How much can weight vary overnight and during the day?

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karris43
karris43 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been weighing myself in the mornings about once a week mainly and see a 1 - 2lb variance if I decide to weigh myself on consequetive days. I weighed myself yesterday morning, and then again last night and I seemed to have gained 6lb during the day (I did it several times in different locations but it was the same gain). Then when I weighed myself again this morning to check it was mostly gone again! Seems a lot for water/waste gain? And where has it gone overnght? Has anyone else noticed this?

I am more of a NSV person and my measurements have remained stable throughout this variance.

Replies

  • Rhayahana
    Rhayahana Posts: 57 Member
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    Happens to me too, it's why I always weigh myself in the mornings, at the same time. It's normal to be up/down 1 or 2 lb every time you step on the scales, and to gain weight during the day. After all, you move around, use your muscles, eat stuff, drink stuff, and during the night you don't do anything except rest and digest for roughly 7 or 8 hours (at least in my case), plus sweating in bed (everyone does, even if you don't notice it).
    So I guess it's possible.
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
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    I have been weighing myself in the mornings about once a week mainly and see a 1 - 2lb variance if I decide to weigh myself on consequetive days. I weighed myself yesterday morning, and then again last night and I seemed to have gained 6lb during the day (I did it several times in different locations but it was the same gain). Then when I weighed myself again this morning to check it was mostly gone again! Seems a lot for water/waste gain? And where has it gone overnght? Has anyone else noticed this?

    I am more of a NSV person and my measurements have remained stable throughout this variance.

    it's normal to lose a pound or so overnight. and your weight will fluctuate during the day, based on intake, sweating, etc.

    that said... 6lbs during the day seems high to me. Were you wearing clothes for one of those? My 'high' weight is never more than a couple pounds over my low weight. i mean, that would mean you basically ate/drank 6 pounds without going to the bathroom. Water does add considerable weight, but still.

    also -- by 'different locations' do you mean different scales? only use one scale. other scales may not be calibrated the same.
  • karris43
    karris43 Posts: 34 Member
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    Thanks for the replies. I wasn't wearing clothes for either of the weigh-ins. I use one set of scales but at the beginning of this journey I had been weighing myself on an uneven part of my floor, then on a flat part (I live in a very old house so it's not easy to find an uncarpeted flat area) and this made quite a difference to what my loss was.

    6lb does seem a lot, I'll keep my eye on it. I definately didn't eat 6lb worth of food, but I am perimenopausal and I can feel that this affects my water retention from week to week so maybe it's that.

    I suppose the lesson learned is that I should go back to weighing once a week in the mornings, then I won't have to worry about the daytime gain!
  • QuietRain
    QuietRain Posts: 157
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    Mine is about 2 - 3 lb difference between times.
    More if I ate something salty.
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
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    I don't think that's anything strange - 6lb is perhaps at the high end of daily/nightly fluctuation, but not unusual.

    I once saw a 2lb loss between getting weighed at 6am and getting weighed 2 hours later, after just going back to bed for that time.

    As others have said, just get into a routine and only get weighed under the same circumstances, and only once a week if you can resist it.
  • RaineyLaney
    RaineyLaney Posts: 605 Member
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    It can vary quite alot. If you eat high carb heavy extreame sodium filled day the day before for every meal all day long, it will make your weight go up quite a bit, even 5 lbs more. If you eat a low sodium, low carb day, your scale will go down, even 5lbs. (now this isn't going to happen every day, you will shed your sodium (water)weight just that one day). TOM can effect your weight also, if your constipated. etc. Lots of stuff can make your weight vary and by quite a bit.

    Also you stated you weight yourself in morning and then again at night and had a 6lb gain. Well hello, you ate through out the day. That food doesn't go through your system as soon as you put it in your mouth. It takes 12 -24 hours for your stomach to completely empty. That is why they say, to weigh yourself in the morning when you first get up (I do after I use the potty room first). This way you have an empty stomach and it would show your true weight.
  • HannahPendrigh
    HannahPendrigh Posts: 147 Member
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    http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

    :)
  • BeckyAnne4
    BeckyAnne4 Posts: 143 Member
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    this is normal. i will occasionally weigh myself first thing in the morning, nekkid, after using the toilet, and i will see a number that is sometimes 4 lbs lighter than what i would see under my typical weigh-in parameters. (typical parameters are - once a week, in the morning, in some clothes, after the toilet, and after i have had a mug of coffee. i do this b/c it's consistent to what i would have done if i were going to the dr for a weigh-in.) i get a kick out of seeing that lower number, but i know it's not going to last. i use that lower number as an inspiration though, of what my true weight might be in a week or two :wink:
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Mine usually varies by 2 lbs.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Mine varies by 2lbs or so, and I tend to be lighter 2 hours after waking up or something (whether I have breakfast or not). It's kinda weird.
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
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    I have been weighing myself in the mornings about once a week mainly and see a 1 - 2lb variance if I decide to weigh myself on consequetive days. I weighed myself yesterday morning, and then again last night and I seemed to have gained 6lb during the day (I did it several times in different locations but it was the same gain). Then when I weighed myself again this morning to check it was mostly gone again! Seems a lot for water/waste gain? And where has it gone overnght? Has anyone else noticed this?

    I am more of a NSV person and my measurements have remained stable throughout this variance.

    Yes, I usually am 4-6 lbs different from morning to night. I am not sure where it goes overnight. That is a good question!
  • CathyFinch
    CathyFinch Posts: 10
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    Hah! This is one of the reasons I only weigh once per week, officially (though I often cheat mid-week). I always weigh myself first thing in the AM; as that's supposed to be your truest weight.

    I once weighed in the AM and PM just to see how things fluctuate; the difference was amazing; almost 8lbs. And that's fluid retention, muscle inflammation, etc. based on your activities, salt intake, etc, throughout the day.

    I'm too anxious to weigh daily, so I have to stick with weekly and first thing in the AM. If I miss my weigh-in, I wait the week!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I can fluctuate 0-5 Lbs easy day to day.

    You have to remember that your food has weight...if you eat an 8 oz steak, you're putting 1/2 Lb in your body...also, you have water retention/release, waste, etc. Your weight isn't static.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
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    My evening weight is always 1-2lbs higher than my next morning weight (which is the number I actually input into my weight graph). I can actually weight myself at night and know what my morning weight in will be, within a half pound :)

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