Weight fluctuations?!

laura17192015

My weigh fluctuates up to 6 lbs from day to day. Im on a 1200 cal/day diet and I'm working out. I know I'm not actually gaining weight but it's still disappointing to see an increase on the scale. Does anybody else have this issue? How do I get an accurate weight?

cityruss

Everyone has this issue.

Your weight is accurate at the time you take it.

jenj02

This could be for several reasons including but not limited to; the clothes you're wearing when you weigh yourself, the time of day, how much food/water you've consumed prior to stepping on the scale, if its that time of the month...

My advice, if you must weigh yourself daily do it at the same time everyday wearing the same thing every time. For instance, i weigh myself naked every morning after i've urinated before i've eaten breakfast.

The_Weaze

Everything mentioned about and poop. lol

Weight is only one variable, taking body measurements it's a good way to track changes.

TarahByte

Yup and if I eat a whole lot of carbs, I retain water. I don't limit carbs because I freaking like eating but if I eat nothing but junk one day, I'm a little heavier the next day.

SLLRunner

laura17192015 wrote: »

My weigh fluctuates up to 6 lbs from day to day. Im on a 1200 cal/day diet and I'm working out. I know I'm not actually gaining weight but it's still disappointing to see an increase on the scale. Does anybody else have this issue? How do I get an accurate weight?

You are not alone. What you describe is normal.

callsitlikeiseeit

its normal. i have about a 5 pound range.

its the overall TREND you want to watch, not a finite moment in time when you step on a scale.

JeffreyBurkhalter

jenj02 wrote: »

This could be for several reasons including but not limited to; the clothes you're wearing when you weigh yourself, the time of day, how much food/water you've consumed prior to stepping on the scale, if its that time of the month...

My advice, if you must weigh yourself daily do it at the same time everyday wearing the same thing every time. For instance, i weigh myself naked every morning after i've urinated before i've eaten breakfast.

This. I have a cup of coffee when I wake up, use the restroom, shower, then weigh before I get dressed. You have to follow the same routine because of fluctuations throughout the day.

Now, I will weigh at other times just out of curiosity.

llbrixon

Also check the salt intake of your foods. If you eat a very salty meal yesterday, it will show up today.

AnnPT77

You're getting an accurate weight. There is no determinable "one true weight". The trend is the important thing - and over a scale of weeks - not days - at that.

You will weigh more because of food still in your system, your hydration level, retained water weight (caused by eating higher-than-normal carbs or sodium - even if still a perfectly reasonable amount; muscle repair needs from workouts or injury recovery; time of month - varies by person, anything from ovulation through menstrual period; some medications; some health conditions; and more). And I'm sure I'm forgetting some causes!

And that's true even if you weigh yourself at the same time of day, wearing the same thing. I "gained" 5 pounds on the scale from one morning to the next, just last week . . . and I guarantee it wasn't from eating 17,500 calories above maintenance in between. If I haven't eaten over maintenance, it's usually back down in a couple of days (the time-of-month, or muscle repair reasons may last longer).

Recommendation: Make peace with the fluctuations. Just stay on a healthy track. Patience! You'll see the loss over time.

beaglebrandon

Eat 500 calories of pretzels with 32 ounces of water, you'll gain 3 pounds overnight. (Salt holds water)

Drink 12 ounces of whisky, no food or water, you'll lose 3 pounds overnight. (Alcohol causes dehydration)

Water weight is the primary reason for weight fluctuations. I weigh myself every morning, good or bad, and graph the trends.

I can go out drinking on a Friday night, eating and drinking carelessly, and lose 2 pounds. But it's not real. All day Saturday I can eat right, well under my calorie allotment, and by Sunday morning I've gained 3 pounds. It's not because I had a bad Saturday - it's because Friday night is catching up to me, my body is regaining the water it lost due to dehydration Friday night. I've got to understand that, even though the scales told me Friday night was great for weight loss, and Saturday wasn't, it's really lying to me.

AnnPT77

beaglebrandon wrote: »

Eat 500 calories of pretzels with 32 ounces of water, you'll gain 3 pounds overnight. (Salt holds water)

Drink 12 ounces of whisky, no food or water, you'll lose 3 pounds overnight. (Alcohol causes dehydration)

Water weight is the primary reason for weight fluctuations. I weigh myself every morning, good or bad, and graph the trends.

I can go out drinking on a Friday night, eating and drinking carelessly, and lose 2 pounds. But it's not real. All day Saturday I can eat right, well under my calorie allotment, and by Sunday morning I've gained 3 pounds. It's not because I had a bad Saturday - it's because Friday night is catching up to me, my body is regaining the water it lost due to dehydration Friday night. I've got to understand that, even though the scales told me Friday night was great for weight loss, and Saturday wasn't, it's really lying to me.

IMO, this sort of thing is the best argument ever for daily weighing: You get to where you understand your own fluctuations and what causes them.

I know some people can't weigh daily and stay calm and collected about it, and they probably shouldn't weigh daily. But for those who can metaphorically pull back on their own reins and assess the number calmly, it's useful data . . . and it becomes self-knowledge when you accumulate a bunch of thoughtfully-collected data points.