How long for TRUE loss or gain to show

emmab0902

Curious how long it takes for true weight gain or loss to show on the scales. For example if your eating habits go astray when would you expect to see the damage on the scales? A week? A month?

PinkCoconut

It all depends on the person and how much you lost or gained. The scale is very finicky and not the best way to gauge either but for one person it may show up immediately and for others longer. If it wasn't much of a gain or loss it may not show up at all there really is no cut and dry answer to it.

Shuuma

For me (that's my disclaimer!), I can gain upwards of 7-10 pounds overnight when my sodium intake is too high. I'm super-sensitive to it. I can actually feel and see that gain. I can feel when it's going away, too. When I started consciously losing weight, I took pictures every week for the first two months and I could see a difference in about three weeks. Pretty dramatically, too.

Everyone is a lot different, so I am just telling my experience, but I think, reasonably, two to three weeks can be noticeable. I suggest taking pictures and measuring to see the real differences. Your scale is not really your friend. :flowerforyou:


ETA: You asked about gaining weight, too. I think you'd have to eat A LOT of food every day to gain a noticeable amount rapidly. We didn't gain overnight and we won't lose overnight, either. I would say, if you're going crazy with the foods, same thing-2-3 weeks to show? It's hard to say!