose another 2 lbs, hit a new low and the cycle repeats itself. It's hard to accurately gauge how much weight I'm losing over time because I'm so up and down. Over the period of 6 months? Sure, I'm down weight. Over a month? Maybe 5lbs? It's hard to tell.
It's very frustrating to see a new exciting number on the scale and have it disappear for up to two weeks at a time. It makes me just want to give up because I KNOW I'm doing everything right. I KNOW, logically, that I can't have gained 2 lbs overnight. I know I can't have overeaten 10,000 calories to have added back two pounds of fat. It just doesn't seem to make sense to retain water like this. I don't think I eat that much sodium, and I am not a carbaholic.
Does anyone else lose like in spurts like this?
2
Replies
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That would be me. It's pretty normal I'm afraid, especially for us ladies and our hormones going crazy cyclically.
I started using a trending app to see where my weight is actually at. It smooths out all those seismographic extremes and gives you a clean line showing if you're losing or gaining.
I use trendweight.com but you need a fitbit account to log the weight.
The two below are also well known:
Android: libra weight
Apple: Happy scale
Also: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p11 -
What you describe is totally normal. Varying amounts of water and food waste in your system will cause 1-2 pounds variation daily. It means nothing. Look at the longer-term trends to know what your weight is really doing.3
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Completely normal, but frustrating. If someone is doing everything right, it should go down a bit each day, but it doesn't. As long as you stick to plan, it will go down over the long term. Just remember how good you feel on the whoosh days.2
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ladyreva78 wrote: »That would be me. It's pretty normal I'm afraid, especially for us ladies and our hormones going crazy cyclically.
I started using a trending app to see where my weight is actually at. It smooths out all those seismographic extremes and gives you a clean line showing if you're losing or gaining.
I use trendweight.com but you need a fitbit account to log the weight.
The two below are also well known:
Android: libra weight
Apple: Happy scale
Also: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
I wish I had a cycle to account for the upswings, but I have Mirena so no period.
I'll try those apps. I don't like the way MFP logs weight on a more macro level.1 -
phloxflamingo22 wrote: »
I wish I had a cycle to account for the upswings, but I have Mirena so no period.
I'll try those apps. I don't like the way MFP logs weight on a more macro level.
To some extent, you do still have a cycle. My sister-in-law gets bloated like no one's business around when she's due for her period even though she's on the Mirena as well. So it can still have an influence on the scale.2 -
From a daily weigher and charter of 4 years that's a pretty normal cycle during the loss cycle
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The ups and downs are normal, common, and something I'm very familiar with. Someone recommended that I compare my weight with the month before, not the day or week before. This has been good advice for me.
I've lost nearly 60 pounds in a year and, like you, that averages to about five pounds per month - some months were eight, some were three, but it all adds up to me not being obese anymore. I'm in the home stretch now and it's even more important that I take the longview.
I'm also starting to look at it as an intro to maintenance, which I imagine will be fluctuations within a narrow weight range rather than a static number.2 -
Oh and here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
edit: LOL, someone beat me to it. oh well.0 -
Agree with other posters that HappyScale is the ticket. It shows you the downward trend and your current average, so it takes some of the stress out of those daily ups and downs. Good luck!2
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Yeppers, totally normal.
This is my personal favorite week of the month: I lose about 1lb a day for 5-7 days straight right before my period starts. Seriously, I was 217 on Sunday, and I weighed in this morning (Friday) at 211.6.
But then, my weight will shoot up 3-5 lbs, stay there and then start slowly dropping or rising depending on what I eat for 2 weeks until I'm back at my low (or a bit lower), then it will shoot up again for ovulation. Then, I get to start it all over again. In a month, I might lose 4-5lbs overall, which is why it's important for me to record daily so I understand WHY I'm gaining and losing weight. The more data I gather, the more understanding I have of myself. I just keep in mind my lowest weight, and if I am like 5-10 lbs higher than that low during a time that I should be on the low end, I know it's time for me to tighten up my logging. Find your individual cycle (whether it's monthly or not) and think about how much you lost overall during the same points on that cycle.
Plus, this is important for me to know when I get to maintenance. I can't just have a single numerical weight in mind, I have to allow for normal fluctuations without freaking out!4 -
phloxflamingo22 wrote: »I have noticed my weight loss is in an odd pattern.
I will hit a low, then bounce up 2-3 lbs the very next day. Stay up for a week or two then go down to my low for awhile. A week or so later I'll have another small "whoosh" and lose another 2 lbs, hit a new low and the cycle repeats itself. It's hard to accurately gauge how much weight I'm losing over time because I'm so up and down. Over the period of 6 months? Sure, I'm down weight. Over a month? Maybe 5lbs? It's hard to tell.
It's very frustrating to see a new exciting number on the scale and have it disappear for up to two weeks at a time. It makes me just want to give up because I KNOW I'm doing everything right. I KNOW, logically, that I can't have gained 2 lbs overnight. I know I can't have overeaten 10,000 calories to have added back two pounds of fat. It just doesn't seem to make sense to retain water like this. I don't think I eat that much sodium, and I am not a carbaholic.
Does anyone else lose like in spurts like this?
Yup, exactly like that.
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It's not weird, it's normal...weight loss isn't linear...body weight isn't static...it's all about long term trend lines and averages.0
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Yes, I hate it, i hit 165 a couple weeks ago and then sat at 166-167 for 2 weeks, today in 162.8, thats why i only weigh in once a week, its too frustrating otherwise0
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ladyreva78 wrote: »
To some extent, you do still have a cycle. My sister-in-law gets bloated like no one's business around when she's due for her period even though she's on the Mirena as well. So it can still have an influence on the scale.
I have the Mirena and can still track my cycle. Sore breasts, migraines, insane sugar cravings, and crying because I remember something bad that happened to someone else before I was born are my usual indicators. I've kept a health chart of headaches, mood swings, and sugar binges for the past year, and I'm on a surprisingly consistent schedule!5 -
phloxflamingo22 wrote: »
I wish I had a cycle to account for the upswings, but I have Mirena so no period.
I'll try those apps. I don't like the way MFP logs weight on a more macro level.
Same here with the Mirena. I use Happy Scale and it's very helpful for me. Keeps the panic at bay.
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It's not just you (or just women, for that matter). Has been happening to me for a long time; sometimes the variations are so sudden it's hilarious.0
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I wish there was even some type of pattern to my weight. It's just up, down, and all around. The general trend is downward, but from day to day I could be anywhere.0
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phloxflamingo22 wrote: »I have noticed my weight loss is in an odd pattern.
I will hit a low, then bounce up 2-3 lbs the very next day. Stay up for a week or two then go down to my low for awhile. A week or so later I'll have another small "whoosh" and lose another 2 lbs, hit a new low and the cycle repeats itself. It's hard to accurately gauge how much weight I'm losing over time because I'm so up and down. Over the period of 6 months? Sure, I'm down weight. Over a month? Maybe 5lbs? It's hard to tell.
It's very frustrating to see a new exciting number on the scale and have it disappear for up to two weeks at a time. It makes me just want to give up because I KNOW I'm doing everything right. I KNOW, logically, that I can't have gained 2 lbs overnight. I know I can't have overeaten 10,000 calories to have added back two pounds of fat. It just doesn't seem to make sense to retain water like this. I don't think I eat that much sodium, and I am not a carbaholic.
Does anyone else lose like in spurts like this?
This is why it's often suggested to weigh yourself weekly rather than daily. Focus on the big picture rather than daily fluctuations.0 -
.0
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extra_medium wrote: »
This is why it's often suggested to weigh yourself weekly rather than daily. Focus on the big picture rather than daily fluctuations.
Lol...that's exactly why I recommend daily. Imagine if you waited a whole week after working and sweating and then hit the scale only on your up days? Ugh...I'd throw in the towel. It's better to know that there are fluctuations and that you are headed in the right direction. Get a trending app
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If I weighed weekly I'd hardly ever see my lows! So I am also a daily weigher and a bouncer arounder. It is what it is, weight is never static and as long as I'm making progress, meh.1
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I think the only thing weird about weightloss is if it IS linear. Weight is based on so many factors, very few people are honest and articulate how many times they gain and plateau during their journey. HOWEVER you should be able to see something over the course of six months - is it a gain or loss? That will give you your answer. Six months is enough time to reasonably discern whether or not you're doing too much (cutting too much, lifting too much), or not doing enough (nutrition/exercise).0
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So totally normal. I work in kg's, but you can get my point. This is my current chart. It goes in a wavey pattern.
This is from 2015 where I lost a fair bit of weight, it also was always wavey with ups and downs. This was a screenshot I found, I can't access this information anymore which sucks.
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I've been losing like that for the past 18 months! I hate using apps on my phone, I just started using Weightgrapher, which is the site pictured in the last post, just above mine. I really like it.
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Lol...that's exactly why I recommend daily. Imagine if you waited a whole week after working and sweating and then hit the scale only on your up days? Ugh...I'd throw in the towel. It's better to know that there are fluctuations and that you are headed in the right direction. Get a trending app
EXACTLY! It's super depressing to miss a lower reading and see a high one on your one day weigh in!
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That's why I don't take my scale too literally - it just reads a weight but can't tell you the whole story. I just take the lowest reading and I don't bother logging upswings. If I get an upswing lasting more than a week I'll deal with that then.0
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EXACTLY! It's super depressing to miss a lower reading and see a high one on your one day weigh in!
Exactly! The more data the better. Just log it all and look at the trends. I weigh in the morning and every night before I go to bed, sometimes more after workouts.0
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