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Why does the weight go up and down?

AmandaLenn86
AmandaLenn86 Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i know i have an obsession with the scale, I always want to know what progress im making, I try my hardest to weight only once a week but now im considering putting the scale away for a month and only weighing once a month to actually help with the obsession but i dont know if i can do it..

My question is why does the weight go up and down like it does? Im working as hard as i was last week yet i lose 2lbs and then check and its 2lbs back on.. its annoying.. Any help out there? suggestions??

Thanks :)

Replies

  • tigerlily8045
    tigerlily8045 Posts: 402 Member
    I weigh every day to see what is happening to what I eat. I can gain and lose a couple of lbs depending on if I have drank enough water, had a high sodium day, worked out, etc. I realize that it isn't "real weight" gain and lost. Pick one day to actually "count". Or throw the scale out and measure! Real weight loss is not linear. Just because you worked really hard this week doesn't mean that it will show on the scale this week or even the next. It may take a couple then boom 3 lbs down. Drives a person crazy I know. Keep it up and it will happen. Just try not to drive yourself nuts in the mean time. :happy:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    the water content of your body is not tightly controlled, compared to something like blood sugar. So it varies +/- 2lbs
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
    the water content of your body is not tightly controlled, compared to something like blood sugar. So it varies +/- 2lbs

    This
  • Jenny_Taylia
    Jenny_Taylia Posts: 540 Member
    Im obsessed with the scale too. I keep it in the kitchen as a reminder to not go through the cupboards. I dont think I could handle putting it away.
  • LeidaPrimal
    LeidaPrimal Posts: 198 Member
    The Ancient Greek whose name I don't remember spent a long time sitting on a scale. His experiment showed that weight fluctuates all the time, and not just when he ate or pooped. Metabolism and water balance are the two big variables. If you weight your food that goes in, it is not gonna be be your body weight before consumption + weight of food after consumption. 2 lbs is a low fluctuation, it could be as high as 7-10 lbs depending on what has happened (a body builder can see up to 10 lbs of water retention after a huge lifting session up to 3 days after lifting).

    I actually encourage you to knock yourself out weighing yourself for as long as it takes, throughout the day. See how much you weigh first thing in the morning, after coming home and before supper, after supper... whenever you feel like.

    Chart, graph and see what exactly impacts your weight - sometimes you will know (I just did 45 min cardio in the gym and I am 2 lbs lighter or, conversely, I lifted > 1 tonne of weight during lifting workout and I am 2 lbs heavier because of the muscle water retention). Once you know, and you see that overall your weight goes down, you might feel more assured when you put the scale away.
  • saltqueen99
    saltqueen99 Posts: 16
    I have the same issue. Have been at this for 12 days and lost a total of 1.4 pounds. I have been down more but come right back up. However, weighing every day keeps me focused and shows the changes. Are your clothes looser? That means more muscle, less fat. And muscle weighs more. As long as you aren't getting on th scale several times a day, it isn't an obsession. it is your personal mindset, kind of like making the bed. Just don't give up.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    You bring in and let go more than 10 lbs of water a day and a few more pounds of solids.

    Trying to pick out the 0.2 lb of fat you are losing a day through that noise is near impossible.

    It can be done by tracking peaks and troughs, seeing how they vary over time, and tracking trends. You are sorely mistaken if you think that the body maintains weight homeostasis and that loss is visible in a linear fashion.

    Figuring out how much weight you are losing via the scale is about like tracking changes to sea level by measuring the tides. Tiny fluctuations in sea level will be totally obliterated from view by the tides, but given sufficient datapoints over time, you can track the change. Or you can just wait long enough for large changes to happen so that the changes are obvious even with the tidal effects.

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