I know I have posted about this before, but this is getting out of hand...

I have yet another question about weight fluctuation.

At what point should I be concerned that weight gain is permanent? For instance, last week I weighed myself and I was at 124. This weekend we had a wedding, and though I hardly went overboard (i had half a piece of cake, two bites of pasta, etc) it was definitly more than I eat during the week. But I went to spinning on Sunday AM and worked out on Monday. Anyways i weighed myself yesterday and i was at 127 and today I was 128.

What the heck is going on here? Is this a sign that I am not really 124 pounds and have to get out of maintenance mode and back in diet mode? I just want some consistency. My weight goes anywhere from 124-128 all month and I would like to stay between 124-25 everyday. Any ideas?

I'm thinking of buying a new scale haha

I think its highly unrealistic for you to want your weight to stay within 1 lb. What happens if you drink half a litre of water?  Bam! You're up 1lb.  Undigested food, alcohol, working out, TTOM all affect how much you weigh at any one time.  I think you need to set an upper limit that you are comfortable with, say 132-134lb and if you ever see that then maybe think of restricting calories for a few days (down to 1400-1500 or so) til you get back to where you want to be. Bouncing between 124-128 is totally normal.

I went to a wedding. I weighted 156 the Thursday prior to wedding. I weighed myself a week later on my typical Thursday and I weighted 158! AH! I felt miserable I could weigh that much when the wedding was five days ago. But then I weighed myself the week after on my typical Thursday and weighed 156 again. So I guess what I'm saying is it took two weeks for me to return to normal.

Weigh yourself weekly and you'll have a better idea of reality.

I've had superficial gains of as much as 7 lbs.

Thanks guys. I guess I just need to hear that I am not alone with this. It's just so frustrating to be your goal weight one day and then 4 pounds heavier the next!

if you log your weight here in cc every day (if you weigh everyday...I TRY not to and just do once a week, but doesn't always work), you can see the green line...that's the 'trend' line, so if that starts/keeps going down, then you are losing, and just fluctuating a lot. If it starts going up, then you are gaining.

(I would base this on at least a few weeks, not days!)

I fluctuate a butt-load every day. But I keep my eye on the green line to make sure there is a down trend, not an up trend.

i really recommend weighing yourself once a week, esp if you're maintaining.  its really hard to get your body to stay within a pound of your goal.  Try to keep in mind the sodium and artificial sugar you're taking in, because that causes water retention.  If you're within 3-4lbs, I'd say you're already there.  It will fluctuate, so don't worry too much.  Definitely cut down on the weighing...definitely...  If you do and two weeks in a row you're 3-4lbs heavier every time, then maybe you should reconsider things from there.  Honestly though, if 3-4lbs isn't going to make a huge difference, if you feel good already, try to stay focused on what you've accomplished instead of how you're fluctuating.  good luck.

I know people feel differently about this, but I absolutely weigh myself every day.  It was the best way for me to find out how much my weight could change in a day, which sometimes was as high as 6-7 lbs.  Unless you know your body cycles really well, I think the scale is a good educator.  Just know what you're likely to see, learn from it, and don't let it scare you.  I think the suggestion of setting a top end check point makes a lot of sense as well.  If I have a big swing, and I don't see it coming back into check within 2-3 days, then I shift calories.  Finally, if you take any medications, that can also have an impact.

I think it's okay to weigh yourself every day if you're in the right mindset. If you log each weigh in and then look at the trend line, I think that can be quite educational. But I also think it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day weight fluctuations, like the OP seems to be. I'd always ask the question: More harm than good?

you are right, it kind of just depends on the person. I try doing weekly, but for some reason I don't hold myself as accountable if I know I'm not stepping on the scale soon. BUT I also have learned how badly I fluctuate in one day (can be 5-7lbs), and that when I drink that plays havoc on my scale. LOL

just gotta find what works best for ya! jetlee you are so close to goal, maybe 1nce a week is better cuz of that. Or just set the range you are ok with to a wider number like 123-128.LOL

Went out to eat last night. I had chicken teriyaki with brown rice and sugar free fat free ice cream with fruit for dessert...and what do I see this morning? 128.8. AAAHHHHHHH. The frustration is maddening. I think I've hit that this is the point where I get out of maintenance mode and into diet mode. I'm looking at the green line on my weight log and it is starting to go up. Great. Is this how I am going to have to live the rest of my life? Constantly weighing myself and dieting? It really sucks. 1200 calories, here I come...

I know I probably sound really whiny and that I'm feeling sorry for myself (I guess I do feel sorry for myself haha) but the fear of gaining weight, any weight, is unreal. When I was studying for the bar exam this summer I lost weight from stress...maybe I should try that again?

I do understand that weight fluctuations are normal but I am starting to get concerned that this is legitimiate weight gain. My clothes fit exactly the same but who knows. I have this image of my mind of me when I was fat and I just can't shake it.

So there's my therapy session for the day, I am off to the gym. Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate you putting up with my incessant whining about my weight fluctuations especially since I know we're all going through the same thing in some way.

Any more suggestions are definitly welcome :) Good luck to everyone else in their weight loss journey.

Venting can help to keep you on track so no need for apologies -- after all, arent we all here for the feedback and support?

Just keep on track and remember to return the favor to the next one of us that starts to 'slide'.