my weight keeps going up and down.

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I am struggling with getting my weight down. I have lost 10 lbs since January. However, the last 2 weeks the scale has been going up and down 9 lbs from 178.8 to 168.8 ( i was originally 186). I know i'm making progress but i can't figure out what it is. I have a desk job but on my lunch i walk for 20-30 mins most days and then go to the gym 5x a week doing 45-60 min of cardio and light weight lifting. I feel like my diet is very clean and stable during the week i may eat some extra carbs that i don't normally have on weekend but try to keep it balanced.

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  • jessi8808mfp
    jessi8808mfp Posts: 1 Member
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    drinking plenty of water helps also
  • BaguetteChaude
    BaguetteChaude Posts: 25 Member
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    Congrats on your 10 lb loss !
    You need to make sure to weight yourself always at the same time for the data to be consistent. Also, weight loss not being linear, fluctuations happen a lot and water weight can give the impression that you gained a few lb. If your intake is below your expenditure there is no secret, it means you're losing weight
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Are you weighing all solid food using a food scale?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Are you weighing in at the same time of day and under the same conditions? ie morning after using the bathroom and naked? Or are you weighing yourself throughout the day or under different conditions every time you weigh in. 10 Lb fluctuations are pretty big and that to me would indicate you aren't weighing in at the same time and under the same conditions or possible using a different scale. Another issue could be your scales batteries.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    kaillasue wrote: »
    I feel like my diet is very clean and stable during the week i may eat some extra carbs that i don't normally have on weekend but try to keep it balanced.

    Are you actually logging what you eat and tracking calories? Not sure what a “clean and stable” diet is.

  • kaillasue
    kaillasue Posts: 10 Member
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    i am weighing myself every morning after i've my normal bathroom routine. I actually went out and bought a new scale cause i thought it was broken it jumped so high over night.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,656 Member
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    Floor - unyielding?
  • MCTay23
    MCTay23 Posts: 20 Member
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    keep with it. U got this :)
  • New_me_19
    New_me_19 Posts: 40 Member
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    https://www.instagram.com/syattfitness/ he recently done a 90 day fat loss challenge but shows how scales fluctuates and why not to stress on it, maybe worth having a look
  • kbmnurse1
    kbmnurse1 Posts: 316 Member
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    Better than just up.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    If you have ruled out problems with your scale or its placement, then what you’re seeing is probably water weight fluctuation and/or other sources of weight fluctuation that are not fat, such as undigested food.

    However, you don’t mention how you are measuring your food, and you didn’t answer the question about whether you use a food scale. If you aren’t using a food scale, you don’t know whether you are in a calorie deficit. We therefore can’t rule out the possibility that some of the weight fluctuation might be fat.

    Eating “clean,” the number of carbs you eat, etc. have nothing to do with fat loss. The only thing that governs fat loss is whether or not you are consistently in a calorie deficit.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    Another possibility is hormonal swings. And it could be a combination of this and everything mentioned above. An outlying possibility, since it's been sudden onset after 3 months of data keeping and relatively predictable findings, is that you have a medical issue. Pay attention to whether you are also experiencing tight rings on your fingers and/or swelling in lower extremities. If you are, then getting checked out by your primary care provider is a good idea.
  • danreese30
    danreese30 Posts: 5 Member
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    Its tough to look at it that way, and I am guessing that you are not making progress. First, a human around 180 lbs could have as much as a 5lb swing based (how much they pooped, peed, how much water they drank the day before, how much they exhaled during workouts...where 2/3 of weight loss goes)....Second, it is more common that you hit a small plateau for a week and then start to lose again. I see weight loss like that...I lose for 2 weeks, then stall for 1 week...then lose, then stall...I am losing big weight, and you didnt supply enough info. Lastly, for me, when I started my weight loss journey, I was burning 3600 calories a day doing nothing (breathing, growing hair, keeping my temp at 98, blood flow, etc). I have now lost 70lbs and my calories have dropped to 3200 per day....there is less of me to move (causing less energy expenditure) and less temp to maintain, its easier to push blood. So as you decrease, it becomes hard that the "same activity" does the same thing. So to get my calorie burn workout of 400 cals, I have to move faster or push more weight in the same time as before, or I can drop to 250 cals in a workout....So progress means you have to do MORE, not the same because your baseline calorie burn is not the same. these are all the factors working against you when you try and lose, so consider these things. Walk more briskly at lunch, eat less carbs, and tighten your calorie deficiet. Good luck
  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Great ideas!
  • takemetosingapore2019
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    I’m gonna go against what other people are saying here. Yes, congrats on 10lbs , but a 9lb fluctuation is significantly above the 5lb normal amount to fluctuate by. Please see a doctor and make sure your hormones and everything level wise is all good!