Weight Fluctuation

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mundaycarroll
mundaycarroll Posts: 64 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I know this question has probably been asked several times but I haven't came across the topic yet and have been very curious. How much weight is normal for a person to gain in a day? I know how much you weigh can depend a lot on what time of day you weigh, how much fluid your body might be retaining, etc... But there are days that I decide to get on the scale in the morning and before bed and I've gained almost 5 lbs! Does that happen to others? I don't normally get on the scale that often (or at least I try not to) but I just get blown away when it shows that amount of an increase in only 1 day.. Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Oh thats just water retention. I literally weigh right when I get up, go to the gym, come home and I'll be up two pounds. Now I realize while at the gym I'm drinking two 16 oz bottles of water but one ask's how does THAT weigh two pounds?
    You just have to ignore it or you'll make yourself crazy.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    It can fluctuate by a span of around 7 lbs (or more under certain circumstances). Not only do you gain the weight of the food you eat (literally, as in it's now sitting in your stomach/intestines being digested) that hasn't...errr...been disposed of as yet, but you also gain and lose water for varying reasons, including varying the amount of sodium in your recent diet, muscle repair from exercise, and hormonal fluctuations (particularly for women).
  • mundaycarroll
    mundaycarroll Posts: 64 Member
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    Thank you SnuggleSmacks and Trisnbrysmom for your advice! It definitely helps put my mind a little bit more at ease on the topic. :smile:
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    if you drink 2 cups of water and eat soup and salad, you could be putting easily 2 or 3 pounds in your stomach that doesn't actually have more than a handful of calories. generally i weigh 3 pounds more at the end of the day than i weigh first thing in the morning. and if i eat heavy salt, which rarely happens, i can hold onto a couple extra pounds of water weight, as well, which would mean on those days i weigh 5 pounds more.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Your weight fluctuates all day every day due to normal body fluctuations such as hormones, water retention due to high sodium levels, exercise, rest, medication, TOM, food consumption, etc. I weigh myself once a week and compare my numbers every four weeks. As long as the trend goes down then I don’t give a sh$t about the crazy *kitten* fluctuations.
  • Anita4548
    Anita4548 Posts: 39 Member
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    Yay. That coffee thing is interesting


    But yeah, yesterday at night I was 132 and today 137!! So thats a 5pound difference. Its so annoying but I try not to think about it
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Another thing that causes you to lose apparent weight while you sleep is carbon lost through respiration. Here's a really interesting article about it:

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/19/193556929/every-night-you-lose-more-than-a-pound-while-youre-asleep-for-the-oddest-reason
  • alyssonlc
    alyssonlc Posts: 4 Member
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    Here's something I've come to realize here in AFG that might apply to you too. On the days I don't drink enough water because I'm busy running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I actually gain more weight. On the days I go through like 8-10 bottles of water in this heat, the following morning when I weigh myself is when I lose weight.. I don't know if that's because my body is holding on to whatever it can to keep functioning or what when there's not enough water? I wake up around 0430, go do 45 minutes of cardio, come back, shower, and weigh myself every morning (I know most people suggest only weighing yourself once a week, but I've found that doing it everyday not only makes me happy to see daily progress, but on those days where there is fluctuation, it's never more than 2-3 pounds at most. This might help so you don't get so discouraged by those greater fluctuations. Again, it also does factor on what you eat too. I watch my sugar and sodium very closely. Hope this helps a little!

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