Why do the scales fluctuate so much daily?

Addiewe wrote: »

Is it safe to assume that the lowest weight you see during the week is your "actual" weight?

Your weight is the number on the scale at any given point in time.

Bigkmc wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

If you don't like the fluctuations, why don't you weigh weekly instead?

Because I'm desperate to see results and a sucker for self demotivation. I know, I know....

I was going to post a thread about weighing in but I'll add it here. I also struggle with being scale obsessed. I guess I want the instant gratification of seeing the scale move. Also I need that assurance that my dieting is effective.

Last week I took a huge blow to my confidence because I went down about 1.5 lbs and then it steadily creeped up for the next few days. But it was all PMS water weight and bloat which was masking my fat loss. The last couple days, as my period came to an end, I've been shedding the weight and and I'm 3 lbs lighter than I was on April 24th.

My advice to you is try to resist weighing in unless you can deal with the results. If you are susceptible to PMS weight gain, weigh yourself monthly after your period to get a more accurate reading. Also, don't weigh yourself after strenuous workouts and you have muscle pain. I gained about 5lbs from water retention when I started heavy strength training.

Last year when I lost 20 lbs I didn't have scale in my house and it was better for me psychologically. The only time I weighed myself was when I visited my mother and used her scale. It was so motivating to see that I dropped 5 lbs or so each time I weighed in. When I went to a gym that had a scale I remember being so disappointed in the results that I skipped my workout, went home and binged.

If you are doing things the right way, the weight will come off- scale or no scale.

Natural weight fluctuations...first of all, you're eating and drinking stuff right...all that stuff has mass and thus weight. If you eat 1/2 Lb of food, guess what? Then all of that food is broken down into waste...you are always going to have variable amounts of inherent waste in your system. Then you have fluid retention/release as well as variable degrees of glycogen stores...just to name a few things.

My advice...step away from the scale if you cannot wrap your head around what are completely natural fluctuations. Body weight isn't static..nobody weighs exactly XXX Lbs. It would be best for you to come to grips with this fact or maintenance is going to be a real mind *kitten*.

I weigh myself every day as soon as I get out of the shower. I have a wifi scale that automatically uploads my vitals and syncs with MFP. I like the data granularity. Yes, there are ups and downs. It's the overall trend you are looking for.

I weighed weekly when I was on Weight Watchers many years ago. Some weeks, when I had been very good with both diet and excercise, i wouldn't lose anything, or actually GAIN. It was completely demoralizing. Now that I've been weighing daily for quite a while I have a much better understanding of my body's fluctuations. It took me a while to understand my personal triggers for fluctuations (going up to altitude, a weekend of heavy hiking or backpacking, too much salt, not drinking enough water, too many indulgences, etc.). My rule is, when I see a change on the scale, not to "believe" it until the scale has said the same thing for at least two days in a row. And I am meticulous about weighing under exactly the same conditions every morning (first thing after getting up, after peeing, naked).

It's fun and keeps me focused.