Ever since the first two weeks, it seems like I lose a lb or two, then the next day I gain back 1 or 2 or 3 lbs, then I battle a while, then those 1-3 lbs come off, plus one more. Then again, I gain back 2 or 3 lbs.

It is starting to drive me nuts!

Now, this past week was TOM and then yesterday we were out all day and while I pretty much stuck to LC, I didn't have anywhere near my 100 oz of water and I also overate my pepperoni snack. I usually only have maybe 1-3oz's as an occassional snack, yesterday and the day before combined, I probably had 8 ozs! It's good pepperoni (i.e. no fillers, no carbs - but I still count 1 per ounce), but it's no good if I eat 3-5x my normal amount! Argh! I could kick myself, but I'm still too fat & out of shape to get my leg up that high!

Anyway, today I am up FOUR POUNDS from last week! Every pound seems so hard won and I try so hard to stay LC. In fact, I haven't gone off LC at all, but maybe I slacked on my water intake for the last 2 days and overdid the calories with the pepperoni stick. Oh, and the pepperoni has alot of sodium so that probably doesn't help. And I didn't exercise the last two days either.

Is this two different problems: the lose 1 lbs, gain back 3, then lose 4 vs the last two days of not enough water and too much pepperoni, or is it all part of the same problem? Because all I know is that once again, I lost one additional pound and now I am up 4!

I'm going to really drink a ton of water today and stay away from the salty food, but is this down-one-up-four seesaw all I have to look forward to? Anyone else go through this torment?

Help!

oh yuck... knock on wood that isnt happening to me.. i am such a quitter.. i dont think i would have what it takes to stick iwht this if it did.. I dont wish it on you either.. how maddening for you... i know they say to weigh only once a week.. or to do an average of the weigh-ins but.. wow.. I am not the one to be giving advise here.. so hang in there.. and I hope it stops doing that for you...
dianna

Yep. I've had that happen. I called it the 'Bouncing Wall Effect', cuz it was just like I'd hit a wall and everytime I'd get to the wall (240 at that time), I'd bounce back up 1-3 lbs and have to do them over again. Very, very frustrating.
I drifted away from the plan altogether after awhile. DON'T let that happen to you! (I regained weight, and then half again what I'd lost, which that time had been 70 lbs, so we are talking a regain of 105 lbs!).

Keep going low-carb whatever you do.
When I looked back over what I'd been eating on a regular basis when I'd hit that 240, the only culprit that really stood out to me was dairy. I don't know if you like dairy, cheese etc, but I sure do! and using Fitday now, I can see that I was thoughtlessly having cheese on this, cream on that, cheese/cream IN desserts etc). This time, I have been working on restricting my dairy, and just recently, again I caught myself adding a bit here and there to dishes and I've popped back up 2 lbs in a week. (TOM does not help either!) I'm going to try eliminating dairy for a month now and see if it is useful or whether I'm barking up the wrong tree.

The preservatives and salt in the pepperoni sticks might also cause you to retain a fair bit of water I imagine. And water weight does fluctuate on an almost daily basis I find, specially for women.

I dont ahve an answer but I am sorry! Hang in there I am sure the pattern will correct itself in time.

I find that for me, when I eat particularly salty foods, that I retain alot of water even when its not the TOM. I'm talking about soy sauce for me sashimi or processed meats and poultry.

If you do a food journal here, then other can take a look at what exactly you are eating and try to give you feedback that way.

My question to you is... Do you write your food down anywhere? Can you look at the food you ate the day before you see these small gains? This is what I've done and I have learned that for me, its a salt issue. It may be the same for you or it may be something else.

It will help if you eliminate the salty and processed foods. Sticking with whole foods helps with the steady weight loss. Most folks say if you shop around the perimeter of the grocery store it's healthier.

Also, averaging your weight loss across 7 days really helps to eliminate the bouncing issue. So everyday (if you weigh everyday), just add up the last 7 days weights and divide by 7. That calculation should go down a little each day or 2 if you are losing fat.

If you are going to weigh everyday, learn not to stress out on it. It's the weekly or monthly numbers that you want to pay attention to. Also, paying attention to how your clothes fit is much easier on the ego.

Good luck!

It's very common. I have lost each of the 120 pounds I am down at least two or three times! You need to pay attention to the long term trend, not the day-to-day fluctuations. Very few, if any, people find that the scale simply goes steadily downward after the first couple of weeks.

Hang in there. If you stick with it, the weight will come off. Just look at how you would feel if you were starting at the beginning again. Being down 21 lbs is a BIG accomplishment. Be proud of yourself and keep going.

Your weight can easily fluctuate 2-3 lbs each day. Do yourself a favor and stop weighing every day. You can make yourself crazy that way.

Yes, yes, yes, I have been there, done that and have been as frustrated as you are.
The only thing that has worked and broken that cycle was putting myself on a strict plan.
I only eat three meals a day, I control those portions and most important, do not eat after dinner, and try to finish it before seven pm. I was a terrible evening snacker, yes it was all low carb but I would snack on and off all night. It was hard the first few days and it has been easy since. I have been doing this for seven days and lost 7 pounds the first six days , and most importantly to me, right before and during my tom. That shocked me.
I make sure to drink as close to a gallon a day of weak diet ice tea, and I also allow myself a bit of diet rite soda as a treat. The tangerine in the evening makes up for not eating after dinner, it is so sweet.
I took away most dairy except for a bit of American occasionally and some cheddar on omelets and occasionally in salads as well. I put butter on my veggies at night. My favorate desserts were all dairy based, low carb ice cream and low carb cheese cake and diet pudding, if I eat any of these I just do not lose and the cravings do not go away.
I also notice I am sensitive to too much sodium and watch the processed meats, I tend to eat very little and try to stick to pure meats, steak , chicken , pork, I do eat a lot of hamburger patties, but make sure I buy ones that are 100 percent beef or turkey.
The key is finding what works for you, I have finally found what works for me and it feels great, I would just say to experiment, only you know what you can be comfortable with. For me, it was getting tough with myself and being very strict. Stephie

I know it's so frustrating....imagine how much you'd gain if you were not controlling yourself!!!!! (that's what keeps me in check!) Don't compare yourself to others....slow and steady will get it done!
I find the scale issue so ironic...for years you couldn't get me to go near the thing (duh!) and now I have a daily obsession with it... I need to join a "weigh 1 x month" challenge...lol

lol tulips! i have wanted to start a noway-noweigh challenge for awhile because of this very thing! i'm up 2lbs today...sigh it's so normal for me to do the bouncing bounce thing. i weigh daily and wish sometimes that dh would hide the scale from me. i know it's only water and my body will get rid of it tomorrow or even later today...so that's how i keep things in perspective. i eat according to my plan and i just go on with it. it's all about faith.

Thanks all! I am definitely going to stick with it, even though I feel frustrated right now, I have made a commitment to stick with this WOE in order to give it a fair shot. I can say that I don't think I'd be able to do it on my own, it is with the help of the great people in this forum that I can ride through these frustrating times and triumph in the end!

I will try to be more strict with myself, Stephiewil. That sounds like good advice. I will restrict my cheese / dairy intake but not eliminate it altogether. I've given up pasta, potatoes, and pastries of all sorts....having to give up cheese too is just too much to ask! Although if I stall completely and I must, I will, because losing this weight is more important to me than cheese. (Gee, did I actually just say that???! )

Unfortunately, my schedule doesn't allow me to not eat after 7pm, I usually don't get to eat dinner until around 8pm, but will try not to eat anything, no snacks at all, after that. The tangerine Diet Rite is a great idea to curb that craving!

I'm back down to only 1 lbs up from my most recent loss, so here's hoping this week is better. I find it impossible to stay away from that blasted scale...I know it might be better if I did, but sometimes I get on 4 or 5 times in one day, just to see how much my weight is fluctuating from morning to afternoon, to evening. Pretty ridiculous, I know, but I do it anyway. I'll try to cut back to just once a day, in the morning. Can I go a whole week? Hmmmmm.....to be honest, I truly doubt it! Terrible I know, since it just torments me anyway.