Ladies - TOM question

natat326 wrote: »

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

Just to throw some quick calorie math in here. . . . 3.5 lbs a week is1750 calorie deficit a DAY. OP, you simply don't have that much to lose. Based on what you've said, you want to drop about 35lbs from the beginning of May (when I believe you began?) until your vacation at the end of August. That give you about 17 weeks. You could aim for 2lbs a week if you can get 1k calorie deficit a day (on average), and that would get you there but that will be tough to maintain as you get closer to your goal. It might come off quickly in the beginning, but you may need to reassess your goals as you get closer to your final weight. I'm not there yet, myself, but most veteran posters have said that the last 10 or so pounds are the hardest to lose. You may be better off revising your goal to something more realistic like a 1lb/wk and still enjoy your summer. You'll still be nearly 20 pound less fat by the time that vacation rolls around and you'll be a much healthier person than one who crash diets into 35 pounds in 17 weeks, IMO. Figure out how many calories you need to maintain, and then work out your deficit (-500 or -750) from there.

Don't worry about the scale so much. Fat loss all comes down to thermodynamics. If you burn 3500 more calories than you take in you WILL lose a pound of fat. The scale will show water, muscle, and fat loss, and is not to be trusted. If you track accurately, and you know that you're maintaining a deficit, the loss will eventually show up. Fluctuations happen and they can't be controlled, so you can't get worked up about them.

Rebecca0224 wrote: »

competecompetecompete wrote: »

This TOM fella sure is popular...

I think most women dislike his visits.

Yeah he came knocking at my door this morning. I hate the guy, but what's a girl to do.

I've got to confess that there's something very satisfying about pissing out 7lb of water in two days after TOM; but not satisfying enough to make up for gaining it for the week before!

Hey ladies just so you can get an idea of how non-linear weight loss is - I have lost 27lb in around 25 weeks so far - averaging just over a 1lb per week, however, this is how my progress graph looks:


It can seem sometimes like you're getting nowhere but if you're sticking to your calorie goal and logging accurately you will get the results. Stick at it and don't be disheartened by the fluctuations.