I wish there was rhyme or reason to my weight loss. The only thing that seems consistent right now is that the less I have to lose, the more I have to work for it. Also, a bad food day seems to have more of an effect on the scale than it did in the past.

I guess another thing is that the week before my period, I feel like I could eat everything in the house and still not feel satisfied. Once it starts, I no longer have those cravings.

I'll drop 1-2 pounds one day, fluctuate between that new weight and a pound up for the next 6 days, then another 1-2 pound drop. I try to be logical about it and not get discouraged during those 6 or so days with no movement or movement in the wrong direction, but sometimes it can be hard to see nothing or a gain for days on end. But, oh, the joy I feel on those days when the scale drops! Even when I feel like my weight loss is moving at a snails pace, I can look back and see that for any random 30 day period, I lose about 10 pounds give or take a pound.

carter, thank you for posting this! My pattern is exactly the same. In all my attempts over the years, this is the first time I'm weighing myself (almost) daily to have noticed a pattern and understand how my body is reacting to my efforts.

It used to be that I'd weigh in weekly and if I'd stuck to my plan carefully and didn't see expected loss it would be very upsetting and I would easily fall off the wagon. For some reason I figured weighing in daily wouldn't give me the "yes!" feeling of accomplishment every time I stepped on the scale. I have found understanding the pattern more valuable and very helpful in helping me stick to it without getting impatient.

Interestingly though, other than the numbers in my sig, I haven't logged any info formally nor do I have committed timelines for milestones or goals. For some reason, when I do that, it kicks in some sort of OCD trigger in my brain which instead of helping me, completely derails me when I don't succeed exactly as planned...go figure!

Mine is very skittish. Lately, I've been focusing on the trends and patterns, so this post couldn't have happened at a better time! ;)

Lessee...

I lose 1-1.5 lbs every week. The day after I see my new low weight, my weight bounces back to a high. For instance, yesterday was my new low of 152.3. Today, I am 153.8, a weight I haven't seen in 2 weeks. Next week, it will go to maybe 152, but then bounce up again. This also depends on the quality of my food. I find that if I have a carb-y day even if I'm within my calories, I will gain weight due to to water retention. I love carbs and I have them in moderation but once in a while I do overdo it. I've come to accept this about myself - it keeps me sane and that's what matters. :)

I'm really loving this thread - it's great to see everybody's responses!

Thanks for all the responses. It's very interesting to read all the different patterns - some whoosh-gain-hold like mine, some steady small losses, some a combination. I really hope that folks who are newer to the whole weight loss experience will take heart when they read all your comments and start to understand that the standard advice of averaging 1-2lbs of loss a week doesn't necessarily mean marching along with 1.5lbs loss week after week like clockwork. :)