low weight versus most recent weight; goal as limit not middle of a range

CarvedTones
CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
edited November 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
This came up in a discussion with a coworker about weight loss. I was accused of cheating because while I am eating at a calorie deficit level, I consider my weight to be the lowest reading I have seen. My point is that assuming an accurate scale, you can never get a reading that is less than the weight of your body mass. You can certainly get a reading that is more. If you eat an 11 oz bagged salad and down a 20 oz water or diet drink, you can step on the scale and get a weight that is ~2# higher and all you have consumed is about 50 calories. If I see an uptick when I weigh and I am absolutely sure I am in deficit I ignore it. I am well below TDEE, use a food scale and don't get much exercise so I never log any extra burn. A higher weight one day is water or outflow falling behind inflow, which happens more frequently as I age.
People make themselves crazy and post threads asking how they could have gained a couple of pounds when they are sure about portions and didn't cheat. The answer, IMO, is that you can't gain body mass while in deficit. It's transient.

Once I hit goal, I will flip my position though. I am not doing goal plus or minus some number for a range. Goal is absolute max; if I ever see it or a higher number on the scale, I have to begin eating at deficit levels until I am below it. I am using this approach because previous failures (losses that were gained back) began with the expanding range. Goal was a number I hit once and then stayed above but close to until I decided a little further was okay and a little further and...
This time goal is the line in the sand. If I want to expand the range then I have to lose more not give myself permission to weigh even more than goal. I am hopeful that this approach will remove the flexibility I abused in the past.

Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I see no flaws in your logic. However I like to fit a linear line to my daily weigh ins to track progress. The line has about the same slope if you connect lowest readings, put it somewhere in the middle, or connect highest.
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
    I agree with you...the lowest weight I've seen on the scale is the weight I identify as my true weight...even if tomorrow I'm 2lbs heavier because I had soy sauce tonight :D
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    I don't see this as an issue where people need to convince each other to think the way they do. If you're happy with your logic, it shouldn't matter to anyone else.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    I don't see this as an issue where people need to convince each other to think the way they do. If you're happy with your logic, it shouldn't matter to anyone else.

    I mostly was annoyed at the accusation of cheating and wondered if most people would perceive it that way. It doesn't really matter; I am not going to march in tomorrow and tell her that people on the Internet agree with me but it does make me feel better to have my opinion validated.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    I don't see this as an issue where people need to convince each other to think the way they do. If you're happy with your logic, it shouldn't matter to anyone else.

    I mostly was annoyed at the accusation of cheating and wondered if most people would perceive it that way. It doesn't really matter; I am not going to march in tomorrow and tell her that people on the Internet agree with me but it does make me feel better to have my opinion validated.

    Personally, on the way down, I think I weigh what the scale says at any given time. It's a real number. Maybe I was dehydrated when I hit my low. That said, I don't see how your approach is "cheating" or wackadoodle, so long as you're honest about fluctuations that are due to going over maintenance calories versus fluctuations based on water retention, digestive issues, etc.

    I like your plan for having a hard ceiling when you're into maintenance, but I don't see how it matters that your hard ceiling is your goal number versus someone else setting their hard ceiling at 3 lbs above their original goal number. I think you've pointed out the importance of not letting your hard ceiling become a helium balloon.

    Don't let your coworker's opinion get you riled. If that's the most irritating thing somebody says to you about your food, weight, fitness plan, etc., consider yourself the luckiest person who ever tried to lose weight. :smile:
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    Lowest weight seen is my new weight, I totally agree. I fluctuate like insanity.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    The lowest weight is the one I would set my calories by and try my hardest to maintain.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I too go by lowest weight seen, Thats the one I update MFP with, and set my calories for, even if for the next 8 days I am above that weight (thats happening to me right now, thanks TOM)
  • jaedwa1
    jaedwa1 Posts: 114 Member
    When I began losing weight, I logged my weight daily. I love data and wanted to understand my fluctuation trends. After 4 months, I started logging only the new lows. I find that data is just as informative as the graph reveals how long, on average, it takes me to achieve a new low. It's all personal preference. But I definitely do no think you are cheating!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Are you in some kind of weight loss competition? If you are not how would what data you choose to record for yourself be cheating?
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    I do the same thing. My weigh is the lowest weight I have seen on the scale even if it it 2lbs higher the next day.
  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
    I can lose up to 6-lbs of water weight in a tough workout so, while I am always tempted to use my lowest weight seen as my true weight, I know that is not really a very accurate measure of my 'true' weight. I used to have a scale that kept track of every weighing and it would send me a weekly average, which is probably a pretty good way of avoiding the extremes on both ends of dehydration/water retention.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Are you in some kind of weight loss competition? If you are not how would what data you choose to record for yourself be cheating?

    It was an offhand comment someone I work with made. It pissed me off because it diminished the accomplishment. I probably should never have mentioned that it went back up a pound but I wasn't counting it; that's my fault.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I go by my lowest weight to set my calories if I know I'm not dehydrated. There was this one time I weighed myself after a day spent throwing up to the point of dry heaves due to a migraine, and I *knew* that next day's weight was wrong.

    Similar scenario for a time I was very sick and barely eating and had to force fluids. I waited a few days until normal eating resumed to see how things balanced out.

    I see no problem with your thinking. I know that weight can either be a moving average (this is how I'll look at it in maintence), but on the way down, I know my pattern and how my body reacts to various things (more carbs, various work outs, different sleep scenarios).

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