Found a nice piece on why your scale moves around every day

nxd10
nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
edited November 10 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I teach statistics, weigh every morning, and have been logging here forever, so really liked this post on why your weight changes day-to-day.

It's much longer than this, but very brief summary:

Glycogen stores. This amount depends on your current consumption of carbohydrates. For every gram of carbohydrate that your body stores via glycogen, it also stores three grams of water. If you are carbohydrate-depleted, you will be at the lower end of your variance. Conversely, if you consume a crapola of carbohydrates, you will be at the upper end of your variance.
Water retention/depletion from sodium. If you suddenly consume more sodium than you are used to, you will likely retain water. Conversely, if you suddenly consume much less sodium, you will release water. Your body adjusts to the new levels accordingly via the hormone aldosterone, so don’t think that you can keep this value low just by cutting sodium out from your diet.
Cycle bloat. Women will retain water during their cycle. For this reason, it’s best for women to only compare weight from month-to-month.
Dehydration. This obviously comes into play, but we’re going to assume that everyone here is well-hydrated.


Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Good info, thanks for posting. I've read up on fluctuations and know how my own body works but this is going to be helpful for others :)
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    This is a great article. Thanks for posting.
  • EvelynBfly78
    EvelynBfly78 Posts: 240 Member
    Very interesting, especially on the carbs. Thanks for posting.
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
    Thank you for sharing!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I knew high carb days caused me to retain more water than high sodium days, but I never knew why it took longer for the water retention to even out. Usually it takes one day for the sodium retention to go away but 3-4 days for the carb retention to go away. Good to know that there is a physical reason for it.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    Thanks--even though I "know" this, it is helpful to read it when the scale is not being kind to me, like the last couple of days. I also found the asymmetrical part very interesting, as I think I have experienced that.
  • tiffnkailey
    tiffnkailey Posts: 150 Member
    Interesting. I should probably weigh once a month.
  • Nolan1009
    Nolan1009 Posts: 36 Member
    tiffnkailey wrote: »
    Interesting. I should probably weigh once a month.


    Actually I would say this supports weighing more frequently so you can see the trend. If you only weigh once a month you might get a day where you are holding more water and won't be able to accurately tell if you're making progress. As long as you can mentally handle that some daily fluctuations are water weight and you need to look at the overall trend up or down, I would say a few times a week works well.
  • Karbum
    Karbum Posts: 124 Member
    Thanks! :)
  • into_fitness
    into_fitness Posts: 91 Member
    hmm interesting. thanks for sharing!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Nolan1009 wrote: »
    tiffnkailey wrote: »
    Interesting. I should probably weigh once a month.


    Actually I would say this supports weighing more frequently so you can see the trend. If you only weigh once a month you might get a day where you are holding more water and won't be able to accurately tell if you're making progress. As long as you can mentally handle that some daily fluctuations are water weight and you need to look at the overall trend up or down, I would say a few times a week works well.


    I agree. That's why I weigh every day. I don't worry if I wobble in my zone. I'd worry if I only weighed every once in a while because I couldn't distinguish measurement error from a true change in weight.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    This is why I cut to a pound or two under my goal if I'm on a reasonable deficit, because when you add back those calories to maintenance, there is a bounce up coz of the glycogen stores repleting.

    This is also why low carb diets always end in tears too!
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Thank you so much for the summary. I would be interested in reading the entire article if you have a moment to post it? I have been frustrated with weight fluctuation which I imagine has been exacerbated by my living environment which is hot and humid (tropical Queensland). I have experienced weight variances of 2 to 3 kg per 24 hours which I could not explain by the number of calories consumed. This caused some discord in my relationship because my partner felt I was not being honest about what I was actually eating. How refreshing to learn about the interesting relationship between carbs and glycogen and the role water plays in metabolism. Fascinating stuff, the human body, It is both perfect and elegant and cannot be fooled by wistfulness and false information. I think we should all be taught the basic scientific principles as well as the correct applications.
    Thank you again.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Reminds me to keep on eating my carbs :grinning:
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Shelley - there's a link on the word 'posts' that take you to the full article.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    When the scale jumps up a few pounds I comfort myself by saying, "it must be the glycogen stores". Then I'll look in the mirror and notice that my midsection is sticking out a bit much. I continue to comfort myself by saying, "isn't it strange that my body stores all it's glycogen in my belly". :p
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Interesting. Also, if you change scales. My regular scale is the one at my YMCA locker room - every 2 weeks. But this week I went to my doctor - 4.2lb up, went to the orthopedist - 2.5lb up. Moral: don't switch scales or time of day. Also, take into account if you are sick or exercised or didn't.
  • SalishSea
    SalishSea Posts: 373 Member
    Finally, some rationale. I have been wondering about this very fact for some time now. It all makes perfect sense. I try to keep my carbs low. I don't have a sodium limit. Now I can see why if I let carbs run wild (think Thanksgiving and Christmas) I gain up to 7 pounds. These pounds are usually gone in a few days, thankfully. This new insight is helpful. It will also help me to stick to my credence of low carb. Thank you for this post.
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
    Good info. Thanks.
  • trazter31
    trazter31 Posts: 51 Member
    Great article- thanks!
  • frksfrau
    frksfrau Posts: 108 Member
    edited January 2015
    Thank you for the information.
  • clyn27
    clyn27 Posts: 102 Member
    I just had to explain to my boyfriend this morning why I was almost 2lbs heavier today. I am a 24 year old woman, and I bloat bad during different times of the month. Im not worried I know in about 3 to 4 days I will be right back on track.
  • ewhsweets
    ewhsweets Posts: 167 Member
    BUMP
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    Nice article. Thanks for posting it.
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