3.8 lbs of water?

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An8888
An8888 Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I log my weight every morning on mfp. Yesterday I was 136.8, and today it said 132.6. That can't be right. I have been drinking more water these past few days, but is it realistic to lose 3.8 pounds of water weight in a day? Or, should I look into getting a new scale?

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  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I can lose up to 5 lbs of water in a day. It's normal especially for women. When I was at my highest weight, I could fluctuate a solid 10 lbs in 1-2 days if I ate a lot of salty foods. Pay attention to the long-term trend more than just the short term ones.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    It's possible. It happened to me a few weeks ago...
  • squishybarb
    squishybarb Posts: 72 Member
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    [QUOTE[
  • squishybarb
    squishybarb Posts: 72 Member
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    So, I log my weight every morning on mfp. Yesterday I was 136.8, and today it said 132.6. That can't be right. I have been drinking more water these past few days, but is it realistic to lose 3.8 pounds of water weight in a day? Or, should I look into getting a new scale?

    All I can say is the scale's the devil.:devil:

    The last four days I've been 133.3, this morning I'm 139.9. I know there's no way to gain that much fat in one night. I was outside all day yesterday, in the FL heat at Disney, walking, climbing stairs, sweating, didn't eat much, had a late dinner, and consumed far more salt than I should have even though I know I didn't consume too many calories.. Plus, I'm close to "that" time. I know some of those factors played a roll in why my body's retaining water..

    I don't flip out unless it stays up for more than 2 or 3 days.. then I know something I'm doing needs to change.

    I was told by a friend who's a fitness guru that we can hold pounds of waste in our colons/bowls... salt intake, sore muscles.. so many factors!

    I say stick with the scale for a week and if it's still driving ya nuts, try a new one. :drinker:

    Best wishes!:flowerforyou:
    [/quote]
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 603 Member
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    This is why daily weigh-ins are usually not helpful. Daily ups and downs are totally normal and really meaningless. If your trend-line is moving in the right direction, you are all set. Good luck!
  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
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    This is why daily weigh-ins are usually not helpful. Daily ups and downs are totally normal and really meaningless. If your trend-line is moving in the right direction, you are all set. Good luck!

    I used to be a daily weigher, but it just made me crazy because of things like this. But yes it is possible to gain/lose a significant amount of water weight in one day.
  • An8888
    An8888 Posts: 24 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the responses. They've helped me to get a better perspective :)
  • teamnevergoingback
    teamnevergoingback Posts: 368 Member
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    Yes, it's possible. Some days my weight fluctuates up to 5 pounds. Weighing every single morning is not the best idea, it could make you obsessed with the wrong thing in a bad way!
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I weigh every day, and while it's not for everyone, it does help to see how large the fluctuations are. Often that is an indicator of how consistent I'm being on my salt and carb intake. That information can be useful, but you have to be willing to not be married to the daily numbers.
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
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    I have lost up to 6.6 lbs overnight. So .. it can be done. Is it possible to lose real weight like that .. by doing nothing but sleeping, no.

    I will take it ... water or not.
  • aprilwilliams2729
    aprilwilliams2729 Posts: 107 Member
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    Between Monday morning and this morning I lost 5+ lbs. When I weighted myself Monday it said I'd gained 3+ pounds from the last time I weighed. I knew that it wasn't right - and I knew that all of the salty foods I had over the weekend were the cause. I didn't weight myself at all last week because it was that TOM and I knew I would be retaining water.

    If you're going to weigh yourself every day - please remember to keep it in perspecitve so you don't stress yourself out unnecessarily. :)
  • dmjackson0513
    dmjackson0513 Posts: 2 Member
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    Something that I read awhile back helped me keep things in perspective. It said that if the scale goes down, then yay it went down. If it goes up, call it a liar and move on because you know that you've stayed within your caloric budget. It seems silly, but I'm the type of person who feels more comfortable weighing in every morning, even though I know that the overall trends are more significant than the ups and downs of daily weights. It just helps me maintain a routine and I know that it can be hard to see large fluctuations in the scale (especially when it goes UP), so I just call it a liar when it's reading the wrong way and go about my day. This is obviously most effective when I keep a very accurate food diary, so it wouldn't work for a person who is more relaxed in their methods. I'm not going to lie though, seeing even 0.4 lbs come off, even though I'm sure it's water weight, feels good.
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
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    since your saying you weighed yourself both times in the morning...I would say your scale may have an issue...
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    3.8lbs is 0.455 gallons of water
    It is easier to picture as 1.7 liters, or 57.5oz
    Now, given that the cup next to me holds 44ozs, and I can easily go through several of them in a day, and I got in a nice workout yesterday...yeah, I would not be at all surprised to see my weight yoyo 5+lbs today.

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