How does Weight Work (Fluctuations)?

Myth0 · January 2015

I weighed myself as 138 last week. Today, I woke up and I was 130. Maybe I didn't properly weigh myself last week and was 136? But a loss of 6 pounds is still unbelievable. Do you have those days when you're at a certain weight, and then the next day, you gain or lose ~5 pounds? Is it water weight or something? I don't really care about the number. I just wanna be slimmer.

MinnieInMaine · January 2015

Are you new to this? Sometimes weight comes off quickly in the beginning due to the large changes we make in our eating. And sometimes our initial weigh in is a bit inflated due to water weight and/or weighing after eating and/or being constipated and/or what you're wearing (or not). It can be hard to tell if you weren't weighing regularly and paying attention to what you ate before you started logging. Make sure you're weighing in a consistent manner - around the same time of day in the same condition (same time of day, same clothes, after using the bathroom, etc). Are you using the same scale every time?

Being slimmer isn't just about a number on the scale. Do you work out? Exercise is likely to give you better physical results than just eating less.

Need2Exerc1se · January 2015

Yeah, it's likely water. That is a pretty big jump, but it's possible. It's also possible your scale needs batteries or calibrated.

SergeantSausage · January 2015

4 to 6 pounds in a single day is normal for me.

It's mostly what happens to be in your gut right at the moment. Food, water, poop. They all have mass. A pizza from my local shop weighs pounds. Up to 5 or 6 of 'em. That mass doesn't disappear just because I swallowed it, right? The average person passes 2+ pounds of poop a day. If that's in one sitting, you'll weigh 2 pounds less in about 5 minutes, right? Water is 8+pounds a gallon. How much do you drink and pee every day and how much of a swing is there with full hydration and full bladder, and dehydration and empty bladder, and where are you right now in that scale.

There are, indeed, issues with "water retention" due to sodium and/or other electrolyte imbalances, but the vast majority of day-to-day, week-to-week fluctuations that most of us see are the above: food, water, poop, pee.

Biology, right.

Myth0 · January 2015

MinnieInMaine wrote: »

Are you new to this? Sometimes weight comes off quickly in the beginning due to the large changes we make in our eating. And sometimes our initial weigh in is a bit inflated due to water weight and/or weighing after eating and/or being constipated and/or what you're wearing (or not). It can be hard to tell if you weren't weighing regularly and paying attention to what you ate before you started logging. Make sure you're weighing in a consistent manner - around the same time of day in the same condition (same time of day, same clothes, after using the bathroom, etc). Are you using the same scale every time?

Being slimmer isn't just about a number on the scale. Do you work out? Exercise is likely to give you better physical results than just eating less.

Yes. I started exactly last week. I wore different clothes but I don't think they would make much of a difference in weighing. It's probably my body getting used to the change in calorie intake like you said. I am currently a freshman in college and I gained ~20 pounds the first semester because of late night snacking (sigh). As for the scale, it is the same. I'll see what happens as the weeks progress. For exercise, I don't do much but walk to classes (college is super big with different campuses), but it's chilly right now so I take the bus too. For that reason, I never log exercise calories because it's difficult trying to measure out calories in college (dining hall, etc.). Thank you!

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Yeah, it's likely water. That is a pretty big jump, but it's possible. It's also possible your scale needs batteries or calibrated.

I think the scale is working. I'm not sure about the "calibrating" but I believe it's working? o//o Thanks!

Myth0 · January 2015

SergeantSausage wrote: »

4 to 6 pounds in a single day is normal for me.

It's mostly what happens to be in your gut right at the moment. Food, water, poop. They all have mass. A pizza from my local shop weighs pounds. Up to 5 or 6 of 'em. That mass doesn't disappear just because I swallowed it, right? The average person passes 2+ pounds of poop a day. If that's in one sitting, you'll weigh 2 pounds less in about 5 minutes, right? Water is 8+pounds a gallon. How much do you drink and pee every day and how much of a swing is there with full hydration and full bladder, and dehydration and empty bladder, and where are you right now in that scale.

There are, indeed, issues with "water retention" due to sodium and/or other electrolyte imbalances, but the vast majority of day-to-day, week-to-week fluctuations that most of us see are the above: food, water, poop, pee.

Biology, right.

You certainly cut to the chase haha! Okay, I see how it works now (the basics at least). I go to the bathroom maybe twice or thrice a day but usually for #1. I think I need to drink more water. Maybe it's just me but I find it hard to drink water in college w/o being dependent on water bottles. I went to the dining hall often first semester to refill them so I wouldn't keep running through them. I would say on average that I drink 2-3 glasses of water a day...
Thank you!

jchite84 · January 2015

SergeantSausage hit the problem right on the head. Your weight fluctuates a lot throughout the day, and one weigh-in is not an accurate picture of "what you weigh". I weigh every morning in nothing but skivvies and track my rolling average (I use an app called WeightTrend+ for this), then use my 7 day average to track loss or gain in MFP. I also weigh myself 3 times on the same scale and then take the average of these numbers, because my scale is sensitive to the position I'm standing, or foot placement. You can check the accuracy of the scale by putting a dumbell on it and seeing if everything is the same. Scales are also sensitive to uneven floors and flooring material, so make sure it is placed in the same spot every day. I'm also a data analyst and a little crazy about these kinds of things, and not everybody is like that.

As far as drinking water goes, get a nice stainless steel bottle or athletic bottle. I carried one through college and grad school and would just refill it at water fountains or bathroom sinks through the day. It was never a major inconvenience to haul around.

Myth0 · January 2015

jchite84 wrote: »

SergeantSausage hit the problem right on the head. Your weight fluctuates a lot throughout the day, and one weigh-in is not an accurate picture of "what you weigh". I weigh every morning in nothing but skivvies and track my rolling average (I use an app called WeightTrend+ for this), then use my 7 day average to track loss or gain in MFP. I also weigh myself 3 times on the same scale and then take the average of these numbers, because my scale is sensitive to the position I'm standing, or foot placement. You can check the accuracy of the scale by putting a dumbell on it and seeing if everything is the same. Scales are also sensitive to uneven floors and flooring material, so make sure it is placed in the same spot every day. I'm also a data analyst and a little crazy about these kinds of things, and not everybody is like that.

As far as drinking water goes, get a nice stainless steel bottle or athletic bottle. I carried one through college and grad school and would just refill it at water fountains or bathroom sinks through the day. It was never a major inconvenience to haul around.

Okay, thank you! I'll keep track of the weigh-ins for longer and test out the accuracy of the scale when I get back to my dorm. I have the bottle with a shake ball (?). It'll be coming through the mail in a few days since I forgot to bring it with me from home

I think I'll need to get some dumbells or something because I feel like instead of fat, I'm losing more muscle mass than I should be. Either that or find some time to go to the gym!

How does Weight Work (Fluctuations)?

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