For Those Who Weigh Themselves Daily

meg7117

Alright friends of MFP, I've got a question. I'm on week two of my diet/lifestyle change and have chosen to weigh myself daily. Specifically every morning right after I wake up. It holds me accountable which is why I like it, but the daily fluctuations are a bit frustrating. I started out at about 153.8 lbs and at the end of the first week I was 151.8 (a whole two pounds!) But I haven't gotten below that at all this week (Though I am only on week two). And yesterday I weighed in at 153 again which was quite disheartening. I know for a fact that I'm eating less, but just want to know is that normal for you to gain up to two pounds while weighing yourself daily? I drink a lot of water too so I don't think that's the problem, but hey maybe this is just something that happens when you choose to weigh yourself daily. I'm not sure. I'd really love to see what some of you guys have to say about this so I don't feel as discouraged! Thanks guys!

daniip_la

Yes, that's absolutely normal. I weigh daily and know that unexplained fluctuations are normal.

If you find that you get too discouraged weighing everyday, you might want to change to weighing less often.

cgvet37

Fluctuations are normal. Too much sodium, or muscle repair will cause you to gain some water weight. I personally fluctuate anywhere from 1-3 lbs. Second, you have only been at it for two weeks, which is nothing. It's not going to happen overnight. Don't let numbers get you down. Consistency is the key.

kshama2001

Since I gain at ovulation and premenstrually (and because Lyle McDonald said to), I compare my weight to this week last month, rather than last week.

xvolution

You may want to keep track of your weight using an app that tracks trends instead of day-to-day weight [I use TrendWeight]. This way it shows your actual weight loss over time and compensates for water weight.

grinning_chick

I have fluctuated as high as three pounds of gain from one day to the next. It has never been permanent as long as I am on the counting and logging truck. One thing I have discovered is I've become sensitive to sodium as I've aged; it used to never affect me but now absolutely directly influences my weight for a couple days if I eat anything that is a sodium bomb.

It is not necessarily just fluid retention that will affect weight on a daily basis, either. Another is the combined weight of all intestinal contents since it is not a constant and will vary from day to day as well.

If you find wild weight fluctuations are negatively impacting your endeavors, I can't recommend enough going to weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly weigh ins. Or going by tape measurements either solely or in conjunction with more sporadic weigh ins.

87sid

I fluctuate, usually only by a few ounces. I've only had one time when I was stuck for a week that it really killed me emotionally because I knew I was eating at a deficit. But it passed, and I lost a bit. I'd rather see the daily fluctuations than going an entire week and not lose what I think I should have lost. I think that might be more discouraging for me, however I am at a place where I wouldn't stop because of it. When I weigh daily and don't lose or gain a few ounces, usually I just have hope for the next day. If I fluctuated by more than a pound or so, I would probably weigh weekly (me personally, not saying you should) . It can be hard, but as long as you know you're in a deficit then it will come of eventually. And it might even be a couple lbs instead of ounces.

Konigboy

Heck, I would be happy with a pound or 2 fluctuation. I have been as high as 10 lbs the next day, even later on at night. Very frustrating when you work so hard and see it. Just keep doing what you are and in the long run you will see success.

meg7117

Thanks so much! I just downloaded trend weight and it looks great! I've been looking for an app that tracks weight loss day by day and shows progress but haven't been able to find one. I like how MFP charts progress, but this seems like it goes much more in depth.

And thanks to everybody else for your answers. I am just beginning so I guess I should be a bit more patient haha. And I am pre-cycle week so that could explain things too. Either way I'm going to keep at it!

rankinsect

See I'm late to the thread, but yes, totally normal for me too. Sometimes I will go two weeks without setting a new record low, and then demolish my record low by a significant margin. That's just the way things go sometimes.

gothchiq

Sodium intake, swelling of muscles after exercise and things like that will cause fluctuation.

lthames0810

For most people, scale weight is the main thing they are interested in. But a long while back in one of these forum topics, a woman mentioned that she uses "test shorts" to gauge her progress. Periodically she would get out the test shorts and try them on. I loved that idea because I have shorts that are too small in every size from here to my goal weight.

clambert1273

Mine usually goes a solid 3 weeks dropping then when I hit about the 10lb lost mark it slows down. I might go 5 days before seeing a drop and then 3 days after that see 2lbs... Go for the trend! It is really cool plotting it into excel and doing trend charts.. Yup.. I am nerdy like that

marm1962

I weigh myself everyday, however I only record my weight on one given day (Monday mornings for me) I personally ignore the fluctuations

Bxqtie116

I weigh myself everyday but it wasn't always like that. I wasn't losing anything for months so I began the daily weigh ins to better track my sodium level and calories from the day before. I use Happy Scale and like seeing what my predicted weight will be in 1-2 weeks. So if I have a slight gain, it's no big deal. I know that weight fluctuates daily but it's nice to see the losses take place.

capaul42

For *kitten* and giggles, when I started, I weighed myself every 2 hours for one day. I was curious about the fluctuations and I figured if I saw what effect things like meals, bathroom visits, drinks (etc) had in a normal day, I'd be less likely to freak out during my journey.

Biggest gain I saw was +8lbs (from first weight that morning) after a fairly large dinner. Biggest between weighings was approx. 3lbs. Biggest drop was just under 2lbs between weighings.

So, completely normal.

SusanMFindlay

Totally normal. I've been weighing myself daily for years. I've seen fluctuations up to 5 pounds (either way) but usually in the 1-2 pound range. I weigh daily to numb myself to the fluctuations because if I only weighed weekly and happened to weigh on an "up" day, it would be demoralizing to me. Whereas I was up 3 pounds this morning and I know enough to blame it on water retention from yesterday's killer workout (first one in two weeks).

liz60625

The trend weight tip is super helpful. Thank you!

lulalacroix

If you are going to weigh daily then you do have to be prepared for the fluctuations - for me they have been as much as 8 pounds. There are so many factors that affect the fluctuations as well. When I have a decent period without weight loss it usually means a whoosh is coming.

SadDolt

since weighing daily i noticed that when i eat too much bread i gain weight. if i eat 'lighter' carbs, like noodles or ice cream, i still lose. so i try to limit eating bread. if i have something with bread i eat it very early in the day, and not past 2pm.

jdhcm2006

kshama2001 wrote: »

Since I gain at ovulation and premenstrually (and because Lyle McDonald said to), I compare my weight to this week last month, rather than last week.

Same. It also doesn't help anything that I always crave Chinese food right before I start/during my cycle so the fluctuation is even bigger.

Weighing daily is what helped me learn that I gain weight during ovulation. It also helped me to not be so crazed by the changes but to pay attention to the overall trend.

DaisyM01

I think so...this is my weight in my first 3 weeks. There's a stone (14 lbs) between the highest and lowest entries.

kommodevaran

I don't gain or lose a couple of pounds from day to day - weight fluctuates by a couple of pounds from day to day. Major difference!

MaybeLed

Bouncing around is totally normal for me, but this time I'm not letting it get me down.

I use happyscale and https://trendweight.com/ to keep an eye on what's actually happening

Machka9

meg7117 wrote: »

Alright friends of MFP, I've got a question. I'm on week two of my diet/lifestyle change and have chosen to weigh myself daily. Specifically every morning right after I wake up. It holds me accountable which is why I like it, but the daily fluctuations are a bit frustrating. I started out at about 153.8 lbs and at the end of the first week I was 151.8 (a whole two pounds!) But I haven't gotten below that at all this week (Though I am only on week two). And yesterday I weighed in at 153 again which was quite disheartening. I know for a fact that I'm eating less, but just want to know is that normal for you to gain up to two pounds while weighing yourself daily? I drink a lot of water too so I don't think that's the problem, but hey maybe this is just something that happens when you choose to weigh yourself daily. I'm not sure. I'd really love to see what some of you guys have to say about this so I don't feel as discouraged! Thanks guys!

I find the daily fluctuations fascinating. I can usually pinpoint why the fluctuations occur.

I go on a long bicycle ride ... my weight goes up.
I eat salty food ... my weight goes up.

Three day after my long bicycle ride ... my weight goes down.
I drink a couple cups of tea and use the toilet a lot one day ... my weight goes down.

Keep in mind that food and water has weight. If you've eaten and had something to drink not long before weighing yourself, you'll likely be heavier. If you drink a lot of water, that might be the problem sometimes.

Look for patterns.

mackiscute2002

I weigh daily but only record saturday mornings numbers. The only time i record during the week is if my number drops and stays dropped. I use the daily weighs only to remind me that what i do daily does have an impact....the extra desert one day because it was a bad day, the extra long walk or the missed walk.

trigden1991

Make sure you plot/track your weights to see the overall trend!

Don't weigh daily if you can't handle the mental anguish of stalls or increases.

oolou

I agree with all the comments about using a trend graph. I use weight grapher which helps smooth out the bumps and keeps me sane when I seem to bounce around the same weight for a fortnight.

You are not alone in your annoyance at seeing the weight bounce up and down rather than gracefully decrease steadily

JeromeBarry1

Tuesday, gain 1 lb. Wednesday, lose 1.6 lb. Thursday, gain 1.4 lb. That's a bit more than is typical, but it's not atypical.

queenofpuppies

I use the graph under the 'reports' section of MFP. It is really eye opening to look at my sodium intake then my weight...most days I have a spike in weight it is a day or two after a spike in sodium, or a day or two after I work out really hard, so that tells me its water not tacos. I was at 153 a week ago, 157 two days ago, and now I'm at 150. Just keep measuring everything and being as accurate as you can, give it time, and try to focus on how cool your body is and all they ways it changes that you didn't notice until now. You'll lose little by little. Oh, and measuring your hips and waist might give some perspective too. Good luck!

leajas1

Hi! Check out this article on "why the scale lies."

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm