Ladies - TOM question

Options
natat326
natat326 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I've only had this app since the start of the month and have been doing pretty well with it. I'm down 7 lbs since starting but this week I've been doing exactly the same sticking to my calorie limits and exercising and the scales haven't budged I'm guessing it's because I'm due my period and I'm probably retaining water it's just so annoying checking the scales and it's not changed since Monday. Is this normal? Should I expect a drop when my period eventually comes or should I lower my calories? I've set targets for myself and have another 7 lbs to loose before the end of the month and really can't see that happening if I really have just maintained my weight this week feels like a waste of a week and it's put me in the worst mood ever. Do you guys normally maintain or gain a pound when it's your TOM even though you've been on plan? And if so should I expect to see a drop soon? Or do you think I'm maybe not recording my calorie intake properly?
«1

Replies

  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    Options
    It's not uncommon for me to gain 2-3lbs right before my period. It comes easy though.
    Depending on how much you have to lose, you have to keep in mind that weight loss is not always linear. You might not lose anything all week and them Boom!
    Keep going, make sure you log as accurate as you can. It will happen
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
    Options
    1. Tom weight will go up for me about 5 lbs and then back down after my period .
    2. 14 lbs a month is too much to expect for any but the most obease like over 400 lbs and your picture doesnt look like that.
    3. They have weight trending apps out there if it makes it easier to view the trend.
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    5 lbs oh my god that's so much! That definitely makes me feel better! I'm hoping it is just because of my period, I've got about 2 and a half stone to loose and I've been eating roughly 1300 calories a day sometimes a bit less sometimes a bit more and it's actually been easy I feel like I'm eating all the time and I've been at the gym about 3-4 times a week along with walking everyday and dropped half a stone in 2 weeks so I've not been restricting anything crazy it's naturally just coming off quick I guess because the past few months I've been eating so bad and I've got a bit to loose so it's probably just coming off quicker that's why I didn't think it's too much to expect 14lbs off in a month but a weight tracker app sounds like a good idea that way I can see if the time of the month is the reason for maintaining this week. Itll be only my third week on Monday so it just feels a bit soon for me to be maintaining weight even though I've been really good this week but I'll stick it out and if it doesn't change in the next few days I'll need to re evaluate how many calories I should be having
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    Options
    With TOM 5-6lbs has been my worst, when flying to visit my parents 10lbs of water retention has been my worst. All sorts of things can make you retain water it usually comes off not long after (I know exactly when because I spend a day peeing like mad). If all goes well usually with a little extra too (if I behave myself with the pms munchies).
  • lilysillycat
    lilysillycat Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    my Tom just started today and I'm already up 2 lbs. The weight usually goes away. But I just hate wasting so much time.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    Options
    I showed absolutely no loss for 2 weeks while eating in a deficit... The week prior and the week during. The day it ended I was down another pound from my lowest. It's common. Just make sure to stay hydrated and wait it out. You'll easily fluctuate during your TOM.
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    veganbaum wrote: »
    I'm not sure why you would say you'd wait a few more days and if nothing changes you'll evaluate what you're doing. PPs just gave you examples of how weight fluctuates.

    A couple of weeks is not a timeframe in which to make judgments about your weight. If you are going to make changes based on what your body does over that short a time frame, you're going to be making changes all the time - and frustrate yourself. Weight loss is not linear, often even more so when you are female and have fluctuations due to your cycle. You need to give a plan 4-6 weeks before making changes, and then change just one thing and wait another 4-6 weeks. That might seem like a long time now, but in the scheme of things is nothing.


    I totally get that it's normal for weight to fluctuate but I just feel I should still see the scales fluctuating I tend to only track my weight by going with what it says on Monday mornings first thing but I've gotten into a bad habit of weighing myself everyday sometimes more than once but the scales have stayed the same exactly the same since Monday doesn't matter what time of day it is if I'm naked or fully clothed doesn't seem right to me. I'm going on holiday in august and set targets for myself that's why I'm stressing so bad but surely if it's not changed say by Wednesday I should think about changing something? That would be 10 days with no change at all I just don't want to waste anymore days overeating if that's the case but your right I'll get a better picture of how well it's working by the end of the month it's just easy to feel like it's a waste of time when the scales aren't changing even though I feel like they should be.
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    lilysillycat wrote: »
    my Tom just started today and I'm already up 2 lbs. The weight usually goes away. But I just hate wasting so much time.

    That's exactly how I feel like it's a waste of time! It's so annoying but I'm going to wait it out I always tend to get really bloated the week before and normally feel much better when I actually start my period so I'm hoping that's the reason for the scales not changing going by what other people have said that's what tends to happen and since they haven't went up and stayed the same I'm hoping I have lost a pound or 2 this week it's just not showing on the scales yet! If not then I'll have to make changes I don't have the patience for this right now haha hate being a female sometimes
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
    Options
    Relax weight progress is a slow and steady wins the race thing. Measure progress in weeks and months not days
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    amtyrell wrote: »
    Relax weight progress is a slow and steady wins the race thing. Measure progress in weeks and months not days

    This was going to be my suggestion. OP you've lost SEVEN this week and hope to lose SEVEN more by in the next six days? I worry that you're trying to do too much. That said: I saw no losses until my period had come and gone.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    Options
    Some of that 7 pound you have lost may be water weight since that's more than you should be losing for your goals, the scale staying the same will be water retention for TOM and also your body getting over the initial drop, you will start losing again, weight loss isn't linear and water weight both exaggerates and masks loss (you will have lost fat this week just retained more water, just don't be disappointed if your weight loss slows down considerably, it is normal and healthy and sustaining a larger loss means you lose muscle as well as fat for your weight loss goals, don't throw the baby out with the bath water for a number on the scale, you should be looking at 1-1.5 pounds a week so as to not lose too much lean mass.

    Good luck :)
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    natat326 wrote: »
    veganbaum wrote: »
    I'm not sure why you would say you'd wait a few more days and if nothing changes you'll evaluate what you're doing. PPs just gave you examples of how weight fluctuates.

    A couple of weeks is not a timeframe in which to make judgments about your weight. If you are going to make changes based on what your body does over that short a time frame, you're going to be making changes all the time - and frustrate yourself. Weight loss is not linear, often even more so when you are female and have fluctuations due to your cycle. You need to give a plan 4-6 weeks before making changes, and then change just one thing and wait another 4-6 weeks. That might seem like a long time now, but in the scheme of things is nothing.


    I totally get that it's normal for weight to fluctuate but I just feel I should still see the scales fluctuating I tend to only track my weight by going with what it says on Monday mornings first thing but I've gotten into a bad habit of weighing myself everyday sometimes more than once but the scales have stayed the same exactly the same since Monday doesn't matter what time of day it is if I'm naked or fully clothed doesn't seem right to me. I'm going on holiday in august and set targets for myself that's why I'm stressing so bad but surely if it's not changed say by Wednesday I should think about changing something? That would be 10 days with no change at all I just don't want to waste anymore days overeating if that's the case but your right I'll get a better picture of how well it's working by the end of the month it's just easy to feel like it's a waste of time when the scales aren't changing even though I feel like they should be.

    Sometimes, you can do everything right and stay within the plan and not lose anything for 3 weeks. Then all of a sudden, you get a 4 or 5 pound loss. So many factors impact scale weight that have absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

    It looks like you set a 14 pound target based upon how much you lost the first couple of weeks. Keep in mind that a large portion of the early loss was water and not fat. So, it's lost at a quicker rate. The loss will slow. It's not likely that you will lose 14 pounds of fat by the end of the month unless you are very obese.

    If you continue to make adjustments and stress yourself out because of a goal that you have set for yourself, it is going to be a miserable few months for you. Weight loss is not linear. We don't lose in a straight line.

    Also, the scale doesn't care if it is Monday or not. The thing about weight loss is that we don't always lose what we think we deserve to lose. You are stressing yourself out over something that you can't control (weight fluctuations). What you can control is trying to be patient and trust your numbers. If you are eating at a calorie deficit and have been losing, then you will continue to lose.... just maybe not every week like you think you should. Constantly lowering calories is not the answer. Patience and time are. I know that it can be difficult and frustrating mentally when results don't come at the rate you would like, but trust me, you are making yourself miserable for no good reason.

    Good luck.

    Thanks for taking the time to write all that I really appreciate that. I thought I could loose between 12-14 lbs this month averaging about 2-3.5 lbs per week knowing that it comes off quick to begin with
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Sorry that posted when I wasn't finished typing .. so I worked it out based on what I've lost previously I've managed to do that in a month before healthily but from what others have said it looks like I'm way off I was just stressing that day and felt like my clothes were fitting better and felt lighter in the mornings it was just annoying not seeing the scale go down but I've been reading loads on here and now know that it doesn't always come off at a steady rate so I'm not too worried now I've dropped another lb since Sunday when I posted this so that's been enough to keep me from going mental but at least I know now that this is normal and not to stress out too much.

    Thanks for helping me guys with all your replies
  • natat326
    natat326 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    amtyrell wrote: »
    Relax weight progress is a slow and steady wins the race thing. Measure progress in weeks and months not days

    This was going to be my suggestion. OP you've lost SEVEN this week and hope to lose SEVEN more by in the next six days? I worry that you're trying to do too much. That said: I saw no losses until my period had come and gone.

    No I lost 7 in the first 2 weeks the third week I stayed the same and I'm now down to 8 lbs down and it's week 4 for me now I expected to loose 7 lbs in 2 weeks but the week I didn't loose anything messed that up for me and going by what other have said I aimed to loose too much in that space of time anyway but no I didn't expect to loose 7 in a week haha I wish I could but no unfortunately not
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    Options
    I've gained upwards of 7 pounds. Give your body time.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    I've been up 2ish lbs for the last 3 days. My periods arrived this morning, those 2lbs disappeared along with an extra 1/2lb. I'm down to the last lb or so till i hit goal weight, so i rejoice with every gram lost, as it's very, very sloooow going.

    I use a weight tracking site called Trendweight, it smooths out the fluctuations, and helps you not to have a panic attack when the scale doesn't seem to be co-operating.

    There are also phone apps:

    Happyscale- iphone

    Libra- Android.

Categories