Why don't my scales fluctuate?

torizia
torizia Posts: 140 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
This is a bit random but I see all these posts about how you shouldn't weigh yourself daily as your weight fluctuates so much. However, I'm the complete opposite!
I've been controlling my calories and doing the 30 day shred for about a month now, and have weighed myself every morning before I eat/drink. Every single morning my weight has either stayed the same or reduced slightly (between 0.2-0.4 lbs).
Am I just lucky or is it because I'm eating about the same volume of food each day?
Thanks :)

Replies

  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
    everyone seems to be different plus scales vary, i have a weight watchers scales which i lent to someone and a Fitbit scale and they both showed different weights and body composition in the exact same part of the floor and at the same times of day which is first thing in the morning.

    if yours dont fluctuate weighing at the same time of day for a week, then you are probably at maintenance and being very dilligent. or just lucky haha. They could be broken too.

    Try throughout the day if it doesn't fluctuate then, there's something wrong, your weight should fluctuate naturally upto a few KG's a day during all your meals and fluid intake.
  • torizia
    torizia Posts: 140 Member
    Thanks for the quick response. I'm definitely not at maintenance - am eating 1200 calories per day (my maintenance is 1470) and have lost about 4lbs over the month (I've stayed the same weight about 3 or 4 times and have gone down slightly on all the other days) so am wondering if it's because I'm really consistent in my food i.e. I have 200 calorie cereal, 400 calories for lunch (slight variation in what I actually eat) then 500 in the evening. It's just a bit odd that it's so consistent!
    Shouldn't complain I suppose :)
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
    It's good that it doesn't. There are many factors that could make one's weight fluctuate. You don't have "factors" . Good for you!

    Factors : High sodium intake, too much foods or water intake on that day, PMS,etc
  • madimurrell12
    madimurrell12 Posts: 29
    Thanks for the quick response. I'm definitely not at maintenance - am eating 1200 calories per day (my maintenance is 1470) and have lost about 4lbs over the month (I've stayed the same weight about 3 or 4 times and have gone down slightly on all the other days) so am wondering if it's because I'm really consistent in my food i.e. I have 200 calorie cereal, 400 calories for lunch (slight variation in what I actually eat) then 500 in the evening. It's just a bit odd that it's so consistent!
    Shouldn't complain I suppose :)

    I HIGHLY doubt that your maintenance is 1470 if eating 1200 calories has resulted in 4 pounds in a month.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    You're just lucky. It's not just calories that affect short term weight fluctuations, so it's not about the consistent volume of food. If it were, no one eating at a deficit would ever show a higher weight on the scale from one day to the next.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    It's good that it doesn't. There are many factors that could make one's weight fluctuate. You don't have "factors" . Good for you!

    Factors : High sodium intake, too much foods or water intake on that day, PMS,etc

    Yeah PMS. I was gonna ask if the OP was on a traditional cycle or uses something like Seasonale or Depo Provera
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Exercise variations make me fluctuate too.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    It's good that it doesn't. There are many factors that could make one's weight fluctuate. You don't have "factors" . Good for you!

    Factors : High sodium intake, too much foods or water intake on that day, PMS,etc

    Yeah PMS. I was gonna ask if the OP was on a traditional cycle or uses something like Seasonale or Depo Provera

    Even with that, the weather outside can cause fluctuations in most people. Hot and/or humid? water retention.

    yeah, I would check to make sure that the scale fluctuates during the course of a day. If it does, there is nothing wrong with your scale and you can count yourself among the lucky ones
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  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Aye everyone is different. Me I fluctuate like a sonnovab*tch. Let me tall you a little story for this week. On the first 3 days I ate a jar of garlic cloves in brine while logging them as "quick added calories" however on Wednesday after sudden weight gain i looked them up in the mfp database and discovered that each jar although only 21 calories contained 3500mg of sodium.

    Monday - 247.8 lbs
    Tuesday - 249.1lbs
    Wednesday - 251.5 lbs
    Thursday 252.0 lbs
    Friday 247.5 lbs
    Saturday 244.4 lbs
    Today 242.3 lbs

    After Thursday i took active steps to flush my system lots of asparagus. Worked up a sweat and drank and drank and drank. Incidentally I had upped my calories that week from 2 - 2.5k So I was like PANIC STATIONS! It took some fortitude to hold my nerve and not just knee jerk lower my calories.

    So not only was an increased sodium intake responsible for some rather insane weight gain. But it seems a frikkin calorie increase caused my weight loss to accelerate. Seems to lend some credence to the whole metabolic adaptation theory. Since i have been dieting for 6 months straight perhaps upping my calories caused my metabolism to start revving back up.

    Of course I still believe in CICO but I think I believe metabolic adaptation does play a role.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Things like this are why you need to be careful with weighing in daily. Daily trends can be misleading and may lead to you questioning your approach. Look at your weekly and monthly trends then adjust if need be.

    Actually the OP was questioning why her downward trend was pretty much consistent and perfect.
  • torizia
    torizia Posts: 140 Member
    Thanks all!
    My maintenance is definitely 1470 - if I net 1500 I stay the same and if I eat more I put on weight. I haven't been eating back my exercise calories (doing the 30 day shred - which burns about 180 calories per day) so I think 1lb per week weight loss sounds about right.
    I am on the pill and find that my 'time of the month' doesn't seem to affect my weight either!
  • torizia
    torizia Posts: 140 Member
    p.s. yes the scale shows me weighing about 1.5lbs more in the afternoon and about 3 more in the evening so I think it's working ok!
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  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Things like this are why you need to be careful with weighing in daily. Daily trends can be misleading and may lead to you questioning your approach. Look at your weekly and monthly trends then adjust if need be.

    Actually the OP was questioning why her downward trend was pretty much consistent and perfect.

    Aye i'm aware I was just exhibiting what could be called an "Exhibit A" for weight fluctuation lol.
  • keefmac
    keefmac Posts: 313 Member
    I weigh daliy (on calibrated scales at work) and I have seen a gradual decrease with some spikes (Birthday BBQ weekend was one!).

    Worth noting if you drink half a litre of water before weighing yourself thats an extra 0.5kg!.

    I cycle to work then weigh in straight away, before drinking cups of coffee/ water etc.

    You need to be in exactly the same state to get meaningful results daily.

    I also weigh twice and average the two readings, they are always within 0.1 kg though..
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Things like this are why you need to be careful with weighing in daily. Daily trends can be misleading and may lead to you questioning your approach. Look at your weekly and monthly trends then adjust if need be.

    Actually the OP was questioning why her downward trend was pretty much consistent and perfect.
    That does not change my comment

    Makes it somewhat irrelevant, though
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  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Things like this are why you need to be careful with weighing in daily. Daily trends can be misleading and may lead to you questioning your approach. Look at your weekly and monthly trends then adjust if need be.

    Actually the OP was questioning why her downward trend was pretty much consistent and perfect.
    That does not change my comment

    Makes it somewhat irrelevant, though
    In your opinion.

    Aye :wink:

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