What the heck? My weight is like a bouncy ball.

Hey Everyone,

 I would be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated so alas I am.

For some reason ever since I hit 141.5 I can't seem to see it leave my trail of weight for the last time. I have been 139.5, but it seems I keep going mostly between 141.5 and 140.0 I don't understand why it keeps going back in forth, but it's driving me crazy. I have about 31 to 30 pounds to hit my goal, but if it goes no where and keeps going back and forth like a dreaded rubber bouncy ball I don't know if I'll ever reach it.

 

Anyone else experience this? What do you think the cause was? Or how did you get past it and move along with your weight loss?

 

Thank you all in advance for your responses. :)

Oh my gosh, I was just coming on to post the same thing.  I dropped 5 lbs in two weeks and then this last four days my weight has been going from 165.4 all the way up to 167.2 and anywhere in between.  I googled the problem and some people suggested it had to do with where you are in your monthly cycle, but man am I sick of this!  I hate losing a lb overnight and knowing that the next day it's going to go right back up again, and probably add a little more because it's angry! 

It's a plateau.... Happens for a lot of reasons.  Most often, in my experience, because someone's past that 'gung-ho' initial enthusiasm that they started losing weight with and they're not quite as accurate with the food logging or keeping up with the exercise routine... a few treats slipping in. 

OR.... 2) You've been 'dieting' for a long time and your body has got used to maintaining your weight on less food.  Also happens if your calorie intake is too low for your size and activity level.  Not feeling hungry too often is a symptom of this. 

If you think you fit option 1)  then try to recreate some enthusiasm, try new foods, new exercises, accurately weigh out your food and keep the food diary again.   Make things interesting again.

If you think you fit option 2) have a few days off.  Eat a lot more food than normal... 2000 cals+.... and see if you can give your body a bit of something to work on.   When you return to weight-loss aim for a deficit of 500-700 cals only.  Good luck

Well I started the slim-fast diet, and that's where I initially lost that five lbs.  I've been dieting for the last three months or so and had only lost 10 lbs, and then started slim-fast and lost five right away.  I have these times where my weight goes down steadily and then bounces around for a week or two, and then goes down again and it's just really frustrating.  I'm careful not to cheat on the diet (believe it or not, for an overweight gal, I have amazing self-control  if I put my mind to it).  I think I must be fitting into option two here.  I am constantly on the move (I have a daycare plus am an absolute clean freak, so I'm always up and running around chasing kids or playing, or cleaning) so I guess maybe my bod got used to the lower cals or something.  Thanks!

if the weight you just lost was on slimfast the weight thats going back on will be food weight in your digestive system most likely - ie you didnt actually lose as much as you thought (im guessing slim fast is still meal replacement shakes and soups right?)

go with GI-Jane's option 1, and aim for a 500 defecit :)

Slim-fast does rather plummet the calories....  That pattern of losing a lot at first followed by nothing much at all is a classic one if you're not eating enough.   If you have a very active lifestyle then enter 'moderate' as your activity level in the CC section that helps you work out how many calories you need.  It's always better to start a little too high and trim back later than to start too low and end up on the high plateau, staring at the llamas.... :-)

I am at the same point as you are. Im 141 and I've been back and fourth between 139 -141 range. I have just been maintaining that b.c I have a wedding. I think after that I will push to get the last 10lbs off.

Ok, since I was just here for 6 months, I can try to help.

1st - are you taking your measurements? My bouncy ball weight was 138 (lowest) to 143. While I was complaining about my weight I also lost 12 inches... and hadn't even noticed. Now I weigh 135lbs consistently.

2nd - Keep to a routine for a set amount of time and then change it. Just like with the gym routine, I do my diet/workout stindts in sets of 50 days now.

3rd - Make sure you are accounting for everything, and make goals. Ex: My goal is to hit around 1250 cals/day, 25g fiber, 130g protein, and 35g fat. Those are my minimums and when I log my food for a week in advance (I prep all my major meals and freeze/refrigerate them on Sunday) I have a clear idea of what my day looks like by hitting my minimum goals nutritionally.

4th - Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Recovery is crucial if you work out or lift.

5th - Try stregnth training, a 1/2 marathon, a spin class, etc. Do one thing out of your "normal" element every week to challenge yourself.

sERIOUSLY GIRL IVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM FOR WEEKS NOW

i dunno what to do....im bouncing from 143 -140 , since weeks now....i finnally managed to reach 139 and then the next day it was back up................................. I HATE THIS.  i have to lose 20lbs......how will i ever lose that at this rate?.....and it takes soo much effort and concentration to lose a singke pound and.... the other day if i do a single binge or any mistake .....the 1-2 lbs immediately goes up,.

IN SHORT.....im fed up toooo..... i feel like my body refuses to go below that point.

You guys I'm in the same boat as all of you it is soooo frustrating I have been bouncing w/in that exact range... i went from 156 to about 145 got down to 140 never broke 140 and now bouncing back and forth btwn 143 - 146 it's driving me insane! it's been like this for about 9 months now! that's a long time, I'm changing my excercises / keeping variety --- watching what i'm eating -- drinking my water -- my vice is wine and i know it is causing my weight to stay here but still i count my wine calories and still if i drink i work out exttra hard the next day to sweat it out! I take milk thistle for my liver so what heck!!!! please i'm screaming and praying the 'skinny gods' to bring me back to my healthy body again! i just want to be healthy I have this roll of fat around my stomach that is getting smaller but it's been like a year and it's still sits there!

When I got stuck, I tried to drink more water and change what I was eating around a little and add weight training in with walking. Changing your routine might get you back on track. Good luck!

Fluctuating between a couple of pounds is natural; humans aren't objects that have a constant fixed weight because of our biological systems.

I think if there is a difference of maybe 5 pounds of more, then something may be up and you've just reached a plateau in your weight loss.  Try spicing things up and changing your routine.

I'm going through the same thing.  I go from 131 down to 128 and back to 131.  I hate it.

I personally think one of my problems is the lack of logging. I can only log when I get home from school and then again after dinner. By then, if my day is shot, it's shot.  Like today, I thought I did REALLY good, but then I realized that I've already eaten 1492 calories, and my limit is 1500 in a day.  I haven't eaten dinner yet, so that's a problem.

I'm feeling ya'll pain. Sunday I woke up and weighted myself and I was 128 then i weighed myself at noon and I was back up to 134. Let me say i was a little pissed. I hardly even had anything to eat too so I just don't get it.

Weight can fluctuate especially after eating or drinking.  I weigh in the am before I eat or drink and after I've gone to the bathroom.  Otherwise you can waiver within a 7lb difference during the day.

Plateaus stink!  I just beat mine finally only to go back up a little with 2 missed workout days and less time on the elliptical then I wanted yesterday.  Need to be pushing myself and stick with it and I'll get past.  It did take cutting calories a little for me...and getting my workout in more of a routine. 

Oh my story goes like thins: 124 lbs for a brief period (say 2-3 days), 127 lbs for abt 8 -9 months; 130 lbs for another 2-3 months...and here I am after more than a year staying at 124-130 lbs lol I am within a healthy range but not at ideal weight...

plateaus do suck and I know what works for me: when i have time to work out and burn over 1000 cal a week, it's great! I can keep my weight around 124 but it doesn't fancy going lower lol

calorie cycling also works well

 

 

Ok. I am new on here so be nice please.  I have yo-yoed so much I don't think I will ever loose weight and keep it off.  I went from 220 to 170 to 225 to 180 to 202 to......................well you get the picture.  Currently i am back in the 200s and I HATE IT!  Can I deflate this ball and just stay down?

Been there, done that, still there.

I truly think our body has a "set point" that it is comfortable at. We all know about losing that last five or ten pounds, everybody says that even when they get to their desired weight, that five or ten pounds is the hardest.

Women's bodies in general tend to hold onto weight going all the way back to cave women days when it might be weeks between the mastadon kills. Women needed to protect unborn babies so their body tried to protect them.

Fast forward to plenty of available food, it is still very hard for our body to accept a new "normal". I was 160  in January, lost quickly to 147 in February, stayed there for a long time, bouncing back and forth to 151. Gained back to 154, quickly lost back to 151. My body likes this weight so I have to work extra hard to convince it that it would really like 145 better.

We all know people that regardless what they do or don't do, they have been about the same size their entire adult life (and usually just a few pounds overweight.) That is what their body likes and unless they lower their calories or up their exercise, their body is just fine there.

I know how you feel. My weight for the past year has been going from 120 to 125 to 114 to 118 to 120 again. I hate it I wish it would just pick my goal weight lol. that would be so much easier. Like right now I am 120 again. GOD!

LittleMalynda - that was very informative, i like it. but what do you mean just like the gym routine, change our dieting routine once in a while...do you mean change the foods in our diet every so often or do you mean change the calorie intake goal...like make it smaller?

i dont know how else to change up my gym routine as it's too cold to do anything outdoors.

there are no classes during the hrs i hit the gym. i started today using different machines than what i've been using in the past few months. i'm gonna see if that helps. i'm also trying interval training.

it's quite frustrating. i'm 6ft tall and cant get below 190lbs. it keeps hovering between 190 and 192 for about 3-4months now.