False loss?

cncrafton

I had plans last night to eat out with a friend, so I had not eaten much during the day in preparation for a big night of food. But then those plans fell through, and because I was physically and mentally exhausted, I just went to bed at 7 and fell right asleep.

So I weighed in this morning and was down two pounds from yesterday (I prefer to weigh every day). Whoo! Except…is it possible/likely that I won't see this weight again for a bit? I really don't have much knowledge in this area, but I just keep thinking that this wouldn't be a false loss in the sense that it didn't happen, because obviously it did, but a false loss in the sense that by the time I weighed, I had not eaten in 18 hours and hadn't had anything to drink in 12 hours. I am usually eating and drinking up until 10 PM or so, so that's only 8 hours to get rid of ~stuff vs yesterday's 12 & 18. So it's like, it's a weight that my body clearly COULD reach today, but only because I had an unexpected fast. And when I weigh tomorrow after eating normally today, it's probably going to be up because my body will have its typical amount of various matter…Does this make sense? Again, I have no knowledge of this, but that seems logical to me and I'm curious if it.

Before I get people saying that I need to stop weighing every day and not focus on the number on the scale - I am really not upset! If it goes up tomorrow, well, that's what I expected. If it goes down or stays the same, cool! Frankly I'm just bored at work and passing the time by trying to decide whether or not I should count this as a loss and if my theory makes sense.

neohdiver

I had plans last night to eat out with a friend, so I had not eaten much during the day in preparation for a big night of food. But then those plans fell through, and because I was physically and mentally exhausted, I just went to bed at 7 and fell right asleep.

So I weighed in this morning and was down two pounds from yesterday (I prefer to weigh every day). Whoo! Except…is it possible/likely that I won't see this weight again for a bit?

Weight change doesn't happen instantaneously. To really lose 2 pounds, you would need a 7000 calorie deficit. Not something you can create in a single day. My weight varies as much as 5 lbs in a day, depending on water retention, before/after potty breaks, the weight of the food I've added to my body (immediately after putting it in my belly the scale should jump the exact amount of the food I've put in - since all I did was change it from sitting on the counter to being on the scale with me - it takes time to process it into muscle/fat/waste, etc.)

Different people have different ways of tracking weight. For me it is helpful to track daily. What I record is when I have a new drop - knowing that I m going to fluctuate around the descending line. (In your case, I would expect to be up and down -mostly up - for a few days before the next drop down). The fluctuation bothers some people - which is one of the reasons for the recommendation not to weigh daily. If weighing is just part of my daily routine, and I see my weight going up and down on a daily basis, I am less likely to skip it (because I've been cheating the night before) than if I've been cheating just before a one week/one month/whatever - and don't want to be up on the BIG weigh in.

Figure out what works for you, psychologically, and follow that practice.

3dogsrunning

You simply lost water weight from not eating and drinking for a longer period of time. Once you eat and drink normally it will replenish.
Also, consider you likely eliminated most or all food in your stomach, which will equal less weight as well.

Eta - there is a great deal our bodies can fluctuate simply by playing with water weight. People who dehydrate intentionally for bodybuilding shows can drop 10-15 lbs in water weight (and gain that or more just by eating).
It does not reflect where we could or should be. Scale weight isnt an accurate indicator.

Bob314159

I usually find it's temporary to see a drop like that - but I went to a wedding several months ago and stuffed myself. The next day I was down 2 pounds and it stayed off. A week later I lost another pound. On the weekend I always eat more and by Sunday I'm 2 pounds heavier, by Monday its gone.

SpazzyMal

I would assume it's temporary and a factor of mostly just not eating and therefor your body had more time to get rid of everything in it completely before you weighed yourself. You also might have lost some extra water weight, but it's doubtful you've lost that much in real poundage. At the same time, who knows? Check again tomorrow and see if it's still low, but don't expect it to be. I like to weigh every day too, to get a feel for these sorts of things. I find it fun, as long as there's no obsession involved.

csplatt

Probably extra food still in digestive system contributing