Odd weight flux patterns - Just me?! Help appreciated!

Stormchasegrl

One morning last week, I was completely excited to see a 2+ lb drop on the scale preceded by a 1+ lb drop the day before, bringing me to a 10lb overall weight loss. I knew I had fluctuated my salt intake a lot and had some wine the night before, so I knew I should be careful about getting too excited over that number. I've been diligent about measuring calories consumed and burned, trying to be very careful not to over or under value anything. Unfortunately, the very next day had me up 4 lbs and has stayed there for a few days. This is not the first time this has happened, but it's by far the biggest fluctuation. I have no way of explaining this and I find it extremely discouraging. I weigh myself when I first get up in the morning as part of my daily routine. I figured I'd plateau for awhile but not completely rebound. Is it common, even if you're staying the course and being diligent, to have such extensive jumps up and down? Anyone else have this problem?

1sisrat

It is normal, and it is water fluctuations in your body. a 5 lb flucuation from morning to night is normal for some people. Alcohol causes an initial weight loss sometimes as it dehydrates you, then your body overcompensates with a few lbs of holding onto water while it 'heals' from the alochol. I don't like to weigh myself after a night when I've had a few drinks. The best thing to do is drink a few glasses of water and eat some veggies to detox. The water weight should normalize in a day or two. My wieght fluctuates 2-3 lbs from morning to night, less if I've had enough water that day. Carbs also can make your body hold onto water, so eat complex carbs that take time to break down. hope this helps. google is also helpful in answering these questions.

dangerousdumpling

That happens to me but I don't really view it as a problem - just a consequence of what I eat. When I eat clean I see that my body has a pattern of weight loss. I stay the same for a few days and then go up one pound and then go down two pounds and then stay the same for a few days and the cycle continues.
However, when I throw some junk into my diet, even if it's in my calorie allowance, my weight is all over the place. The past two days I've been under my calorie allowance but didn't eat anything healthy. As a result I was up three lbs today. I don't let it upset me. I know I didn't really gain three actual lbs. I went shopping today so I have good food options and I'll be back to normal in no time. I just need to stick to eating clean.

Stormchasegrl

Thank you for the advice! :-)