Is this normal?

PreachersWife276

I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app last week to help me stay on track with getting healthy again but I have found something strange that I wanted to see if others may have also experienced:

I hardly ever weighed myself before because I just didn't even want to know, but since joining MFP, I weigh myself daily/every 2 days and log it.

On Sunday, I weighed 273.9lbs.
On Tuesday, I weighed 283.7lbs.
On Thursday, I weighed 289.9lbs.
Then, this morning I was 281.0lbs.

That is a gain of 16lbs in five days,
And a 7lb loss overnight.

Is this normal? Has anyone else had a similar experience in the beginning of their weightloss?

ganzelly

That does seem like a big fluctuation although I will go up 5 after a sodium heavy meal and bigger meal than normal. Then drop down 3 the next day. Does your scale need batteries? Try weighing yourself 2 or 3 times right in a row and see if it gives you the same number. It not, batteries or a new scale

PreachersWife276

I tried what you said, ganzelly, and received the same number each time, so it isn't a battery issue.
And I'm not doing anything differently one day to the next:
I wake up, pee, then immediately weigh.
And I always strip down to my underwear, so it isn't that I'm wearing something heavier or lighter from one day to the next that would affect the reading...

Bxqtie116

That definitely sounds like water retention. Have you have foods with a high sodium level? Also, how often you have a bowel movement affects your weight too. If you don't have a BM at least 2x a day, that's undigested waste that's added onto your weight.

minime0424

Do you always have your scale on the floor?? I have mine up against my bathroom wall because my bathroom is to small to have it flat on the floor all the time lol so mine takes several weigh ins to properly recalibrate or else I receive all types of weights. I would suggest maybe just getting a new scale, even if the batteries are good doesn't mean the mechanics of the scale are working properly and that could be why your getting such huge fluctuations.

PreachersWife276

Bxqtie116, I usually have 1 BM daily... Which is normal for me.
But my husband recently had a massive heart attack and found out that he is a diabetic all in the same day, so we have completely cut sodium out of our diets...
...I can't think of anything I injested that would have had a high content in it.

PreachersWife276

minime0424,
I had thought that, too, but our scale is actually brand new and we keep it flat on the floor in the same place at all times. It works just fine for my husband; it doesn't show that his weight fluctuates the way mine does, so I don't think its a problem with the scale.

AnnPT77

In some people, changes in carb consumption (even if still at healthy levels) can cause water weight to increase/decrease, as can workouts that cause sore muscles, or issues related to different points in women's monthly cycle. There are lots of potential causes, including higher fiber one day vs. another, hydration levels, and more.

That said, my weight doesn't fluctuate as much as you're seeing day to day. Plus or minus 2-3 pounds from one day to the next is pretty common, and I've seen as much as 5, if not a bit more, on rare occasions. If you're not feeling unwell in any way, I wouldn't worry too much about it, just try to get a good understanding of your personal normal fluctuations, and over time you'll begin - I predict - to understand what the causes are.

Personally, I like weighing myself every day, and recording the result, for just this reason.

You can get apps that calculate a weight trend - the overall direction of your weight gain or loss over a longer time period. Those can be helpful in seeing what's beyond the fluctuations (don't expect any rational results from them until you've been using them for a while, and given them enough data to work with). Some examples are Libra (for Android), Happy Scale (for iOS), or Trendweight, but there are others.

PreachersWife276

AnnPT77,
Thank you so much for the wisdom and advice, I greatly appreciate it!

minime0424

It is possible to have flactuations like that, I've had a 6 pound flactuation before within a 24 hour period, but I would really look at your sodium in take, I always stay under the 2300 mg per day because I've had blood pressure issues for the last almost two years. If it continues after changing up your sodium in take then I would talk to you doc to make sure there are not any underlying health issues. I wish you lots of luck!!

afatpersonwholikesfood

Yes, I have had crazy fluctuations like that. I have always just assumed carbs/workouts/maybe sodium and that I am someone who is especially water retentive.