Scale frustration

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Isrn2
Isrn2 Posts: 160
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying so hard to look at the big picture ... my weight is slowly going down (21 pounds in 3 months). But the elation of seeing my weight drop by a couple of pounds (verified over a 2-3 day period) is offset by the fact that a few days after the weight loss, I seem to gain back 3 - 4 pounds and maintain at that higher weight for a couple of weeks. Then when I'm ready to scream because I'm not seeing any changes, I'll wake up and have 5 pounds drop off overnight.

Each time my weight drops and then rebounds I have to remind myself that overall weight is going down, but it's so hard not to focus on the higher weight. I'm adjusting my goals on MFP to the lowest weight that I've recorded to be sure that I'm continuing to eat in a way that will allow me to continue losing, but the madness of it continues!!

Replies

  • melissarefson
    melissarefson Posts: 19 Member
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    21 pounds in 3 months is great! A nice steady pace and you should be proud!
  • sineadangele1
    sineadangele1 Posts: 97 Member
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    i'm in the exact same position. its frustrating =[
  • alexa_image
    alexa_image Posts: 387 Member
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    I will recommend for you to take pictures and measurements.
    Some times the scale does not move but if you eat healthy and workout, you'll shrink
    and there is no other way to noticed but with measurements and pictures.
    Don't trust the scale too much, it is frustrating.
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
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    Throw your scale in storage for a month or two.

    Progress maybe slow, but it's steady. Keep going, nose to the grindstone. Come back later and measure again.

    Do you watch the clock at work? Doesn't it make the day go by slow?

    Seriously take some time off from the scale. You know your losing weight, give it a month then check again. You will drive yourself crazy or you will make weekly if not daily corrections to adjust for something that you really don't need to adjust for.

    You are doing great! keep it up!
  • alexa_image
    alexa_image Posts: 387 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/359142-insanity-shakeology-resuls
    Here is a copy of my progress doing some workout for 60 days,
    The scale only moved 2 pounds, but I lost a lot of inches.
  • rockinjess
    rockinjess Posts: 6
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    Not to be too personal - but mine does that to or did when i just used the phone app! What I eventually figured out was that MFP does not allow for water retention which happens to all us girls! Its a weird hormone thing I only know because I asked my doctor hope this helps x
  • sarahlouise1978
    sarahlouise1978 Posts: 13 Member
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    How often are you weighing yourself? I have limited myself to weighins once a week, always on a Saturday morning the moment I get up. Before I did this, I saw my weight go up and down lots but now that I only weigh myself once a week at the same time of day, it seems to be going down steadily. I figure that water retention is going to be similar at similar times of the day. And I know that if I weight myself too often, I gte abit obsessed with it. Maybe try weighins just once a fortnight? Hope this helps...

    Your weight loss is amazing btw- keep going!
  • SpeedBump1
    SpeedBump1 Posts: 74 Member
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    I am in the same boat. I wish my hormones would leave the water retention thing alone. Ugh!
  • brittbergh
    brittbergh Posts: 130 Member
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    the scale is annoying... I have an obsession in which I happen to weight myself every single time Im in the bathroom..so my husband took my scale away for sanity reasons.
    It is super annoying to watch your weight go up and down all crazy like all the time. Stop weighing yourself for a while! Do measurements (and I like those cause I cant do them by myself, total lack of coordination) and take pictures! 21lbs in three months is good stuff! keep it up!
  • smarterthanyoda
    smarterthanyoda Posts: 39
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    I've been using the weight chart from the Hacker's Diet to chart my weight. It uses a moving average to smooth out some of the fluctuations due to water retention, etc. It helps a lot on the days that my weight may have gone up, but I can see the trend is still going down.

    Chapter 5 of the book has a good explanation of the how the chart works without getting into a lot of math. It's available for free from the author's website if you just Google it.

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