I wish I understood why we sometimes hold water and sometimes release it

I used to have very regular weight loss patterns. It followed my menstruation cycle pretty perfectly (if I were sticking to my eating plan). I would stay the same weight and then slightly gain for 14 days. Hold steady for 3 days, and then after ovulation, I would release all the weight for 9-10 days, stabilizing a day or two before my period. It was that predictable. My weight loss chart looked like stair steps going down.

But now I'm in peri-menopause. My cycles even if regular, are not the same quality. And I sometimes have anovulatory cycles. I'm 45. That's to be expected. So, my weight loss pattern has changed.

Since I started 3 weeks ago, my eating and movement (not much) have been consistent. The first 2 weeks I lost quite a bit every day - as is expected as my body depleted it's glycogen stores (glycogen holds water too). But, for the last several days the weight has been roughly the same. It's only a few days, I'm not worried or annoyed by it. I know it will come off as NO  WAY am I eating for maintenance, but WHY is it holding water is the mystery.

Yesterday, for instance, I weighed 1/10th of a pound less than today despite eating on plan yesterday. That is 1.6 ounces, or approximately 3 tablespoons of water/weight.  That's nothing? Right? So, no one should worry about it.

And actually, when you think about how little that is, it's amazing that we can not fluctuate more in weight day to day when we eat different foods, drink different amounts, have varying salts and minerals, and room temperatures can vary too (we tend to hold more water in hot weather than in cold weather). Somehow, miraculously, we tend to weigh about the same day to day despite all the things that can affect weight.

Getting a WHOOSH (say, losing 1 pound overnight) is the same as a tall glass of water. We think when we see it on the scale, "Wow! I lost a whole pound overnight!" Well, you didn't really lose it overnight, it's just the body finally released the water it was holding as you were dropping the fat/muscle.

So, why do we hold water? And more interestingly, why is some of it different for different people? I mentioned my menstrual cycle pattern. Most women don't have this pattern at all. Or, they have an opposite pattern, losing before ovulation and holding steady or gaining after it. I never gain weight during my period, many women do. THAT is super interesting as supposedly the same mechanisms are in play - same hormones being released, but how our bodies react to it are very individual. Akin to how some women get PMS with the hormone fluctuations and some women don't.

Basically, I'm fascinated with how the body works and I'm fully aware of how much we still don't know about how and why we work the way we do. And with such variations person to person, it's no wonder there is hardly anything that is one size fits all literally and figuratively.

Editing to add next day: and just like that, for absolutely NO REASON, I dropped 1.9 pounds overnight. Or, the equivalent of two of those tall glasses of water. Fascinating.

Again, the mental side of weight loss

My pattern of weight loss has been, forever, to hold steady after my period starts until ovulation hits and then a few days after ovulation, a big WHOOSH!

I know this. I've experienced it for the last two years and in weight loss attempts before. So, why do I still hope it will change this month?

I'm feeling it especially this month as I joined that Biggest Winner Contest at the gym. I have 3 other gals on my team, plus the personal trainer rooting us on.

While I know that I will not see a loss this week and probably not next week, how can my teammates really believe me that I'm eating right and exercising right if the scales don't reflect it?  They are also post-menopausal, so they don't have those monthly hormones interfering. I think my personal trainer sort of gets it (as she said that all women who cycle see fluctuations in their weight loss according to their cycles), but I think I'm an extreme case.

I haven't heard of many women (any?) who don't lose weight for 2 plus weeks every. single. month. and then have these incredible whooshes after ovulation for a bit more than a week. every. single. month. Well, what used to be every. single. month.

What is getting more frustrating to me is now that I'm peri menopausal, I cannot predict like clockwork when ovulation will hit or if it will hit. I have now had two months where I skipped a period (and a cycle) and during those times I don't have those stall outs and big drops, but I can't know when I'm going to have those months as my body doesn't tell me what it's doing.

So, in my head, I'm all "well maybe this month I will see a drop this week as maybe I won't ovulate at all or will ovulate later." I watch the scale, hopeful that it will drop. When it doesn't, then I get a bit worried, "maybe I'm not working hard enough?" "Maybe I'm eating more than I think I am?" "Or is it not dropping because I'm gearing up for ovulation?" Ack! The mind games!

Though I know all I can do is just keep plugging along. Some part of me wants to be able to do something about it, but I I am eating right (mostly - did a head smacking mistake yesterday of unknowingly drinking a can of regular soda!) and exercising daily. My caloric intake is close to ideal and my exercise is close to ideal. All I can do is just see how it plays out for the month, but I would so love it if my body could speak to me. Maybe have a little print out that gives the agenda for the month?  In this day in age where we try to plan and control everything, I'm wanting to have that same control over my body which is, of course, impossible.

Needless to say, the scale has held steady the last few days. Well, that's not true. It's gone up a few tenths of a pound. Please just let it be hormones!