Frustrated and upset...
HM2206
Posts: 174 Member
Let me first start by saying that I have lost weight before and have no issues with the "dynamics" behind it (calories in vs. calories out). I have always been within the normal BMI range, between a little chubby to very skinny. When I want to lose weight and apply myself (weighing all food, including milk in my coffee), I usually have no issues.
I have a couple of vanity pounds I have been sirely wanting to lose before a long awaited vacation to the South of France is coming up. I know there is a limit to how much you can lose in 2-3 weeks, but as I am normal weight I also know that 3-4 lbs makes a big difference in how I look.
I have done what have worked for me before - eating at a low deficit, as well as increasing my daily activity a lot without eating it back. I have been eating around 1700 cals a day, and added a couple of walks at a very brisk pace, at around 2 hrs per day, creating a daily deficit of around 500. Even when eating healthy and a lot of protein and veggies, I have been slightly hungry when going to bed, and starving when I wake up. Living with my sister - who usually eats whatever she wants - I have been somewhat of a pain in the *kitten*, forcing her to hold back on everything. Nevertheless, I have been strict.
I have been feeling good the past week - tummy is flatter, I feel slimmer and I have that comfortable soreness in my muscles from walking a lot. Today I went on the scale, trying to manage my expectation, and thinking that any progress is some progress. I have gained a pound! I felt the tears coming and was just so upset. Yes, it is silly for a not-fat girl to cry over this, but I am angry with my body and don't understand. I have been doing the same thing I did a few years back, which then worked well.
I have been trying to think what it is, but am clueless. I weighed before breakfast, like last time. Usually I take off weight pretty easily.
Other options?
I have a couple of vanity pounds I have been sirely wanting to lose before a long awaited vacation to the South of France is coming up. I know there is a limit to how much you can lose in 2-3 weeks, but as I am normal weight I also know that 3-4 lbs makes a big difference in how I look.
I have done what have worked for me before - eating at a low deficit, as well as increasing my daily activity a lot without eating it back. I have been eating around 1700 cals a day, and added a couple of walks at a very brisk pace, at around 2 hrs per day, creating a daily deficit of around 500. Even when eating healthy and a lot of protein and veggies, I have been slightly hungry when going to bed, and starving when I wake up. Living with my sister - who usually eats whatever she wants - I have been somewhat of a pain in the *kitten*, forcing her to hold back on everything. Nevertheless, I have been strict.
I have been feeling good the past week - tummy is flatter, I feel slimmer and I have that comfortable soreness in my muscles from walking a lot. Today I went on the scale, trying to manage my expectation, and thinking that any progress is some progress. I have gained a pound! I felt the tears coming and was just so upset. Yes, it is silly for a not-fat girl to cry over this, but I am angry with my body and don't understand. I have been doing the same thing I did a few years back, which then worked well.
I have been trying to think what it is, but am clueless. I weighed before breakfast, like last time. Usually I take off weight pretty easily.
Other options?
10
Replies
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If you're seeing results physically, why are you concerned by a number? Especially an increase that could be nothing more than a normal fluctuation.26
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Let's face it the scale can be a bully!
I understand! it is a pain in the *kitten*. the closer you are to goal the harder it is too lose and all that. you increased your walks so I would say w the muscle soreness you might just be expeirencing water to cushion your muscles, and or muscle wt's more than fat effect.
I always say it's a 2 week program. What I do this week will show up next week.
However I think upi need to rely on your NSV (non scale victory) comfortable soreness, tummy flatter, feeling slimmer,and I bet your clothes are feeling better.4 -
vespiquenn wrote: »If you're seeing results physically, why are you concerned by a number? Especially an increase that could be nothing more than a normal fluctuation.
Yes I thought that too, but I am numbers person, and I am starting to doubt whether it is real if I don't see it.
I know that people tend to get a little 'blind' in regards to their own bodies, and now I am worried that I haven't actually lost anything
5 -
vespiquenn wrote: »If you're seeing results physically, why are you concerned by a number? Especially an increase that could be nothing more than a normal fluctuation.
Yes I thought that too, but I am numbers person, and I am starting to doubt whether it is real if I don't see it.
I know that people tend to get a little 'blind' in regards to their own bodies, and now I am worried that I haven't actually lost anything
That still is no reason to be upset. You say in your post that you are working on vanity pounds and a few pounds make a difference in your appearance. If your appearance is showing a difference, you are making progress. You are stressing about nothing.4 -
Let me first start by saying that I have lost weight before and have no issues with the "dynamics" behind it (calories in vs. calories out). I have always been within the normal BMI range, between a little chubby to very skinny. When I want to lose weight and apply myself (weighing all food, including milk in my coffee), I usually have no issues.
I have a couple of vanity pounds I have been sirely wanting to lose before a long awaited vacation to the South of France is coming up. I know there is a limit to how much you can lose in 2-3 weeks, but as I am normal weight I also know that 3-4 lbs makes a big difference in how I look.
I have done what have worked for me before - eating at a low deficit, as well as increasing my daily activity a lot without eating it back. I have been eating around 1700 cals a day, and added a couple of walks at a very brisk pace, at around 2 hrs per day, creating a daily deficit of around 500. Even when eating healthy and a lot of protein and veggies, I have been slightly hungry when going to bed, and starving when I wake up. Living with my sister - who usually eats whatever she wants - I have been somewhat of a pain in the *kitten*, forcing her to hold back on everything. Nevertheless, I have been strict.
I have been feeling good the past week - tummy is flatter, I feel slimmer and I have that comfortable soreness in my muscles from walking a lot. Today I went on the scale, trying to manage my expectation, and thinking that any progress is some progress. I have gained a pound! I felt the tears coming and was just so upset. Yes, it is silly for a not-fat girl to cry over this, but I am angry with my body and don't understand. I have been doing the same thing I did a few years back, which then worked well.
I have been trying to think what it is, but am clueless. I weighed before breakfast, like last time. Usually I take off weight pretty easily.
Other options?
You're talking about 1 pound. Do you think that 1 pound is fat? If your logging is true, and it appears that you know what you're doing there, then an extra pound of fat is not possible.
That's what is rational here. Worrying about a pound of fluctuation is not. So it appears that you understand logging, but not fluctuation. Trust what you know to be true: 1) you have not gained a pound of fat, 2) your body will retain water for many reasons - almost all of them good.
So, your best option is...........don't sweat it.
I know that's easier said than done, but fluctuations have been there for all of us for all of our lives regardless of whether we are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight. Or whether we are trying to do anything at all.
Go enjoy the South of France.9 -
you say you're feeling sore... so you're retaining water... don't be angry at your body, its just doing its job responding to the increase in exercise stressing your muscles. be angry at yourself for overreacting about a normal fluctuation.12
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The scale fluctuates daily due to all sorts of things, not fat related. This is normal and it shouldn't surprise or discourage you. Water retention due to sodium/exercise, hormones/pms/tom, digestion periods, constipation, what time you weighed yourself/how you weighed yourself, if you took a shower before you weighed yourself (seriously, this can affect the scale), if you had something to drink before you weighed yourself, if your scale's batteries are getting old etc etc etc.
A pound is nothing-I can fluctuate 3-4lbs in a given day. It's not actual fat gains though
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You need to start weighing yourself daily for a few months and you will see all kinds of crazy things on that scale
Not only your weight changes during the day, but it can change between days like crazy too. Ate mushrooms with super salty marinade? Sure, +2lbs next morning, did not eat anything high in sodium that day? -2.5lbs next morning. Your period is coming? Surprise, +3lbs for you. Ate more than your daily goal and skipped the planned exercise? -2lbs! Have fun with that, brain!
It's the overall trend of the weight/scale that tells you the bigger picture. If your tummy looks slimmer, you feel better and you are eating less and exercising more, you haven't gained anything.
Also, make sure you are not undereating, hungry before bed does not sound good to me. It's great to not feel stuffed, but physical hunger means you are not eating enough (and not the good kind of not eating enough).10 -
Could have gained muscle? as muscle weighs more than fat, if you're already an ideal weight and you feel slimmer it must be muscle you have gained, don't get too disheartened, I know your a number person but just bear in mind about muscle or possible water retention, we often throughout the day gain and lose a few lbs, you are losing weight for vanity reasons remember so if you feel and look slimmer try and go by that and also, enjoy your holiday 23
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ONE pound? I can show a ONE pound increase on the scale by eating potato chips right before bed. I think you are overreacting a bit.10
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RamboKitty87 wrote: »Could have gained muscle? as muscle weighs more than fat, if you're already an ideal weight and you feel slimmer it must be muscle you have gained, don't get too disheartened
No, you don't gain a lb of muscle in a week from walking.
She gained water. Water fluctuates all the time, so being up or down even 3 lbs or more from water happens no matter what, time of month matters (but differently from woman to woman), other things matter. As another poster pointed out, if you are sore you are going to be retaining water -- it's part of the healing process and why new activity is often connected to a short-term gain or stall.I know your a number person but just bear in mind about muscle or possible water retention, we often throughout the day gain and lose a few lbs, you are losing weight for vanity reasons remember so if you feel and look slimmer try and go by that and also, enjoy your holiday
Agree with this, except for the muscle thing.8 -
I so get you and I'm sorry. It's very frustrating to be frustrated (if that makes sense).
This was me on Monday. I'm also a "numbers" person. The number on the scale literally ruined my day. It made no sense, I knew the number I saw was a water response to the salty food I ate the night before, but it didn't matter. All day at work, people kept asking me what was wrong. I so wore it on my sleeve. I was devastated.
Weight loss and body imagine are complex things. Be kind to yourself!5 -
I've been losing on average 0.1 to 0.2 pounds a day. This morning I had "gained" 0.9 pounds. No worries, it will be gone again soon, and then some! The real numbers that have mattered to me more are on my measuring tape. My guess is that yours would show a smaller waist number today than the day you started, since your tummy is flatter. You are having success!! And it's okay to eat later in the day if you have the calories left in your budget, I usually eat a small snack before bed. Enjoy your vacation!2
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Don't sweat it. I've gotten a bit frustrated at having lost weight at a steady pace, then I wake up and I've... gained? OMG it is so aggravating, especially because that small gain was always the point in the past (before my health problems were addressed) where I stopped losing no matter how hard I tried. It's a bitter feeling now, but if I give it another day or two, I find I've re-lost it and then some I think there's so many silly reasons for an extra pound or two, from the time of the month, to even a mild digestive backup. 0
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OliveGirl128 wrote: »The scale fluctuates daily due to all sorts of things, not fat related. This is normal and it shouldn't surprise or discourage you. Water retention due to sodium/exercise, hormones/pms/tom, digestion periods, constipation, what time you weighed yourself/how you weighed yourself, if you took a shower before you weighed yourself (seriously, this can affect the scale), if you had something to drink before you weighed yourself, if your scale's batteries are getting old etc etc etc.
Yes I thought about fluctations, but I thought I had though of everything.
The scale is brand new - bought yesterday. My period is 10 days from now, so not PMSing yet. No shower, water or food before weighing.
Might be sodium, some of the stuff I had yesterday was a little high in sodium...Bothers me that it should account for so much though (meaning that not only have I not lost weight, but gained).
How long for the body to get rid of water weight?0 -
Probable TMI: Sometimes, you gain weight at a certain point in your cycle, not necessarily at Time of Month. It kind of makes a certain amount of sense: your body is getting ready for potential life so it starts producing that extra lining it's going to shed in a couple of weeks. I'd suspect that weighs something. Me, I generally lose significantly when it actually starts, likely in part because I tend toward stomach upset in the first couple of days, and I don't think I absorb nearly as much food as usual.1
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estherdragonbat wrote: »Probable TMI: Sometimes, you gain weight at a certain point in your cycle, not necessarily at Time of Month. It kind of makes a certain amount of sense: your body is getting ready for potential life so it starts producing that extra lining it's going to shed in a couple of weeks. I'd suspect that weighs something. Me, I generally lose significantly when it actually starts, likely in part because I tend toward stomach upset in the first couple of days, and I don't think I absorb nearly as much food as usual.
This. Just because it's not your TOM doesn't mean weight isn't impacted. Ovulation is known to cause water retention. In my case, my weight drop comes immediately following that as a whoosh, even though my logging was accurate the weeks before that.
With that being said, I still reiterate my point that you're stressing over nothing. If weighing in frequently and seeing normal fluctuations is troublesome for you to see, I recommend weighing less or getting yourself a trend app like TrendWeight or Happy Scale.1 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »The scale fluctuates daily due to all sorts of things, not fat related. This is normal and it shouldn't surprise or discourage you. Water retention due to sodium/exercise, hormones/pms/tom, digestion periods, constipation, what time you weighed yourself/how you weighed yourself, if you took a shower before you weighed yourself (seriously, this can affect the scale), if you had something to drink before you weighed yourself, if your scale's batteries are getting old etc etc etc.
Yes I thought about fluctations, but I thought I had though of everything.
The scale is brand new - bought yesterday. My period is 10 days from now, so not PMSing yet. No shower, water or food before weighing.
Might be sodium, some of the stuff I had yesterday was a little high in sodium...Bothers me that it should account for so much though (meaning that not only have I not lost weight, but gained).
How long for the body to get rid of water weight?
If its a new set of scales then there's a good chance you'll weigh in differently to your old set anyway. Sorry!8 -
TavistockToad wrote: »you say you're feeling sore... so you're retaining water... don't be angry at your body, its just doing its job responding to the increase in exercise stressing your muscles. be angry at yourself for overreacting about a normal fluctuation.
This. Plus, where are you in your cycle? Lots of women retain water around ovulation time and also at TOM.1 -
"comfortable soreness in my muscles" = excess water. Reward yourself with a day of rest. Stay in a calorie deficit.8
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