Why do the numbers keep dropping?

whee1234

Hi all! I've been on vacation staying with my in laws for the last month or so. While I was there, I did my best to keep track of calories, but I didn't have access to a food scale or a people scale. We ate out a lot, and had lots of Summer Vacay food (pizza, kielbasa, burgers, ice cream, light beer that only tastes good next to a lake, etc.) I usually ate a healthy breakfast (bacon and eggs) and a vacation dinner (see list of foods above) but skipped lunch all together, which put me under calories. The hubs and I were also more active than at home- we went for walks, and played badminton, and went kayaking often.

When the hubs and I got home on Sunday (Scales! Yay!) I found that I had lost two pounds! (From 240 to under 238!) Since then, I've tightened up the food routine and been exercising a bit (walks to 10,000 steps, short runs to build up stamina). Yesterday, I did all the weight machines in my apartment building's little gym. When I woke up this morning, I was sore from the weightlifting and I expected to see the scale go up a bit because of it. Instead I was down to 236.4. I'm loving seeing the scale drop every day, but I do know that it probably doesn't represent fat loss. What do you guys think could be happening? Water weight?

Thanks for any advice!

My Stats (just in case):

SW: 280 (more than a year ago!)
CW: 236.4
GW: 130-140 range
Height: 5'7"

I lost the first 40 pounds by going Paleo, then Primal, then doing a Whole 30. Then I went on vacation and ate all of the breads, grains, processed foods and sugars (in moderation while doing my best to log it). Now I'm trying to find a balanced way of eating with some grains (oatmeal and rice) lots of veggies and plenty of meat. I also love beans, and resented not having them on Paleo. I will be eating hummus often from this day forward! All you regular posters on MFP have inspired me to include things I like in reasonable amounts in my diet, so thank you for that. I missed cheese and beans. Sardines are so much tastier on crackers. Occasional pizza will not kill me. Ice cream is okay so long as I fit it into my calories. And wine... Oh, Yes. Wine. I will save up enough calories for 5 oz of you every. single. day. I promise.

BasicGreatGuy

Water weight.