Weight fluctuation is natural

AsISmile
AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I just wanted to start this thread because people often worry about weight fluctuations, while it is very natural.
They can be caused by a combination of things like water retention, food in your digestive track, etc.

Here are two real life examples:

1) A few months ago I was a bit constipated, and weighed myself before and after visiting the toilet.
The combination of emptying my bladder and passing stool resulted in a 0.9 kg (2 lbs) weightloss.

2) I recently started weight training and yesterday I woke up with my legs feeling swollen from water retention. Almost like the feeling you have when your eyelids are swollen. I weighed myself yesterday morning, and again after lunch when my legs felt better. Even considering I had breakfast and lunch, and without passing stool, I lost 0.6 kg (1.3 lbs). This morning I was down another 0.2 kg (0.44 lbs).

So if you had a day you ate a lot of food volume wise, and the number on the scale goes up the next morning, chances are it is the weight of food in your digestive track.
And if you had a lot of salt the night before, you just might be retaining a lot of water.

Anyone else have any real life examples, or perhaps some nice (trendweight) weight charts that show that maintenance weight is range with natural fluctuations?

Replies

  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Here's a good thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    This applies to maintenance as well as to loss. Fluctuation is normal. Most people have a maintenance "range" of 5-10 pounds. Water weight, time of day, time of month (especially for the ladies), water retention, stomach contents, DOMS, all of that can affect the scale weight.
  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    Here's a good thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    This applies to maintenance as well as to loss. Fluctuation is normal. Most people have a maintenance "range" of 5-10 pounds. Water weight, time of day, time of month (especially for the ladies), water retention, stomach contents, DOMS, all of that can affect the scale weight.

    Thanks! That's a great thread. I never hang out in the weightloss section so I've never come across it before.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Fluctuations aren't news to most of us, most times its just common sense :smile:

    But yes for me my weight goes up a few lbs every Sunday after a carb heavy day of eating on Sat.

    Or if I eat Chinese/ Indian food.

    Or if I can't go to the loo....

    It ain't rocket science lol
  • egorre
    egorre Posts: 72 Member
    doesn't matter if you eat below your calories on a daily basis.

    3z3nk5wgt078.png

    here's my daily weight log for the month of september. my weight fluctuates greatly during weekdays and then hit new lows during weekend where i sleep for more than 5 hours.

    the app is called Libra available on Google Play. it shows you your weight trend based on your fluctuations. great data to look at if you want motivation.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    I use Libra and it's a great app for people with Android phones. If you have an iPhone there's a similar app called Trendweight.

    But I'm a geek, so I also have my own spreadsheet, where I plot weight trends, daily calories, and 7-, 14-, 30-, 60- and 90-day TDEE. That spreadsheet was probably my #1 best weight loss tool, because it kept me focused on the numbers and making smart decisions based on math, not emotion.

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