How does weight work day to day?

Rag_Doll
Rag_Doll Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I weighed myself on Sunday 27th mid morning and was over the moon to find if lost 3.5kg. I then weighed myself again on Wednesday 30th to remind myself of the number to log here on MFP and it was still the same. This morning upon waking I stepped on again just to get that happy buzz again and well it's all back?! How the??
Ok I guess because I indulged yesterday but to gain it all back? It doesn't seem correct.

Help me understand clever folk

Replies

  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    I weighed myself on Sunday 27th mid morning and was over the moon to find if lost 3.5kg. I then weighed myself again on Wednesday 30th to remind myself of the number to log here on MFP and it was still the same. This morning upon waking I stepped on again just to get that happy buzz again and well it's all back?! How the??
    Ok I guess because I indulged yesterday but to gain it all back? It doesn't seem correct.

    Help me understand clever folk
    It can fluctuate by a few pounds DAILY.
    My suggestion would be to weigh in the same day per week, at the same time, wearing the same thing/naked. To take things a bit further and to ensure a more accurate reading, the day before make sure you are very regimented in what you eat/drink.

    When I weigh in I dont eat or drink anything for 12 hours and eat very light the previous day. I do this to A. hopefully ensure a good number and B. to make sure when I do weigh in I am comparing apples to apples.

    YOu did not gain it all back overnight. Most likely the first time you had less food/water in your body. The next time when it showed back to the old weight you likely had more water/food still tracking through the body.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Amount of food consumed, sodium amount, potassium amount, exercise presence as well as intensity all cause water weight fluctuations. This is in addition to any abnormal hormonal issues that may be present.

    As an example, I had 1 serving of low sodium David Sunflower seeds. In the morning, I weighed 2 pounds heavier. By the afternoon, I was back down in weight.

    High levels of sodium cause more water retention. This can be offset by drinking more water to more quickly flush it out of your system or by eating more potassium, which encourages sodium collection in the kidneys for expulsion.
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
    Water retention is one reason. Not pooping before weighing yourself is another (honest).

    Seeing weight loss is a long term realization.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It fluctuates...body weight isn't static. You have varying amounts of fluid and waste in your system at all times among other variables. This is why it is important to track trends rather than the actual numbers. It is also why people need to exercise some patience rather than getting all bent out of shape because they've been dieting and exercising for a whopping whole week and aren't magically down 50 Lbs.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Water retention is one reason. Not pooping before weighing yourself is another (honest).

    Seeing weight loss is a long term realization.

    Ha...true! I always have part of a monster java drink about an hour before a weigh in, or black coffee, as that always makes me go within 45 minutes!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I weigh myself daily out of habit. I weigh at the same time of day under the same circumstances every time (wake up, use the bathroom, step on the scale) and my weight can easily go up and back down 5 lbs in a week - more if it's that time of the month. Am I gaining and losing 5 lbs of fat in a week's time? Absolutely not - my clothes still fit the same, and the numbers continue to fluctuate - it's totally normal, and based on so many things as others have already mentioned.

    Watch the overall trend of your weight loss, and be prepared for those fluctuations. Get yourself a tape measure as well, and track measurements as well as scale weight. Often you see progress on the tape in inches lost while the scale is busy messing with your head. :smile:
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    I weigh myself daily - more out of curiosity than compulsion :laugh: I have discovered that I have two weights - my base weight and my"bloat" weight - usually 2-3lbs higher than the base weight.

    I weigh myself nekked, in the am, after 16oz of water, 16 oz of tea and my morning ablutions.

    Base weight is what I use for the tracker, for example - 182 yesterday - 184 this am. But I lifted yesterday am and we had pizza for dinner.

    For me the daily test isn't the weight, but how my clothes feel. Oh - and I measure once a month.
  • Rag_Doll
    Rag_Doll Posts: 49 Member
    Thank you all for your pleasant and helpful replies :)
  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
    Google: Hacker's Diet Online

    There is a free online tool he has on his site (you have to register a username, but it's free) where he takes a running average of your daily weight and gives you your "true" weight. If I could figure out how to do a screen shot, I would post mine. I've been steadily losing 1lb/week, but my daily weight is all over the place.

    There are some smart phone apps that provide a similar service; I've seen them ranging $0.99-2.99. I haven't used any of them, but they are out there.

    Plug your numbers into one of the above and see what it gives you.

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