Scale shows much less after I exercise. Why?

Prayera
Prayera Posts: 9
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello, everybody!
I have a question. It's not something that's bothering me too much, but I am curious. Every morning, after using the bathroom, I weight myself (yes, I know it's not recommended to do it that oftenr, but let's ignore that for now :P ). Then I exercise (45 minutes of belly dancing). Recently, after exercising (out of curiosity again), I also weighed myself. The scale shows at least 1 pound less. Why is that? I don't think i sweat 1 pound! The next day, in the morning, it shows more, again. It is puzzling. Anyone has an explanation for that?
Thank you!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    step away from the scale. The human body can fluctuate between 2 and 5 pounds within a day. This is usually do to water retention and/or amount of food in your system.
  • pumpkin11
    pumpkin11 Posts: 24
    Water loss! x
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    It would be water weight you are losing.. That's why it's important to drink after you workout to hydrate your body!
  • titianwasp
    titianwasp Posts: 139 Member
    Exercise has two effects upon your weight. The first is the water - it is not hard to lose a pound of water doing cardio. The guys who wear the hazmat or bomb technology suits lose up to 3 pounds in 12 minutes. Be sure to drink before and after exercise.

    The second effect is that your muscles retain water after muscle building activities as they repair the micro tears that occur. This usually only lasts a day (possibly more depending on how intense the exercise).

    The final possibility is your scale which can vary in a weighing depending on the surface that it's on, the humidity, etc... If I get a number that looks a little funny, I step on and step off a couple of times and use the number that it yields most consistently.

    Hope this helps.
  • JMun
    JMun Posts: 409
    yup its good old dehydration
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    BUMP

    I think you're right - I think it's sweat - but curious to see other answers on this one.

    In those crazy ultramarathons (100K in the desert, etc.), they often weigh participants to determine if they are dangerously dehydrated...

    props on the belly dancing - ! my belly tries to 'dance', but it's really more like rogue muffintop jiggle... :laugh:
  • antipholous
    antipholous Posts: 116
    You're losing water weight from your sweat. If you're losing a lot of weight while exercising you're not drinking enough water during exercise. Ideally you should be the same weight before and after.

    If you ever weigh a lot less post-workout be sure to drink tons of water in the following couple of hours.


    -Edit (typo)
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
    :laugh: ...Why torture yourself with the scale...it's not 100% all the time...:laugh:
  • MissJennaBelle
    MissJennaBelle Posts: 175
    step away from the scale. The human body can fluctuate between 2 and 5 pounds within a day. This is usually do to water retention and/or amount of food in your system.

    I need to take your advice! I've got into the routine of weighing every day...again but I was much happier weighing in once a week. I understand the fluctuations day to day but I still feel angry with myself on the days the number goes slightly higher.
  • Prayera
    Prayera Posts: 9
    props on the belly dancing - ! my belly tries to 'dance', but it's really more like rogue muffintop jiggle... :laugh:

    hahaha! well, let's not talk about how mine looks :P but i'm trying, i'm sweating, and i finally found some kind of exercise that i really like. but yes....i avoid the mirror :D
  • tarwater
    tarwater Posts: 4
    yup...water weight loss. it still feels good to see it go down a little though, huh? if you're like me, you'll see your weight go up a few pounds before you get your period due to water weight gain and then it goes away right after it's over too.

    frequent changes in water weight is one of the reasons it's not recommended that you weigh yourself every day but i kind of think it's interesting to see how it fluctuates. i also feel like as long as i understand that water is the reason it changes so much from day to day then it doesn't really hurt to weigh in every morning either.

    good luck! stay hydrated!
  • tarwater
    tarwater Posts: 4
    what's the workout you're using for bellydance? i'd like to give one a try!
  • Prayera
    Prayera Posts: 9
    all right, thanks for the answers. i see it is dehydration after all! :) i'm not obsessed by the scale, i'm not getting angry or demoralized when it shows more, it's just a way to supervise my body, see if i retained water the previous day, examine what happens before or after exercise. literally just playing around.
    thanks for the answers, everyone! one more mystery elucidated :)
  • jrlenig
    jrlenig Posts: 364 Member
    And actually for every pound you lose on the scale you should drink an 8 oz glass of good all H20, it helps with muscle soreness the following day!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    You sweat a pound of water out of your body. That happens to me too. You didn't actually lose a pound, you just got rid of a pound of water.
  • Prayera
    Prayera Posts: 9
    what's the workout you're using for bellydance? i'd like to give one a try!

    i am actually using two, and i am happy with both of them.
    1. In the morning, for the real workout, i use "Cardio Bellydance Workout with Dolphina" and I really enjoy it. I'm not an athlete, and my physical abilities are not outstanding, so I feel that for my level of resistance this is really good.

    2. In the evening, I am actually trying to learn how to make all those moves correctly, and I pay attention at everything that goes on while dancing. For that I am using "Egyptian Belly Dancing for Beginners with Hilary Thacker". It is not too difficult, I don't sweat, but I learn the real stuff, so I can apply it in the morning.

    You should really give it a try. I find it fun, and after starting it, in only a few days, I could feel more flexible. Let me know how it goes! ;)
  • Suzy12
    Suzy12 Posts: 284
    step away from the scale. The human body can fluctuate between 2 and 5 pounds within a day. This is usually do to water retention and/or amount of food in your system.

    I need to take your advice! I've got into the routine of weighing every day...again but I was much happier weighing in once a week. I understand the fluctuations day to day but I still feel angry with myself on the days the number goes slightly higher.

    I weigh daily. I think it's a person choice and should be what works best for each individual. if you are "much happier" weighing in once a week, then absolutely do so! But some of us need moderating on a day-to-day basis, provided we know about the daily fluctuations and view them accordingly. Just my two cents worth.
  • Prayera
    Prayera Posts: 9
    step away from the scale. The human body can fluctuate between 2 and 5 pounds within a day. This is usually do to water retention and/or amount of food in your system.

    the moment i'll start feeling annoyed with the scale, i'll go back at weighting once a week. for now, i'm just having fun examining my body's fluctuations. but you're right, and i am not taking it serious every day ;) thanx
  • Prayera
    Prayera Posts: 9

    I weigh daily. I think it's a person choice and should be what works best for each individual. if you are "much happier" weighing in once a week, then absolutely do so! But some of us need moderating on a day-to-day basis, provided we know about the daily fluctuations and view them accordingly. Just my two cents worth.

    that's exactly how i feel. at least for now :)
  • LeAnn_Mae
    LeAnn_Mae Posts: 263 Member
    Not only do I weigh every day but sometimes several times a day! (ya I'm obsessed) So I know what you mean. I was also wondering how I could lose weight after exercise because I know I didn't sweat off an entire pound. I always assumed it was water weight but even so I still use that number for my actual weight. It's not about the actual numbers, it's about tricking my mind into thinking I'm making progress and anything that motivates me is a good thing in my opinion!

    LeAnn
  • BrickHouse2011
    BrickHouse2011 Posts: 91 Member
    if i weigh myself post workout i always weigh a few ounces or a pound more.
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