Does this assumption make sense

donjtomasco

If my average loss of weight from 11:00pm - 7:00am is 2.0 pounds (8 hours), simple math is 1 pound per 4 hrs. I know this is not exact, and honestly it has a lot to do with having one large pee in the second 4 hours.

My job causes me to sporadically get up at 3:00am for my day, otherwise I would wake up at 7:00am. What I am trying to do is make an assumption that is not exact but close since I weight each morning, so that I can more realistically account for the morning weigh ins being 4 hours apart.

My nightly range of weight loss during sleep is from 1.2 -4.2 pounds, averaging at 2.0 pounds per night.

I know weight loss is not linear, but when I AM on the little spurt of time where I am experiencing a loss after all the hard work, it kind of sucks to weigh in at 3:00am knowing there is probably another 1 pound loss in there had that morning started at 7:00.

Do any of you dispute that for data keeping and tracking purposes that it actually is quite accurate to assume a 1 pound loss per 4 hr period in this scenario? Thanks!

LivingtheLeanDream

Choose the same time of day every day to weigh in.
Use a weight trending app - it will calculate the trend.
Forget about thinking in terms of losing weight over a period of hours, its more a week/month overall trend that matters.

TavistockToad

i just wouldnt weigh myself on the odd day i was up really early.

Luciicul

In addition to what LivingTheLeanDream said above, weight you lose while asleep is partly dehydration (water loss), which goes away when you have a drink, so there's not much point weighing yourself at night and in the morning only 4-8 hours apart. Fat loss will be evident by tracking over a longer period of time, not a matter of a few hours.

I can't quite understand why there would be value in tracking how much weight you think you might have lost (but didn't) if you hadn't had to get up at 3am? Can you increase how much sleep you get by going to bed earlier on the days you rise at 3am so you get the same amount of sleep every night?

donjtomasco

I weigh each morning for the following reason. If I only tracked my weight once a week, like many here do, (and as you know weight loss is not linear), I could very easily weigh 2 pounds more on my next weeks weigh in, BUT, if I was weighing daily and saw the trend was down, I could rationalize that it was just one of those mornings where the body was doing it's think and I was in one of those retaining water days. Isn't that what I read about when there is a bad day or two in a row? Now, let's say I happen to hit that bad day again the following week? Sure, "Don't worry about it, your real weight will show in the long term." Fine. But I guess unlike most others in MFP, I find motivation in seeing the little victories in tracking daily weight, then when I hit a bad day I can see that it was a bad or off day, since I have been weighing each morning. Just weigh the same time each morning? On days when I am up at 3:00, or 4:00am, have my coffee, drink water and maybe have a snack or breakfast, it does not make much sense to weigh at my normal time of 7:00am, since as it was mentioned in one of the comments, my weight would be up.

cmriverside

Stop trying to micromanage this.

You've been at it long enough to relax a little. If you know your calories are in line, don't sweat the small stuff - this is way more anxiety than is warranted for this issue. You can't control your waking time due to work, so either weigh or not on those early days. Life will go on if you skip a day on the scale here and there. You can't micromanage that four hours.

NovusDies

If you get up at different times then just weigh in the morning after you use the restroom before you step in the shower.

My concern for you is that even daily weighing will not necessarily provide motivation for you. I can personally hover at the same weight for 3 weeks before getting a new low. This is why I focus on my day not on weight loss. I want to get through today in a calorie deficit and be happy-ish doing it. I know that if I am in a deficit I will lose weight and it will show up eventually. Sometimes it will show up as a NSV before it shows up on the scale.

I am chopping my forest one day at a time with as little regard for how big the forest is as I can manage.

donjtomasco

Thanks to a few of you for not judging my goals and how I am and to offer suggestions based on the parameters of my question. I appreciate your help!

RoxieDawn

The assumption does not make sense to answer your question.

But if you find that this way of thinking works for you then it works for you.

NovusDies

A component of weight loss success is behavior modification. I am quite sure everyone that has replied thus far had several adjustments of their own to make, I am no exception. Perhaps you should look at the replies as an attempt at guidance instead of judgment.

Duck_Puddle

My lowest weights of the day are around noon. I have no idea why. It’s after I’ve had coffee, been up and about, maybe even had breakfast. But it’s still lower.

I weigh daily for all the same reasons as you (sort of). Some weights are closer to that noon time, some are closer to 4AM and most are some time in between. The earlier weights are higher, the later weights are lower - but looking back a week/month/year later, I’m looking at the same trend and have no idea which weights are from what time of day.

I would not make any assumptions or changes to my weight log even if I were weighing at a time that is unusual (resulting in a weight that might be higher). Because where do you draw the line exactly? You usually lose another pound, but maybe not, but maybe 2, but maybe it’s a day that you’re just higher/lower anyway? Or maybe you had a big carb day the day before and you should probably adjust that weight too since that’s just water-probably about 5 pounds, right? By the time you’re done adjusting every weight that isn’t under ideal conditions, you’ve got a log of what you think your weight ought to be.

I understand your thinking but in the grand scheme of things - I wouldn’t adjust your early weights.

lin_be

I think your calculation isn’t considering the amount of just life happening that we experience on a day to day basis that affects weight: stress, salty meals, exercise. Sure you could probably calculate this if you eat and drink the same exact thing every day, at the same time and keep the same amount of stress and exercise the same. It’s hard to nail all of that down. Plus you mentioned you have to handle work early sometimes.

Maybe explore a different way to measure fat loss? Something you can use along with the scale. I try hard (and it’s an ongoing effort right now) to not use the scale as the only way to measure that what I’m doing is successful. I use my clothes, take measurements, use progress photos and also the scale.

Consistency not perfection!

Phirrgus

I'm always a lb of water and/or a couple of lbs of food away from another fluctuation.

Small victories are certainly nice, and (for myself) being only 6 or so lbs away form my goal, I do get excited over a 1 or 2lbs loss. I've come to recognize it's only a temporary victory though lol. A .5lb a week trend is satisfying too, if not quite as noteworthy.

donjtomasco

DUCK PUDDLE & PHIRRGUS - THANK YOU!