What do you Consider Actual Weight Loss vs Fluctuation?

cPT_Helice
cPT_Helice Posts: 403
in Health and Weight Loss
I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

What's everyone else's thoughts?
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Replies

  • wrecktechno
    wrecktechno Posts: 145 Member
    I may check in with kilograms and grams but I only think I've lost weight when I repetitively weigh the lower kilogram amount (thus ignoring the grams). So I weighed myself last week and was 63.1. I weighed myself today and I was 62.something. I still consider myself 63 until for a week or two I weigh 62.something. KILOGRAMS OR NOTHIN' YEOW
  • muddyventures
    muddyventures Posts: 360 Member
    I personally have to seer the number for two weeks for the most part. I will however congratulate any one one any loss they post. It isn't my job to judge another person's progress. Measurements are important to me and I'll post those right away.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    I weigh myself every day and any time I have a loss, I post it. My goal is a bit over ½ lb per week, so my losses are not usually that substantial.
  • loneworg
    loneworg Posts: 342 Member
    If the weight keeps going down and not up I dont consider that flucuation. Now if it was going up and down sure. If it a loss and contued loss Ill keep rooting for them.
  • Racheldt87
    Racheldt87 Posts: 25 Member
    I do understand what you're saying but I never fluctuate- I weighed 120.8 every morning/every day for like 3 weeks.. then finally it moved to 120.6 and has stayed like that for a couple weeks,, It's disouraging to barely lose weight but b/c the scale finally moved and I never fluctuate I count that.. If my weight was a little different every day (my bf fluctuates 5 lbs a day) then I wouldn't record it unless I maintained that new weight every day for at least a week..
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

    It is not normal fulcuations for me because I know that my weight had not been that low before.
    I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

    What's everyone else's thoughts?

    I don't share my losses (or much else for that matter) on my news feed, so I am not looking for congratulations, personally. I also hardly ever comment on anyone elses status. All in all, I am not the best friend :ohwell:
  • 1nsanity
    1nsanity Posts: 95 Member
    i have a non digital scale, so it is impossible for me to even really see a one pound loss. so i make sure that i am under a certain weight for at least two weeks before thinking i have lost that weight.
  • JonesJennings
    JonesJennings Posts: 59 Member
    I normally log everything in KG, and compare the weeks average to the previous weeks average to decide if I'm making progress. There's no point losing data by not logging a number just because it's not sufficiently different to the prior figure.
  • vfnmoody
    vfnmoody Posts: 271 Member
    didgital scale only works in 0.5 lbs. incraments.....I only record the lowest number I get in the morning on the weekend. My weight can fluctuate up to about 10 lbs over the week and 5lbs over any given day.
  • reankanesmom
    reankanesmom Posts: 132 Member
    I will weight myself every few days, but my real day to record from is Monday morning. If I see a constant lower number every week then I know its real. The number I see on say Wednesday is not real but it gives me an idea on whether or not I am on the right track. It really could just be in my head though and this is just some strange thing that make me happy LOL. Normally a 2lb change is what I record
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    I pay attention to the trend of my weight. If I land on a weight I have never seen before (even .5 or 1 lb) and I maintain for a few days without spiking back up to the conquered weight then I will certainly log it.

    There could also be some benefit to logging every weight fluctuation to give yourself an understanding of how we lose. Could be interesting in a few years down the road seeing all the spikes and drops etc..
  • JenniferInNY
    JenniferInNY Posts: 65 Member
    My weight loss goal is a half-pound per week, so I record everything or else I wouldn't be able to tell how things were going. My scale measures to the half-pound. I know some of it is normal fluctuations, which is why I look at the progress graph of MFP to see the general direction. If the progress graph is a zigzag then it's all fluctuations, but if it's a trend downward then it's real.
  • kayleesays
    kayleesays Posts: 564 Member
    I weigh myself 1-2 times a month on a "real" scale, so I just take those numbers as accurate. I stand all different ways on the scale, distribute my weight differently and all that and figure out a number that seems correct.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I record my weight at the same day/time each week-regardless of loss/gain. The number I record is not always the lowest number I have seen over the week (nor is it always the highest). So the number I record will include some amount of daily fluctuation (I fluctuate a lot-3/5/7 lbs from day to day is not uncommon), but I'm looking at the overall trend. I know a lot of people don't record at a regular day/time and only record losses or a "new" weight they have seen for some period of time (days/weeks). As someone who fluctuates quite a bit, I could also see recording the "lows" of the fluctuations-under the assumption that as my actual weight lowers, the "low" end of where I fluctuate to will also be lower.

    So that .2 lbs that someone posted may be recorded from a different standpoint than the way someone else records. Meaning, if I post a .2 lb loss, it's because that's what the scale said on Sunday AM-not necessarily because I jumped on the scale and saw a "new" number. Everyone does things their own way in whatever works for them (or as trial and error to find what works for them). Assuming that everyone is doing the same thing or thinks the same way could be a mistake. As such, I congratulate any loss-I don't know that person's philosophy or what all they might have been doing to get that .2lbs. Perhaps that .2 lbs represents the first "low" after a long plateau or a loss despite a not so good week.
  • scythswife
    scythswife Posts: 1,100 Member
    I weigh in every Sunday morning and record that weight weather its up or down. I do weigh on Wed. mornings just to see where its at but those don't get logged its just for me to see where i am at.
  • d0gma
    d0gma Posts: 3,966 Member
    I won't bother to post anything less than a pound. I do see people who will post 0.2 pounds and even 0.1 pounds as losses. I don't feel we can be that accurate. For me that's maintaining and simply normal fluctuations.

    I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

    What's everyone else's thoughts?

    I record my weight on Saturday morning and Wednesday morning, good or bad. I'm not looking for congrats on losing .2 lbs, I'm just recording it because that's when I do it.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I weigh in once a week officially, on Wednesday mornings. I record whatever it says, good or bad. And how snobbish of you to feel that a small loss is fake or insignificant.
  • saramerrigan
    saramerrigan Posts: 555 Member
    If my weight goes down it's a loss.....if it goes up it's a fluctuation :bigsmile:
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    My weight tends to fluctuate 2-5lbs per day so if I have three to four days in a row where it says one thing then I take that as a loss.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
    I record my weight at the same day/time each week-regardless of loss/gain. The number I record is not always the lowest number I have seen over the week (nor is it always the highest). So the number I record will include some amount of daily fluctuation (I fluctuate a lot-3/5/7 lbs from day to day is not uncommon), but I'm looking at the overall trend. I know a lot of people don't record at a regular day/time and only record losses or a "new" weight they have seen for some period of time (days/weeks). As someone who fluctuates quite a bit, I could also see recording the "lows" of the fluctuations-under the assumption that as my actual weight lowers, the "low" end of where I fluctuate to will also be lower.

    So that .2 lbs that someone posted may be recorded from a different standpoint than the way someone else records. Meaning, if I post a .2 lb loss, it's because that's what the scale said on Sunday AM-not necessarily because I jumped on the scale and saw a "new" number. Everyone does things their own way in whatever works for them (or as trial and error to find what works for them). Assuming that everyone is doing the same thing or thinks the same way could be a mistake. As such, I congratulate any loss-I don't know that person's philosophy or what all they might have been doing to get that .2lbs. Perhaps that .2 lbs represents the first "low" after a long plateau or a loss despite a not so good week.



    This!
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    If my weight goes down it's a loss.....if it goes up it's a fluctuation :bigsmile:

    yup...thats me too lol. official weigh in date is friday but if its not down on friday, i'll keep weighing until it is :P
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    I weigh daily, but only record significant loss that shows up steadily (over 1lb for over a week).
  • DeniseB0711
    DeniseB0711 Posts: 294 Member
    I have started logging my weight anytime I step on the scale. One thing I notice for myself, its always 2lbs gain, and 1lb loss befdore the scale will stay.

    For example, I have been between 167 and 169 for the past month, and I have a feeling starting this week I'll stay at 167....why becasue in the middle of the month (should I say 30day block) I got down to 166.

    I am a slow loser. While some people on these boards really do lose 2lbs a week, I average about a .5lb to 1lb per week. And that's an Average, I have plenty of weeks where I will "Gain" weight.

    Denise
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
    If .2 or .1 motivates a person to keep chuggin ahead then i congradulate. For some people the most miniscule loss is a victory. I support them. I will congradulate- loss is loss. I can tell you one thing, if every few days .2 or .1 adds up. fcol.:huh: :huh:
  • LizzCallahan
    LizzCallahan Posts: 30 Member
    I just flat out take the lowest number I can get. I've got a wonky bathroom scale that will tell me my weight has changed 6 lbs. based on how I stand on it, but my inches are going steadily down with the pounds, so I just take the lowest and call myself happy. Also, I couldn't care less if someone congratulates me on a pound of weight loss, but I'd be pretty pissed if someone told me it didn't count.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 749 Member
    honeslty you can fluctuate daily up to a 1 lb or more depending on your body, I usually weigh myself daily for a couple a weeks to track my fluctuation just to get a rough estimate of if its just that or that I am actually losing weight.
  • inkandsheep
    inkandsheep Posts: 101 Member
    My weight is coming off slowly (so far 6 pounds in 50 days...) so I record small losses to remind myself it's actually happening and it all adds up! It's also interesting to see my progress - some weeks I don't seem to lose any and then lose 2 pounds the next week.

    I don't seem to fluctuate that much now that I'm eating about the same number of calories every day - there's no quick fluctuation up from a day of eating a big take away or a fluctuation down from eating very little anymore!
  • Dare2BThin
    Dare2BThin Posts: 211 Member
    I also never congratulate a loss of under a half pound. This may sound gross but you can poop and change your weight by that.

    Some ppl have there goal set at a 1/2 lb a week...so under a lb the would be on track...I always log whatever the scale says on weigh in day no matter how small the lost of how big the gain
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    depending on your personality, I see nothing wrong with posting a 0.1 lb "loss", but that should imply that you are weighing frequently and also post 0.1 lb gains. In other words, as long as you aren't being selective with your weigh ins, its ok in my book.
  • ox45
    ox45 Posts: 90 Member
    Is there a way to put in your weight without it automatically posting it on your wall? I like to weigh daily because I am a numbers nerd and like to have a daily record that I can use for future projects. I realize that we fluctuate day by day so it sometimes is annoying to see the same "loss" on my wall every other day as my weight fluctuates. I would like if only my true losses are posted.

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