How long until true weight loss/gain shows

[Telly2]

I'm curious about how long it takes true weight loss or gain (ie not water retention or loss or other reasons for weight fluctuations) takes.  For example, if tomorrow I went out and ate enough to gain 1 pound, when would that one pound gain show on the scales.  

[Dominique]

I won’t show in a few days, but if you have consistently created a sustainable deficit, it should definitely start showing after a few weeks/months. Last May, you started a topic with Nothing happening - frustration as the subject line. Has there been any change since then, whether in weight, body measurements or body composition? Eight months should be long enough to see things happening, without the impact of daily fluctuations due to hydration, hormonal cycle etc.

Have you linked your Fitbit account to TrendWeight, as suggested back then? If you have enough data points for weight in your Fitbit account, TW is a great way to see where things are really going.

[DominicJ]

Either right away, or never, depending on what you mean exactly.

If you weigh yourself at 100lbs, eat 1lb of lettuce, weigh yourself again, you will weigh 101lbs.

If memory serves, its takes up to 3 days for food to be processed and expelled, so theres really no way to accurately point at weight changes and attribute food

[tractorlegs]

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@Telly2 wrote:

I'm curious about how long it takes true weight loss or gain (ie not water retention or loss or other reasons for weight fluctuations) takes.  For example, if tomorrow I went out and ate enough to gain 1 pound, when would that one pound gain show on the scales.  

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Hi @Telly2! I think the answer to this question is highly individual. There's too many variables for there to be a single answer. For me, weight changes were gradual enough that it was really impossible to predict a day-by-day change and what effect exercise or eating would have on a daily basis. Rather, it was better for me to look at the larger picture - which required patience - and to find comfort in monthly (or even longer) trends. 

Having reached my goal weight (about 1-1/2 years ago, followed by successful maintenance) I find it more realistic to look back at the whole picture, rather than looking at it day-by-day. Maybe you should look at it the same way? I don't know - we're all wired differently - 

[Telly2]

My two posts weren't related.  I was just curious how long it would take for real weight to appear.

To answer your other questions:

Last year I logged food and exercised (weights at gym) all year.  Food was mostly good but also a lot of wine consumed.  Yes, I use MFP for food (love it) and trendweight (ditto) - basically all advice given earlier last year taken on board.  I lost weight and toned up a lot but the weight loss on the scales was less than 2 kg (4 pounds).  It was frustrating but at least I was in the right direction.  I realised just before Christmas that my medication was working against me - known side effect is weight gain but I was a bit slow making the connection!  I have now changed to another med and it's making a huge difference.  Weight loss is a side effect with this one so a little helping hand is good on that front.  I can feel that my appetite is being suppressed a bit rather than accentuated like on the other meds.  A great side effect to this is not wanting to drink alcohol which is great for weight loss.  I have only had 4 drinks in the whole of January (not counting NY).  I have also signed up for a half marathon in November so have started running to train for that, plus am doing a boot camp at the gym to push me more than I would working out on my own.

So yeah, this question was a total stand alone out of curiosity as I try to make sense of the fluctuations.  I weigh daily as I want to build up lots of data but have to overrule my sense of 'gaining' weight if the number goes up.  I have also signed up to premium on period tracker so I can track weight there as I want to see monthly patterns of weight in relation to my cycle.

[Dominique]

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wrote:

I realised just before Christmas that my medication was working against me - known side effect is weight gain but I was a bit slow making the connection!  I have now changed to another med and it's making a huge difference.  Weight loss is a side effect with this one so a little helping hand is good on that front.  I can feel that my appetite is being suppressed a bit rather than accentuated like on the other meds.

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As someone who’s never been on any kind of prescription drugs, I didn’t think of the potential impact of medication. OTOH, you didn’t mention it either. This prompted me to listen to episode #99 of my favorite podcast on nutrition, which was on Medications & Weight Gain with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky as the guest. There are indeed a lot of meds that can hinder weight loss, or even cause weight gain, whether it’s by increasing apetite, slowing metabolic rate, impacting the central nervous system etc. And doctors who prescribe them do not necessarily consider their side effect on weight. Glad you were able to switch to a new one, though drugs that suppress apetite may have problems of their own.