I'm better -- but I didn't record my full weight loss -- Thoughts?

Thanks for your collective wisdom last week when I thought I had food poisoning!  That, or some other GI bug seems to be the culprit, since I seem to be OK today -- finally! 

However, since Saturday is my "weigh day", and I was down about 4.5 pounds for the week (I typically lose fractions to 2 pounds a week at this point), I only recorded a 4 pound loss.   I had been drinking fluids so I wouldn't get dehydrated, but basically I didn't start eating food again until Sunday -- and I only had one solid meal on Sunday and Monday -- just liquids and 2 protein shakes.

It seemed to me that the full 4.5 pounds wasn't a true loss, so I shaved off the half pound.  Basically I never lose 4 pounds a week now, so even taking that much seemed super optimistic.  

My thinking was that it would mess with my head to take this big loss that wasn't real, then not lose anything for the next 3 weeks or so (given my typical pattern).

Now, I will admit that my losses have been slow because I've been sloppy lately (not recording every day, and eating a little more avacado and fruit than usual), and I am using this experience to tighten up my food habits. I am still down the full amount.

Your thoughts on not taking the full loss after you've been sick?  

My guess is that you should probably do whatever makes you feel the most psychologically comfortable (as long as it's not failing to record a gain or overstating a loss-which will lead to denial which is crazy making), but it seems like you are making it into making it into a head game when you don't have to. According to your scale your body weighs 4.5 less. That's true. Who are you cheating or fooling by changing the number? By not "taking the full loss" that your body clearly already took? How is that more fair or accurate to anyone.

The number on the scale really is just a number- it's not the best/most accurate measure of progress, just the most convenient.It's a valuable valuable tool- but don't make it more than it is. Idk how you track your weight, but I keep a paper calendar next to my scale to track the number in addition to popping it into myfitness pal and on the paper calendar sometimes I will write a word/sentence to give context usually "Period?" or "Basically had hot sauce for dinner?" to explain a bounce up that I think it attributable to water retention. If I see that the weight doesn't drop back down then I look closely at my food journal and think about my activity levels to see what's up.

When this loss goes down into the MuttLover Loss book why don't you just give context if you are hesitant to give yourself credit for the loss (I was probably dehydrated cause I was really sick) and then see where the actual full 4.5 loss fits in the overall pattern?

I would also add that the metabolic activity of the previous week/day isn't necessarily what's showing up on the scale at any given time. I.e people who have a 4 or 5 pound "woosh" after a long stall aren't metabolizing 4 or 5 pounds of tissue overnight - their body is just releasing the waste from that metobolic process (that occured God knows when) at that time. My point being is that you have no idea how much of the loss was attributable to the illness anyway so shaving of a half pound for parity's sake seems especially random.

I'm glad you are feeling physically better! Please don't torture yourself emotionally.

Hmmm.... not sure I agree that it is not a true loss.  I understand completely not wanting to set yourself up for a letdown on the scale and all though.  Unfortunately, I have experience with this as well.  I was 10 pounds above my goal a year ago in July.  I ate some mango from Sams that later was recalled for I think salmonella, but whatever it was it made people sick.  Of course by then I had already eaten a decent portion of the container.  I was sick from it, and it took a solid week or perhaps a week and a half to recover.  I lost 10 pounds from that ordeal and officially made goal as a result.  Thing is, it stayed off.  I didn't have a 5 pound regain or anything after I recovered.  I did make sure to get fluids in while I was sick, so rebounding from dehydration was not an issue- but I didn't eat much.  So, so sorry that you were ill... but enjoy the benefit of the weight loss!  You earned it!