Hit a new low and immediately fall back?

OAS5
OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This has been happening ever since I got down about 60 pounds or so but at that timeline in my weight loss I also started weighing everyday so maybe that's why I noticed it. I finally broke through my lowest scale number of 199.6 to 199.0 exactly. It actually took months to see that number budge. Immediately the next day I was 200.3 and since that day I have been fluctuating between 200 and 203. I'm not saying I'm completely on point with everything but I'm not doing anything real bad or anything to gain weight. This all seem and sound normal to you? I only have 10-15 pounds to go and I'm starting to get annoyed. Not annoyed like I'm gonna give up and start eating McDonald's everyday. Just getting annoyed in general.

Replies

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear, and the closer to goal you get, the smaller you losses are and therefore more easily masked by water weight fluctuations. Are you using a trending app to log your weight? If not, you may want to start. They smooth out those fluctuations.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    It happens for me fairly frequently. Usually the day after I hit a new low, the next few days pop right back up. It keeps moving downwards in fits and starts.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    What you’re describing sounds like normal water/waste fluctuations, possibly combined with inaccurate logging.

    Especially when you’re close to your goal weight, the scale will not go down every day or week. It might even go up. You may only see it go down every 4-6 weeks or so. As long as you are certain that you’re in a calorie deficit, this is all normal and expected. However, you sound like you’re not certain whether you are consistently in a deficit.

    The best things to do would be:
    - make sure you’re using a food scale to weigh ALL your food, so you know you’re in a deficit
    - make sure your exercise calorie burns are reasonable and not inflated
    - use a trend weight app like Libra or Happy Scale, which “smooths out” normal weight fluctuations
    - be patient and consistent
  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
    I'm just about 100% sure I'm in a calorie deficit. I have an extremely active job and I'm not quite as disciplined as I was when I need to lose 80 pounds but I'm not way way off. No way am I near any kind of calorie count that I'd be gaining any weight. Thanks for the replies. These last 10-15 are just gonna be a pain in the butt I guess. I have a wedding in June and a big, big wedding in August so I really want these last few off by then. I'm extremely happy with how I look now, happy, but not satisfied. Want these last few gone!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    This all seems and sounds normal.

    Think of it this way: water and waste (food in your digestive tract) fluctuates, so whatever weight you see on the scale is in a range of fluctuations relative to your body mass. When you hit a new low, it is highly likely that the weight you're seeing is at your near the bottom of your current fluctuation range. You pretty much have nowhere to go but up in the immediate future, as loss of body mass is not going to amount to much in the short term compared to fluctuations in water and waste. So the odds of seeing a weight increase after a new low are pretty good.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    OAS5 wrote: »
    I'm just about 100% sure I'm in a calorie deficit. I have an extremely active job and I'm not quite as disciplined as I was when I need to lose 80 pounds but I'm not way way off. No way am I near any kind of calorie count that I'd be gaining any weight. Thanks for the replies. These last 10-15 are just gonna be a pain in the butt I guess. I have a wedding in June and a big, big wedding in August so I really want these last few off by then. I'm extremely happy with how I look now, happy, but not satisfied. Want these last few gone!

    If you only have 10 pounds left to lose, then it may be possible to lose it in 5 months, but I would strongly encourage not putting a time limit on it. The last few pounds are very slow, often require meticulous weighing and logging, and do not necessarily make a big difference in your appearance. The events you're attending won't be substantially different if you weigh 10 or 15 pounds less, as opposed to 5 or 8 pounds less--plus you run the risk of your formal wear needing to be altered at the last minute :)

    Additionally, further weight loss will not necessarily make you happier with how you look, since we can't control where the body burns fat. You might lose it where you want to lose it from, and you might not. If you're in your optimal BMI range, then I would consider recomp, which usually makes people happier with how they look.
  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
    Yeah I'm pretty happy with how I look, WAY happier than when I was 74 pounds heavier. 😁 I love putting on jeans that fit and look good. It's a whole different world. I really do want this last 10-15 pounds off. Want to be 185-190 which is roughly 10-15 pounds more. I guess this last bit could take a year. 😭 I just have a bit of belly fat that I'd like to get rid of but honestly no one can see it with my clothes on. It's not much. Thanks for the replies.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    The scale number on any one day is nothing but a data point. What is more important is the trend those data points create over time. Don't make yourself crazy with the ups and downs of water weight fluctuations.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I don't get to keep the new low weight very long either. Sometimes it is just for one scale session sometimes it is 2. I can't remember keeping one for 3 or more but it probably happened at some point. I have gotten good at recording the number in my spreadsheet and then forgetting it most days. I do not remember what I weighed this morning. I know it was coming back down some from an uptick but I do not remember the specifics.
  • rodnichols69
    rodnichols69 Posts: 83 Member
    I have the same issue. My weight varies 5 lbs. in any week. It can be maddening!

    To keep myself sane, I have an "official" weigh in every 4th Tuesday at 7am.

    I still step on the scale daily, but when I get frustrated, I remind myself of my previous 4 weeks' accomplishments and go on with my day.
  • rodnichols69
    rodnichols69 Posts: 83 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    The scale number on any one day is nothing but a data point. What is more important is the trend those data points create over time. Don't make yourself crazy with the ups and downs of water weight fluctuations.

    Well said. There are so many factors that cause weight to flucuate temporarily.
  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
    Now today's weigh in really pissed me off! Really, really pissed me off! I ate right yesterday, I know I did and at work did a ton of calorie burning. I walked miles yesterday and today I was 204.2 which I have not seen on the scale in months. I am extremely pissed off this morning, extremely! That number really pissed me off!
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    If you're not logging completely accurately then it's hard to say whether you're just eating a bit too much or if it's water weight. Log accurately and you'll have a better idea.
  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
    Yeah fluctuations I get that but I thought there 204s were over. Between 200 and 203 but I guess seeing 204 I did not like. You are right though, it's all good. See what tomorrow brings.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    It took me nine months to lose the last 15 which got me to 21 BMI.

    I had to log food, and not only so I wouldn't eat too much but also to assure that I was getting sufficient nutrition and eating enough. I had a 250 calorie per day deficit off my TDEE which I calculated by doing meticulous food and exercise logging over many months previously.

    I was hungry. I didn't stick to my goal very well. It was two steps forward and one step back. I often didn't lose for weeks. Did I mention I was hungry? It's not easy getting those last few pounds off, and I don't think I could have gotten there without a digital food scale and making 13 out of 14 meals per week at home from scratch. I had tried all the easier softer ways, and this is what I had to do.
  • rodnichols69
    rodnichols69 Posts: 83 Member
    OAS5 wrote: »
    Now today's weigh in really pissed me off! Really, really pissed me off! I ate right yesterday, I know I did and at work did a ton of calorie burning. I walked miles yesterday and today I was 204.2 which I have not seen on the scale in months. I am extremely pissed off this morning, extremely! That number really pissed me off!

    😄 All that walking made you heavier...

    BUT temporarily! After a lot of exercise our bodies tend to retain some water for a day or two for muscle recovery.

    Last Tuesday I weighed 201. I did a max effort spin class 3 days in a row. On Saturday I weighed 206 (WTH??? & YES, IT TOTALLY PISSED ME OFF!) This Tuesday, I weighed 199.

    Keep doing the right things and good things will happen. Trust your journey.
  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
    Yeah I'm sorry guess for the negativity. Just a little annoyed by the scale this morning. These last 15 are just stubborn as hell. I knew it was gonna be a pain but I didn't think it was gonna be this much of a pain in the butt. Again sorry for the negativity and thanks for the replies.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    Just curious, but how are you measuring intake? Are you using a food scale? As you get smaller, your deficit has less leeway and errors are more likely to affect your weight loss.
  • sbarkston
    sbarkston Posts: 24 Member
    After a long run ... usually on a weekend...on the Monday I've gained 3lb.
    Water retention in the muscles... it goes after a couple of days
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Please reread the part about trends and fluctuations. You are way too invested in the daily number on the scale.
  • RunStart34
    RunStart34 Posts: 164 Member
    No, i get it. Working so hard and yet the scale goes up. But I do also have to agree with all the comments here about the fluctuation in water weight. With a hard workout or sore muscle I know not to weight myself because i know i went up a few pounds.. so i tend to rely on waist measurement and picture by picture views of myself to remind myself that even if i don't drop pounds i will still be working hard because i won't go back to where i was.

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