Can someone explain this?

So I have been following my daily calorie limit for one week and one day now. Sometimes I even went a little under (bad I know), I was going to the gym and getting my cardio and strength training on. But for some reason the scale didn't budge until... Yesterday morning, I went from 210.5 lbs to 206.4 lbs all over night, both weights were taken in the morning prior to eating. I though oh it's probably going to jump back again tomorrow... Nope, I weighed myself this morning and I went down to 204.3 lbs!
So why did all the weight come off literally over night?

Replies

  • msujack
    msujack Posts: 84 Member
    the body's weight loss isn't linear... I don't know the exact reason behind it. You could put on 2-3 lbs in water weight and lose the fat over the week and it wouldn't show on the scale. then the next week, you lose another couple pounds AND the water weight goes away... WHOOSH, a large drop in weight.

    Thats how I understand it, maybe someone else will chime in. But either way, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE GREAT PROGRESS!!!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    The non-linear weight loss of a non-perfect machine.
  • JeffBrown3
    JeffBrown3 Posts: 161 Member
    msujack wrote: »
    the body's weight loss isn't linear... I don't know the exact reason behind it. You could put on 2-3 lbs in water weight and lose the fat over the week and it wouldn't show on the scale. then the next week, you lose another couple pounds AND the water weight goes away... WHOOSH, a large drop in weight.

    Thats how I understand it, maybe someone else will chime in. But either way, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE GREAT PROGRESS!!!

    This is my understanding of it as well after spending countless hours researching it. Measurements should be taken with fat calipers to track fat loss. The water weight fluctuates too randomly and often to use a weight scale successfully on a daily basis.

  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    Nothing's written in stone ..... it'll happen when it happens ...... enjoy the ride & congrats !
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Eating at a calorie deficit is about fat loss. Body weight is composed of more than fat. Water is usually the culprit in fast weight gain or loss.
  • Chrisbande
    Chrisbande Posts: 26 Member
    Its more likely water loss if its a significant number like that.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited October 2015
    weight loss isn't a linear function, it is a general trend over time. equally important is understanding that body weight in general is not static.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Sometimes it's because you ate too much salt, so your body added water to itself to protect itself. When the salt issue is over, the water goes away and you drop a few pounds.

    Other times, we just lose in big chunks. We don't know why. We call that "a whoosh." When the scientists figure it all out, there will be new names...and the drug companies will be working furiously to make pills that encourage it, lol.

    I hate the stalls. They're very annoying. But I LOVE the whoosh!! :)
  • Rosyone
    Rosyone Posts: 74 Member
    Water retention isn't a linear function either, for young females. You can expect regular stalls and whooshes at different times of the month.
  • Rinushja
    Rinushja Posts: 6 Member
    msujack wrote: »
    the body's weight loss isn't linear... I don't know the exact reason behind it. You could put on 2-3 lbs in water weight and lose the fat over the week and it wouldn't show on the scale. then the next week, you lose another couple pounds AND the water weight goes away... WHOOSH, a large drop in weight.

    Thats how I understand it, maybe someone else will chime in. But either way, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE GREAT PROGRESS!!!


    Thanks!!

  • Rinushja
    Rinushja Posts: 6 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Sometimes it's because you ate too much salt, so your body added water to itself to protect itself. When the salt issue is over, the water goes away and you drop a few pounds.

    Other times, we just lose in big chunks. We don't know why. We call that "a whoosh." When the scientists figure it all out, there will be new names...and the drug companies will be working furiously to make pills that encourage it, lol.

    I hate the stalls. They're very annoying. But I LOVE the whoosh!! :)


    Yup! Loving the Whoosh!
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    You didn't lose this weight over-night - I don't know the science and I'm certainly no expert but the reason for the whooshes or lack of whooshes are all water related and totally normal :)

    Glad to see you getting your results and keep up the great work

  • ashbee03
    ashbee03 Posts: 274 Member
    I've also noticed this. I really started watching my calories and stuff September 16. First week I was going down everyday. (I do Wii fit, so it says a body test should be done daily. It's a routine now really.)
    And then randomly I kept waking up and losing like 2 pounds a day.
    And then without changing anything I was just continuing I started going up by 0.2 or 0.4 pounds and then dropping 1 pound and then a random 4 pound gain, and then a loss etc. It's very random, but over the course of 2 weeks it has gone down from the starting number.
    You gotta kinda just go with it with no harsh expectations. Numerous times I've woken up feeling great and thinking I've definitely gone down a bit because I don't feel bloated or anything, and I gained .5 of a pound.
    Just go with the flow, and do your best! :)

  • wonko221
    wonko221 Posts: 292 Member
    edited October 2015
    i had a remarkable progress in weight and body shape when i first started. My first 15 pounds was the fastest, about two weeks.

    In my curiosity, i read the forums here, and someone used the tongue-in-cheek phrase "broccoli shock." Basically, my previous habits were bad; really bad. Lots of fast food. Too much sodium. Basically, my body was constantly retaining water to protect itself.

    Once i start eating well, staying hydrated, and moving around a bit more (not aggressive exercise, just walking a bit) my body started to shed weight and to slim rapidly - it was in broccoli shock! I think it was almost all water retention; it was way too dramatic to be fat loss.

    Since then, my weight loss has been much more gradual, but i have felt consistently more and more healthy, energetic, and confident that i'm on a good path.

    Good luck to you!
  • Rinushja
    Rinushja Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks everyone for your comments, they are greatly appreciated! Good luck on your journeys!
  • sunandmoons
    sunandmoons Posts: 415 Member
    Yep.. Same thing with me.. My first two weeks didnt lose an ounce. Third week.. water weight.. I lost 4 pounds.. then a loss the next two weeks. Ive even had where I lost a pound a day for four days.. would gain back a few pounds. I am nearing my 8th week and it has tapered off to about 1.5 to 2 pounds a week.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    Yeah, it's just how weight loss is.

    Basically, remember your body is mostly water. Your body needs to maintain osmolarity (basically, the concentration of "stuff" dissolved in the water of your body). So if you gain "stuff" - this could be sodium or potassium, it could be glycogen, the short-term energy stores of your liver and muscles, etc. - for each molecule of "stuff" it has to have a certain number of water molecules too to keep the osmolarity of your blood and cells correct.

    Your kidneys manage the water balance of your body by either making your urine more concentrated (conserving body water) or dilute (expelling excess water). You gain water both by eating and drinking, as well as by burning calories - for example, all carbohydates ultimately break down into water + carbon dioxide + energy. Your body cycles through about ten pounds of water per day - most expelled by urine, but some in sweat or as water vapor in your breath.

    There are so many factors that influence water weight, it may as well be random. How much sodium and potassium you eat, how much you exercise (can cause muscle cells to swell with excess water), how stressed you are, what your hormone levels are, if you're slightly dehydrated versus slightly overhydrated, etc. all play roles.

    You care about long-term trends, not short-term.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I fluctuate about eight ounces for two weeks, then whoosh, lose five pounds. Gain back two, fluctuate about eight ounces for two weeks, then whoosh, lose five pounds. Gain back two. End result is I'm losing over half a pound a week, which is a LOT faster than I gained it, so I'm happy.