Discouraged by Your Weight Fluctuations?

You've been working your butt off for a few weeks. Hitting the gym. Eating your veggies. Going to sleep early.

You step on the scale to see how much progress you've made. Your weight has barely budged.

This frustrating phenomenon is one of the most common reasons people quit their fitness program and/or diet.

There are two ways to solve this issue.

First, make sure your weight loss strategy makes sense. The most common reason why people don't lose weight is that they have no idea how many calories they're actually eating each day. Research shows that people suck at estimating their caloric intake. You know you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, so make sure of it. Track everything you eat for a few days so you can see exactly how many calories are in the foods you typically eat.

The second solution is to have the right expectations. Daily weight fluctuations are totally normal and dependent on many factors. This is particularly true when you're lifting weights as part of your weight loss strategy. If you expect your weight to go down in a linear fashion, you're in for a rude awakening.

Here's how to ensure that you're actually losing weight despite daily fluctuations:

1. Weigh yourself daily (in the morning, on the same scale, after using the bathroom)

2. Take an average of your weight over a week

3. Track that weekly average over time instead of the daily weight

4. Your weekly average weight should be going down when you track this way

It's normal to get frustrated when you feel that al