The weight rant

[jethrien]

(Those of you who aren't interested in being subjected to a diatribe about the whims of my body can ignore everything behind the cut. Move along, move along.)


So I've been trying to lose weight, and I'll admit I'm somewhat baffled. I put on some pounds in the last few months of college, and have spent the last year trying to get rid of them. I did pretty well with the first ten, and I'm definitely in better shape than I was a year ago. So I'm happy about that.

But the last five that I wanted to get rid of won't budge. (This is the five that put me over the border on the BMI scale into overweight.)

I bought a scale in the fall, and I've been watching my weight fluctuate. I noticed pretty fast that my weight wasn't exactly a steady number, and it's become almost a weird sort of hobby in trying to guess why I'm at the number I'm currently at. Not in an anorexic sort of way - just genuine confusion. Any given day, my weight seems to waver somewhere in a five pound range. (And yes, I do usually try to weigh myself at the same time of day.) One day it'll be 157. The next, 154. The next, 156.

Despite doing a better job of watching what I eat and getting regular exercise, the range of fluctuation hasn't changed in months.

The last week, I've held steady at 154, which is a little on the low side. Despite having eaten a lot of junk over the weekend. Which was nifty. In the last two days, I've been "bad". (And by "bad", I mean I skipped exercising one day, and yesterday I had a muffin instead of my usual veggie snack and then later a handful of chips.) This morning I'm up to 157. So - is this the result of the weekend? If so, why did it take so long to take effect? Is this the result of the weight lifting I've taken up in the last three weeks? (Muscle being heavier than fat and all.) If so, again, why did it not impact my weight today? Is it the result of Mr. Muffin and Chips? Why didn't the weekend's cake cause issues, then?

So I am baffled by two things -
A) My own body. Body, what's up? What is it that you want to be strong and healthy and officially of the right mass for your height and bone structure? Why don't you want to lose that last five pounds of pudge? What makes your weight swing around crazy-like?
B) Other people's weight loss reports. Do other people have this much fluctuation? If so - what's up with people claiming to lose three pounds? I lose three pounds every couple days. They're back the next day, but I lose them. I'm sure water retention and stuff like that must be partially the culprit. But really, how can you tell you lost weight in increments smaller than five pounds unless it keeps going down?

That is all. Go back to your non-obsessive-compulsive days.

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Do you weigh yourself at the same time every day wearing the same amount of clothing? Cause that can account for a lot. Yeah, my weight swings around. Hazard of being a woman, I think. My dad once told me that if he puts on 8 oz., he can feel the difference. My mom and I both looked at him like - are you nuts?? I cannot comprehend being that sensitive to the minutae of my weight. My weight fluctuates over a 5 pound range over the course of a month.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Yep. Also accounting for how long ago I ate or drank and whether my hair is wet, etc. Still all over the place. Being a good little trained engineer, I started trying to eliminate variables. I think the answer really is that my body weighs whatever it feels like weighing that day.

8oz? That's just nuts. I can't tell the difference with four pounds.

[lyriendel.livejournal.com]

I weigh myself when I first get up, after I've taken a dump, and naked since I'm about to step in the shower. That's the steadiest (and typically lowest) measurement I can get. My weight goes up from there about 3 lbs in a given day; clothes will add another 2. Even given my steadiest measurement, my weight will still fluctuate +- 1 lb on a daily basis. I don't seriously declare weight loss until my moving average over about 5 days has gone down. Even so, I can typically feel the difference when I lose an extra pound for real. I have either 1 or 2 butt folds, see, and how pronounced the second one is depends on where I am in the 5-lb range where I usually fluctuate. :)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I hear you about the weight thing. I just assumed that it was the scale. When it tips upwards like it did last time I was home, about 167-range, I know I'm in trouble. Most of the time it's around 160-163, and while being on the heavier side of that number freaks me out, I'm still not convinced it's right (ah, denial).

I would point the finger at the scale, honestly. Even if it's new. Get chuckro to weigh himself on it and see if it gives the same variance. Alternatively, consult your physician next time you go in for a physical. See if you can use his/her scale perhaps. Best of all would be the OB-GYN as he/she will definitely have a scale in good working condition to weigh women for drug 'scrip accuracy.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Ha!

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Well, the last two times I've been to the doctor, her scale agreed with mine.

[(Anonymous)]

How 'bout height? Are you all over the place for height? Because every time a different person measures me, they get a different number. I thought I had a severe osteosperosis problem when one nurse got me four inches shorter than usual. The doctor re-measured me and got the four inches back. Then the next time, a different nurse measured me and I was short again. Don't get me started on weight.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Chuckro has apparently gained weight, though I have no idea where--I may have just gotten denser. All of my clothes still fit fine, the scale just claims I weigh more.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I find the phrase "butt folds" absolutely hysterical. Is that immature of me?

[freekofnature.livejournal.com]

What's going on is that you are bouncing around your "set point" and resetting it is not gonna be easy.
I don't know what type or how much of "regular exercise" you do, but that is where you must focus in order to achieve what you want.
I would suggest an hour/day of aerobic, preferably in the AM, start out slow and gentle, ramp up till you sustain the correct pulse rate for at least a half hour or so and rev up your metabolism a bit to sustain a lower BMI and weight.

Also, don't be so concerned about the daily weight fluctuations, this is normal statistical deviations around the set point for your weight, determined by the physiological values built into your body's homeostatic mechanisms that control it. More aerobic exercise will minimize the drift and fluctuations and maintain stability as you lower the set point for your weight. (engineering-speak wise)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Seems to me the scale is the problem then.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Agreed with which reading? WEight isn't necessarily the issue. Accuracy of the scale on repeat readings seems to be. I could be wrong, but that sounded like your problem.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Ok, that's bizarre. I'm always within a half inch.

[saxbabe.livejournal.com]

Well, I was always told you should not weigh yourself everyday, but only once a week at the same time on the same day (with the same scale too). Because, yes, your weight does fluctuate throughout the week, but by choosing just one day of the week you always catch it at the same point in the cycle. I always found Thursday to be a good day...you've behaved all week while at work (well, I did when I was working), and you're far enough away from the weekend in case you're not entirely faithful :)
I've also been using the site Janine recommended (www.sparkpeople.com) which lets you track all your food and exercise, so you can check calories in versus calories burned. As you can see, I have some experience with this stuff...

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to not get too annoyingly obsessive (I know that Chuckro is quite pleased with me as I am, and doesn't really need to be subjected to more yammering about this). But maybe it's worth a try. I guess I don't really want to be on a full blown diet - my clothes fit well, I'm fairly healthy, and I don't want to give up my sweets. So I've been resistant to more diety things.

[nanonicole.livejournal.com]

I tend to gain weight right before my period. Nothing ridiculous, just 3 - 4 pounds. After my period, it goes away... seemingly overnight.

Anyway, muscle does weigh more than fat, so I've always used how my clothes fit as a better indication. If your clothes still fit fine and you feel healthy and happy, then I wouldn't worry too much. =)

[shnayder.livejournal.com]

1) If the difference in weight is less than 5 pounds, just ignore it.

2) Exercise. A lot. :)

3) Reunions!

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Dude - I charted my weight in high school. I had a piece of graph paper and would record my weight on it every day.

Actually - that might help you visualize the fluctuations as statistical noise.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I'm trying, I'm trying. I'm getting better about it. I can't convince Chuckro to exercise (not a good thing, but I don't want to nag, either). And it's hard to make yourself exercise when someone else is reading or playing video games.

[tigermelp.livejournal.com]

I don't weigh myself every day (pretty much for this reason...I'd go nuts trying to figure it out). But if I did, I'm sure I would fluctuate this way as well. For me, it would be water retention...I am seriously salt-sensitive. If I eat too much salt one day, I can see it/feel it on my body in retained water anytime from the next two minutes to the next two days. Especially if you eat meals out, it's probable that you have no idea how much sodium your body is actually getting...and despite the fact that you (probably) don't salt your food or cook with salt, you could still be getting more than your body can handle.

The other reason that I don't weigh myself every day is that I don't own a scale. I use my parents' when I go home for a weekend. Usually I weigh myself every day that I'm home (mornings) and take the average of those, before I can say definitively that I've lost weight.

Also...I've stepped up the workout lately (and I changed my diet)...and I look like I've lost about 10 pounds...but I went home and weighed, and I've only lost 5 off my max. I'm certain that it's a muscle/fat interplay thing.

One more thing...your body doesn't want to lose that last five pounds because it's like, "holy crap! If I lose any more fat, that'll be bad for my future survival! So when I exercise, I'll be more efficient about it!" Of course it's not bad for your future survival, but that's what it's been biologically programmed to believe. So if you are having trouble losing that last bit, switch up your workouts (cardio and weight training...change the days you do each one, or the amounts of time you spend on each) and ramp up the intensity a little. Should do the trick.

[superjan42.livejournal.com]

ummm.... more muscle?

[superjan42.livejournal.com]

yes. i fluctuate a lot, and i record my weight every day, so i can see my general trend. but the fluctuations are pretty random. sometimes the morning after a really massive eating day, i'll weigh less than i had before.... but yea, i'm where you are too..... my weight is pretty stagnant after having a 14 or 15 pounds, so i'm a little grumpy about that... i definitely am going to have to kick it up a notch to get those last 10 pounds off...

[lithoglyphic.livejournal.com]

My impression is it's hard to get a really good scale. Yes, I get the same fluctuation, and I think the people who get overjoyed because they lost three pounds are slightly crazy. When the maximum safe rate of weight loss is supposed to be two pounds, though, it makes a little more sense -- it'd suck to wait three weeks to see if your diet's working.

As for myself, I just discovered SparkPeople, and oddly find tracking food intake and exercise to be *less* obsessive than tracking weight. Doesn't feel like being on a diet the way I use the site, but has some effect since I always end up thinking "WTF did I just do" when I have to enter a large piece of pineapple upside-down cake and four cookies in the same day, and I get really freakishly excited about the vitamin content of spinach salads.