Lost 3 lbs in a couple days? Is this fat, water weight, or what?

summer92008
summer92008 Posts: 202
in Health and Weight Loss
Stats:
20 y.o.
Female
5'6'' tall
SW: 149ish
CW: 135.8
GW: 129

I weigh myself every morning in similar clothes after I use the restroom. I didn't weigh myself yesterday morning because I was in a rush to leave, but I weighed myself the morning before and weighed 139 or so. I'm not sure exactly. That was up compared to my normal 137-138 range. I usually drop weight slow and steady, so I understood that as just a normal fluctuation. Now I weigh myself this morning and I weighed 135.8! I know weight loss is not linear, but that just shocked me because I haven't been below 137 even at all for a long time. So that just shocked my quite a bit. My weight was at a moderate stand still, so I thought it may have been "making up" for lost time. Could it be that much water weight or do you think maybe I've lost weight? That's just a big number jump for me, so I'm kind of excited in hope that I've dropped weight, but I know that may not be too realistic.

Replies

  • waltcote
    waltcote Posts: 372 Member
    :D I would see how your weight is the next few days. I have had weigh ins and I can't figure out what is going on sometimes. I have eaten over my calories with a lot of carbs(pizza!) and have maintained or even lost. There are so many factors I believe that affect my weight. I try to tell myself to look at the long term progress. If I gain a pound or two, it's not the end. I wonder sometimes if I stop using MFP if I can do it. I am pretty much at my goal weight. I am thinking that my body tells me what I need to do. If I eat a lot one day, I think that I am apt to cut back the next day without too much effort. I don't know if this helps. Just passing on what I have learned.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    How long has it been since you've been under 137? Have you changed your calorie intake? Could be water weight, or you could have just actually lost weight. Hard to say without knowing more details. If it's been months since you've been under 137, haven't dropped your sodium or carbs, it's likely that you lost some actual fat.
  • summer92008
    summer92008 Posts: 202
    No, I weighed 137 earlier this week, or maybe this past weekend, not too sure. I usually don't take the weight to heart, I just find it interesting to keep up with it. If anything, I have upped my caloric intake from 1,200 to 1,200-1,600 a day. I have done that though in just the past week or so.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    It takes about 3500 calories to equal one pound of fat. You would have had to burn about 10,500 calories (3500 x 3) in order to lose 3 lbs. of fat. The drop was mostly water.
  • lalawaterlala
    lalawaterlala Posts: 56 Member
    Maybe you lost a lot of water weight or ate less the past few days without realizing it. Congrats on the weight loss though! It also could have been the upped calorie intake, your body may have been like OH FOOD! time to burn off some of this excess fat we've been holding onto! Chances are, that big of a loss was water but I bet some of it was fat as well.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
    Could be water loss, or any number of things but it's not unusual , just monitor it
  • summer92008
    summer92008 Posts: 202
    Well I have weighed generally the same the past couple of days and maintained that weight, so I'm assuming that I actually lose that much. Yay! :)

Categories