Losing 1 lb or more in 24 hours
chivalryder
Posts: 4,391 Member
I was recently unfriended by someone for giving her a wake up call regarding this, and people seem to be making this mistake all the time, so I thought I'd just share it with you all.
If you measure yourself daily and go up or down 1 or more pounds every day, you have NOT gained or last 1 pound of fat. It just doesn't work that way.
First of all, when our bodies need energy, the fat cells are the last place it goes to find that energy. Why, you ask? It's because out of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, fat is the hardest to break down into glucose (usable energy). Our bodies do what nature always does: it finds the easiest path to achieve what it's set out to do. I'm not saying it will NEVER burn any fat, but when you're working out, the calories you burn will be 50% fat, at most. The harder you push yourself, the less % of the calories burned will be fat.
[side note]
Now, before you start pulling back on your workout routines, when you work harder, you burn more calories, and even though a lower % will be fat, it will be still be more calories per hour than if you just took it easy. Get out there and bust you butt!!!
[/side note]
To add to that, there is approximately 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. If you were to lose that 1 pound of fat in 24 hours, you would have to burn at least 7000 calories MORE than what you ate. For the average person, that would be more than 10 hours of moderately hard exercise... If you think you lost a pound of fat, think again...
Now, our bodies are constantly losing and bringing in water. When we sweat, go to the wash room, or even just sit around, we're losing water. We need to constantly replenish the water we lose. If you don't, then you will dehydrate. The side effect of this? You'll lose weight. If you drink too much? You'll gain weight. It's simple.
Now, I just checked out the numbers, and found that 1 pound of water is 500 mL (or 0.264 Gallons, for you American folks). That's a mere 2 cups. Less than 2 glasses. If you're working out (or clubbing, or dancing at a concert), you can easily lose twice that much every hour from sweat alone. That's why, if you ever watch a serious endurance event, some athletes will be stepping on a scale after every few laps of the race - they're checking to see if they're keeping their water levels up high enough. If you lose 2% of your body weight in water, you're body's efficiency drops by 20%. Lose any more, and you're facing dehydration.
That last part wasn't meant to scare anyone. If you're not working out too hard, and you lose some water, you'll be fine. Just drink some more and you'll be good.
Other reasons why you could lose weight from water? How much sodium do you eat? Did you have a big meal at the end of the day prior to weighing yourself (only applicable if you weigh yourself in the morning)? Do you eat a lot of processed foods, and cut them out recently? Do you have and food sensitivities? A lot of things can make you retain/stop retaining water.
So next time your out late at night, and the next morning your weight suddenly drops by a dramatic amount, or goes up an equal amount, don't worry about it. It's a simple fluctuation. You're not gaining or losing fat that quickly. Fat takes a decent amount of time to build/drop.
Now I'll let myself prepare for some flaming. Oh, and if you say "everyone is different," unless you have a medical condition, the only way for you to be so different that you CAN lose of gain a pound of fat, you can't be human. Stop being so ignorant. We are all 99.9% identical. No one is so different, their body functions completely different from the rest of the population.
If you measure yourself daily and go up or down 1 or more pounds every day, you have NOT gained or last 1 pound of fat. It just doesn't work that way.
First of all, when our bodies need energy, the fat cells are the last place it goes to find that energy. Why, you ask? It's because out of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, fat is the hardest to break down into glucose (usable energy). Our bodies do what nature always does: it finds the easiest path to achieve what it's set out to do. I'm not saying it will NEVER burn any fat, but when you're working out, the calories you burn will be 50% fat, at most. The harder you push yourself, the less % of the calories burned will be fat.
[side note]
Now, before you start pulling back on your workout routines, when you work harder, you burn more calories, and even though a lower % will be fat, it will be still be more calories per hour than if you just took it easy. Get out there and bust you butt!!!
[/side note]
To add to that, there is approximately 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. If you were to lose that 1 pound of fat in 24 hours, you would have to burn at least 7000 calories MORE than what you ate. For the average person, that would be more than 10 hours of moderately hard exercise... If you think you lost a pound of fat, think again...
Now, our bodies are constantly losing and bringing in water. When we sweat, go to the wash room, or even just sit around, we're losing water. We need to constantly replenish the water we lose. If you don't, then you will dehydrate. The side effect of this? You'll lose weight. If you drink too much? You'll gain weight. It's simple.
Now, I just checked out the numbers, and found that 1 pound of water is 500 mL (or 0.264 Gallons, for you American folks). That's a mere 2 cups. Less than 2 glasses. If you're working out (or clubbing, or dancing at a concert), you can easily lose twice that much every hour from sweat alone. That's why, if you ever watch a serious endurance event, some athletes will be stepping on a scale after every few laps of the race - they're checking to see if they're keeping their water levels up high enough. If you lose 2% of your body weight in water, you're body's efficiency drops by 20%. Lose any more, and you're facing dehydration.
That last part wasn't meant to scare anyone. If you're not working out too hard, and you lose some water, you'll be fine. Just drink some more and you'll be good.
Other reasons why you could lose weight from water? How much sodium do you eat? Did you have a big meal at the end of the day prior to weighing yourself (only applicable if you weigh yourself in the morning)? Do you eat a lot of processed foods, and cut them out recently? Do you have and food sensitivities? A lot of things can make you retain/stop retaining water.
So next time your out late at night, and the next morning your weight suddenly drops by a dramatic amount, or goes up an equal amount, don't worry about it. It's a simple fluctuation. You're not gaining or losing fat that quickly. Fat takes a decent amount of time to build/drop.
Now I'll let myself prepare for some flaming. Oh, and if you say "everyone is different," unless you have a medical condition, the only way for you to be so different that you CAN lose of gain a pound of fat, you can't be human. Stop being so ignorant. We are all 99.9% identical. No one is so different, their body functions completely different from the rest of the population.
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Replies
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this!0
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Sorry he or she unfriended you, but if you'd like to add another friend. Feel free to add me!
You seem like you are logical and realistic about things
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great post! 0
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Now we just need more people to read it. Seriously. I was expecting a flame fest!0
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BUMP0
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Bump?0
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Bump is when someone posts to keep a thread at the top in a forum.
Anyways, I can't believe people still don't understand daily fluctuations. Great post.0 -
I know what a bump was. :P I just wanted to keep the thread going, to try to get a conversation started on it.0
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Me not wanting to explain this to hundreds of people posting "HELP OMG GAINED 2# OVERNIGHT" is why I hardly post on forums.
You are a kind person for posting this. Sometimes people need to read the obvious.0 -
Haha alright.
I hope you don't get any flaming on this thread but rather good conversation and trying to inform people.0 -
it is pretty stupid for her to unfriend you because of that.
but you are right (:0 -
Me not wanting to explain this to hundreds of people posting "HELP OMG GAINED 2# OVERNIGHT" is why I hardly post on forums.
You are a kind person for posting this. Sometimes people need to read the obvious.
I need to bookmark this thread so I can send it to anyone who freaks out like that.0 -
nice post!0
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Absolutely right! Some people hate it when it rains on their parade, even though they decide to have it in the middle of a thunderstorm :ohwell:0
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I need to bookmark this thread so I can send it to anyone who freaks out like that.
It happens ALL the time0 -
Indeed it does. Thank you all for the kind words on this post! I was hoping someone would try to tell me this is ABSURD!
hahahaha, those were the good 'ol days.0 -
On top of your post I would also like to add that working out will lead to water retention as the muscles repair themselves, so if you bust your butt in the gym and wake up the next morning 1 lb. heavier don't go strutting around that you "gained one pound of muscle" or "What's the point of working out if it makes me gain weight!" Also, if you're a girl expect to see MAJOR fluctuations during the month. Don't expect that the only time you'll gain water weight is during your time of the month. You may easily start gaining a week or two before it starts. I know I have been guilty of freaking out over water retention due to these two issues.0
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On top of your post I would also like to add that working out will lead to water retention as the muscles repair themselves, so if you bust your butt in the gym and wake up the next morning 1 lb. heavier don't go strutting around that you "gained one pound of muscle" or "What's the point of working out if it makes me gain weight!" Also, if you're a girl expect to see MAJOR fluctuations during the month. Don't expect that the only time you'll gain water weight is during your time of the month. You may easily start gaining a week or two before it starts. I know I have been guilty of freaking out over water retention due to these two issues.
I haven't actually seen this in writing yet, but I'm not going to argue with it. I come from an endurance sport background. There isn't much in the way of strength training in that form of sport.0 -
Like your post. :-) :-) :-)0
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I think it's funny when people say they ate a slice of cake and gained 3 pounds. I always get this visual in my head about what 10,500 calories worth of cake looks like, and then I start laughing to myself because that's just so much cake!0
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Amen !0
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well articulated, thank you :-)0
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I was recently unfriended by someone for giving her a wake up call regarding this, and people seem to be making this mistake all the time, so I thought I'd just share it with you all.
If you measure yourself daily and go up or down 1 or more pounds every day, you have NOT gained or last 1 pound of fat. It just doesn't work that way.
First of all, when our bodies need energy, the fat cells are the last place it goes to find that energy. Why, you ask? It's because out of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, fat is the hardest to break down into glucose (usable energy). Our bodies do what nature always does: it finds the easiest path to achieve what it's set out to do. I'm not saying it will NEVER burn any fat, but when you're working out, the calories you burn will be 50% fat, at most. The harder you push yourself, the less % of the calories burned will be fat.
[side note]
Now, before you start pulling back on your workout routines, when you work harder, you burn more calories, and even though a lower % will be fat, it will be still be more calories per hour than if you just took it easy. Get out there and bust you butt!!!
[/side note]
To add to that, there is approximately 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. If you were to lose that 1 pound of fat in 24 hours, you would have to burn at least 7000 calories MORE than what you ate. For the average person, that would be more than 10 hours of moderately hard exercise... If you think you lost a pound of fat, think again...
Now, our bodies are constantly losing and bringing in water. When we sweat, go to the wash room, or even just sit around, we're losing water. We need to constantly replenish the water we lose. If you don't, then you will dehydrate. The side effect of this? You'll lose weight. If you drink too much? You'll gain weight. It's simple.
Now, I just checked out the numbers, and found that 1 pound of water is 500 mL (or 0.264 Gallons, for you American folks). That's a mere 2 cups. Less than 2 glasses. If you're working out (or clubbing, or dancing at a concert), you can easily lose twice that much every hour from sweat alone. That's why, if you ever watch a serious endurance event, some athletes will be stepping on a scale after every few laps of the race - they're checking to see if they're keeping their water levels up high enough. If you lose 2% of your body weight in water, you're body's efficiency drops by 20%. Lose any more, and you're facing dehydration.
That last part wasn't meant to scare anyone. If you're not working out too hard, and you lose some water, you'll be fine. Just drink some more and you'll be good.
Other reasons why you could lose weight from water? How much sodium do you eat? Did you have a big meal at the end of the day prior to weighing yourself (only applicable if you weigh yourself in the morning)? Do you eat a lot of processed foods, and cut them out recently? Do you have and food sensitivities? A lot of things can make you retain/stop retaining water.
So next time your out late at night, and the next morning your weight suddenly drops by a dramatic amount, or goes up an equal amount, don't worry about it. It's a simple fluctuation. You're not gaining or losing fat that quickly. Fat takes a decent amount of time to build/drop.
Thanks for this post!
So, a .20 loss/day for real and not water weight? sorry if it is a stupid question.
Now I'll let myself prepare for some flaming. Oh, and if you say "everyone is different," unless you have a medical condition, the only way for you to be so different that you CAN lose of gain a pound of fat, you can't be human. Stop being so ignorant. We are all 99.9% identical. No one is so different, their body functions completely different from the rest of the population.0 -
All sounds good and true, don't know why someone unfriended you because you told them the truth,0
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All sounds good and true, don't know why someone unfriended you because you told them the truth,
Well, I did kind of tell her firneds to pull the sticks out of their *kitten* for calling me rude. lol0 -
I think it's funny when people say they ate a slice of cake and gained 3 pounds. I always get this visual in my head about what 10,500 calories worth of cake looks like, and then I start laughing to myself because that's just so much cake!
Me too!! :laugh:0 -
who weighs every day? i check in once a week tops for the very reasons you mention OP. you speak the truth - thanks for posting!0
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who weighs every day? i check in once a week tops for the very reasons you mention OP. you speak the truth - thanks for posting!
I weigh myself daily for the exact reason that I posted for - to see if I've lost/put on water. It's just a habit from when I used to mountain bike a lot. If I gain.lose a lot of weight, I know exactly why. I just shrug it off and expect it to go back to where Iwas the next day.0 -
who weighs every day? i check in once a week tops for the very reasons you mention OP. you speak the truth - thanks for posting!
I used to weigh in once a week but now I weigh in every day b/c I want to be able to track correlations in my shifts based on amt of sodium or carbs or alcohol or whatever the hell I've had.
I don't take the daily fluctuations to heart because I know what the deal is. As long as the overall trend for the month is downward I'm a happy camper.0 -
I weigh daily, too. It helps me with accountability.
For the OP, since you were looking to be flamed, I'll give it a go. After being unfriended for being right, and fully expecting to be criticized, you still set out to antagonize people with a reasoned and thoughtful explanation of how our weight can fluctuate? What kind of monster are you?0
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