Discouraged by weight fluctuation??

Roxy34

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I just wanted to re-address the issue of weight fluctuation. It is a concern for a lot of ppl and I hope this sheds a little light for ya.

If you're someone who weighs yourself daily, then you know that our weight is hardly static. If you weighed 130 before you went to bed and then 134 in the morning (after you pee) this does not mean you gained four pounds overnight. Well, unless you consumed 14,000 calories while you were sleeping. So don't sweat it and take a look at the common reasons for day-to-day weight fluctuations:

DRINKING WATER: Two cups of water weighs one pound, so if you've been busy hydrating yourself then you'll definitely see an immediate and temporary gain in your weight.

NOT DRINKING WATER: Not drinking enough water actually causes the body to retain fluid, which can also lead to a temporary weight gain.

EATING AND DRINKING: Food and drinks have a weight too, you know. Just as you wouldn't stand on the scale holding a box cookies, nor should you weigh yourself after eating one. Wait until your body has had time to digest before stepping on the scale.

SALT: Taking in too much sodium is a sure way to cause the body to retain water, which can cause a temporary weight gain.

EXERCISE: Exercise can result in an immediate weight loss from sweating and dehydration. This is why many people like to weigh themselves after working out. Remember that if you don't rehydrate your body will start to retain water.

THAT TIME OF THE MONTH: Most women know that weight gain that can occur before menstruation due to water retention — it too is temporary and will pass.

If you haven't already, check this out:

THE GOOGLE 15 WEIGHT TRACKER

The Google 15 encourages you to get on the scale every day by calculating a moving average from your daily weight. We then plot this average alongside your daily scale weight and a goal weight that you set.

If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've undoubtedly experienced the excitement of getting on the scale to see that you "lost" two pounds since yesterday. Unfortunately, that tends to be followed by the depression that you "gained" three pounds the next day. It's impossible to "lose weight" every day according to your scale weight, so as a result, most people cultivate an irrational (but very real) fear of their scale and only climb on to get feedback on their weight loss efforts every week or two.
Your exact scale weight isn't really important as long as it's "ahead" of the trend you're aiming for. If you're trying to lose weight, you want your day-to-day scale weight to be below your moving average--concentrate on your moving average weight, not your scale weight!
Of course, the big secret that you never hear is that the hardest part about losing weight is keeping the weight off once you've lost it. The Google 15 generally considers you to be on goal as long as your moving average weight stays within 2.5 pounds of your goal weight. So don't stop using it once you've made your goal weight--enter your weight every day and it will give you an early warning if you start to pack on the pounds!

Here is the link if you want to give it a shot: http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=www.google.com/ig/modules/google15.xml

And, don't forget......a 3 to 5lb daily weight fluctuation is NORMAL. :happy:

Also, don't forget to weigh yourself around the same time of day. If you weigh yourself in the morning one day and don't weigh yourself again for a week, make sure you do it around the same time you weighed yourself a week ago!

Roxy34

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I just wanted to re-address the issue of weight fluctuation. It is a concern for a lot of ppl and I hope this sheds a little light for ya.

If you're someone who weighs yourself daily, then you know that our weight is hardly static. If you weighed 130 before you went to bed and then 134 in the morning (after you pee) this does not mean you gained four pounds overnight. Well, unless you consumed 14,000 calories while you were sleeping. So don't sweat it and take a look at the common reasons for day-to-day weight fluctuations:

DRINKING WATER: Two cups of water weighs one pound, so if you've been busy hydrating yourself then you'll definitely see an immediate and temporary gain in your weight.

NOT DRINKING WATER: Not drinking enough water actually causes the body to retain fluid, which can also lead to a temporary weight gain.

EATING AND DRINKING: Food and drinks have a weight too, you know. Just as you wouldn't stand on the scale holding a box cookies, nor should you weigh yourself after eating one. Wait until your body has had time to digest before stepping on the scale.

SALT: Taking in too much sodium is a sure way to cause the body to retain water, which can cause a temporary weight gain.

EXERCISE: Exercise can result in an immediate weight loss from sweating and dehydration. This is why many people like to weigh themselves after working out. Remember that if you don't rehydrate your body will start to retain water.

THAT TIME OF THE MONTH: Most women know that weight gain that can occur before menstruation due to water retention — it too is temporary and will pass.

If you haven't already, check this out:

THE GOOGLE 15 WEIGHT TRACKER

The Google 15 encourages you to get on the scale every day by calculating a moving average from your daily weight. We then plot this average alongside your daily scale weight and a goal weight that you set.

If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've undoubtedly experienced the excitement of getting on the scale to see that you "lost" two pounds since yesterday. Unfortunately, that tends to be followed by the depression that you "gained" three pounds the next day. It's impossible to "lose weight" every day according to your scale weight, so as a result, most people cultivate an irrational (but very real) fear of their scale and only climb on to get feedback on their weight loss efforts every week or two.
Your exact scale weight isn't really important as long as it's "ahead" of the trend you're aiming for. If you're trying to lose weight, you want your day-to-day scale weight to be below your moving average--concentrate on your moving average weight, not your scale weight!
Of course, the big secret that you never hear is that the hardest part about losing weight is keeping the weight off once you've lost it. The Google 15 generally considers you to be on goal as long as your moving average weight stays within 2.5 pounds of your goal weight. So don't stop using it once you've made your goal weight--enter your weight every day and it will give you an early warning if you start to pack on the pounds!

Here is the link if you want to give it a shot: http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=www.google.com/ig/modules/google15.xml

And, don't forget......a 3 to 5lb daily weight fluctuation is NORMAL. :happy:

Also, don't forget to weigh yourself around the same time of day. If you weigh yourself in the morning one day and don't weigh yourself again for a week, make sure you do it around the same time you weighed yourself a week ago!

nitag

Thanks!!!!

hushmonkey1234

Thanks for the link. I added it to my favorites list.

tayner

man, i would go insane if i weighed myself every day..... I think I will just stick to my once a week and hope it shows a small loss each time.

chipper15173

"the number on the scale is just INFORMATION"

i heard this the other week and it works for me when the scale isn't cooperating. i tell myself this. than i think about why. did i workout harder, did/didn't drink the water, etc......

good info thanks