Up and down

rauten46

My weight literally goes up and down every day! I am 60 years old, 5'1 and go up and down between 123# - 127#. Every morning I get on the scale I could be down a few ounces or up a pound. What gives?

mohanj

Well...I am 62 and my weight fluctuates from one day to the other also. I contribute that to previous day food and water retention if I had any salty foods. Also, if I my move my digital scale slightly or keep my foot in slightly different place on the scale shows me from 1 to 3 lbs difference. So if I were you, I would not worry about those fluctuations.

juggernaut1974

rauten46 wrote: »

My weight literally goes up and down every day! I am 60 years old, 5'1 and go up and down between 123# - 127#. Every morning I get on the scale I could be down a few ounces or up a pound. What gives?

That's how it works.

Even at maintenance, your weight isn't a constant, static, unchanging number. It's typically a range of 3-5 lbs - depending on things like hydration level, waste in the system, etc.

This is why I typically advise people not to make one singular number any sort of a "goal" - but to measure your goal in relation to long term trends.

With a goal of losing weight - the long term trend should be downward (although it will include bumps up and down along the way)

With a goal of gaining weight - the long term trend should be upward (although it will include bumps up and down along the way)

With a goal of maintenance - the long term trend should be relatively flat within that 3-5 lb range (although it will include bumps up and down along the way)

richln

It is helpful to use a program that plots a trend line of your weight for you, so you can easily see the signal in the noise. I use Libra on my phone.