Tracking and little changes are so friggin important

I've been tracking my progress on pen and paper for a bit now and the statistician in me (+ the Rona boredom) decided to do a bit of data analysis.

Analyzing my weight over the ~5 month journey (139 days to be exact) really drove home, for me, so much of the advice we see on this subreddit.

For reference, I've lost a total of ~34 lbs (186.6 --> 152.8). The first 6 pounds took about a year. I wasn't taking it seriously and wasn't tracking. I only started tracking about 5 months ago and that's where the data starts (179.0 lbs). Still working on it!

What I learned from the data:

• I counted the number of days where the scale showed I'd gained weight from the previous day vs. lost weight. I was surprised to see that 60 of the days, the scale showed me that I'd gained weight from the previous day. 58 of the days I'd lost weight from the previous day. If I'd given up because I'd seen an increase in weight from the day before, I wouldn't be where I am now. It really drove home for me that weight loss has so many ups and downs, and you're really just looking for a general downward trend.
• The daily fluctuations showed that I'd actually lost 73 pounds and gained 46.8 pounds, resulting in a net loss of 26.8 pounds. This really drove home for me how the little changes you make add up. This is why tracking can be so important! If your weight stagnates over the course of a week, or even increases a bit, it's hard not to get demoralized. But being able to step back and look at the big picture is so helpful.

Major takeaways:

• We can get pretty narrow-minded/stuck in the immediate fluctuations of our weight-loss. I think I was so attracted to fad dieting before because it wasn't something I had to track to see results. The weight-loss was immediate. Basically, it was more suited to my attention span lol
• Your weight is going to fluctuate. There's no way around that. Tracking allows you to contextualize your weight fluctuations on a more useful scale.
• In that same vein, weighing myself everyday is key. I know some people can't/shouldn't do this for mental health reasons, but if you can, I'd recommend it! Weight fluctuates like crazy. I'd see a downward trend in my weight throughout the week, and then it'd shoot up on the last day. If I weighed myself on a weekly basis, I imagine I'd be pretty demoralized seeing that weight shoot up (without realizing I'd been on a downward trend the rest of the week).
• Take stock of your progress every so often. You're probably on the right track! Don't be too hard on yourself if you gain a couple of pounds by the end of the week.
• I've only made small changes to my life since starting this journey and initially, it can feel like you're not doing enough. Collect that data and prove yourself wrong in a couple months time! Feels good.

submitted by /u/pleaspetdog
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