How much can you gain in a day?

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jezahb
jezahb Posts: 73 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know weight fluctuates during the day, but I was wondering how much is "average"? Mine can sometimes change by 2 lbs from morning to night, is this all water weight? It seems excessive.

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  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    2 lbs change seems perfectly normal to me, for me it is sometimes more than 5 (I weigh around 190 lbs). There's the water you drank during the day, but also the undigested food that you ate (which also contains water).
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Normal fluctuations are 2-4 pounds. Don't weigh everyday if it bothers you.
  • jezahb
    jezahb Posts: 73 Member
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    Ah, ok, thanks for the info! Actually gives me peace of mind now and won't worry me if I see it, was just shocked I could gain that much but makes sense since I drink a ton of water.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    jezahb wrote: »
    Ah, ok, thanks for the info! Actually gives me peace of mind now and won't worry me if I see it, was just shocked I could gain that much but makes sense since I drink a ton of water.

    Remember, TOM will be even worse!
  • jezahb
    jezahb Posts: 73 Member
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    TOM?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    jezahb wrote: »
    TOM?
    Time of month.
  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    I track almost every day and my weight fluctuates a lot. I just focus on the general trend and ignore all the day-to-day fluctuations. In fact I find the zig-zag shaped graph quite aesthetically pleasing ;)

    Like Liftng4Lis said, don't weigh yourself every day if you find it hard to ignore these fluctuations.
  • jezahb
    jezahb Posts: 73 Member
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    Ah, never saw it referred to as TOM before! I am sure that will play a factor.

    I tend to ignore the weight gain if I know I have been adhering to my diet, unless it is consistent for several days. I did hit a snag after having an upper endoscopy where it totally derailed my weight loss for weeks until my body got rid of the excess trapped air and IV fluids. That wasn't fun. Now I seem to back to losing steadily, so the fluctuations are less bothersome.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Strikes me that you're asking about scale weight changes from a morning weigh in to a nighttime one

    Don't do that

    Pick on ..ideally first thing in the morning, after bathroom, before eating and naked ...in order to minimise the variables in scale weight like food, clothes, sodium, water weight that creep in through the day

    In terms of across the month I've found my weight fluctuates by around 5lb due to exercise, sodium, hormones around ovulation and periods etc

    So rather than having a scale weight I have, like every other human being, a scale weight range of 5lb fluctuations
  • jezahb
    jezahb Posts: 73 Member
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    I don't usually do two weigh in's on the same day, I do try to do them in the morning but sometimes I forget to do it in the morning and get curious if it has changed so I check in the evening. It is consistently highest in the evening, if I check say, Monday morning and then check Tuesday night I will generally see a several lb weight difference (always gained of course). I realize I really need to stop doing that. I don't "record" those weights on here, I don't generally record weight gain unless it is persistent for several days and I can find a reason for it in my diary (so if I know I went over a lot that week I tend to believe the scale more than if I know I was on target). It is very frustrating I have to say, how slip ups show up quicker on the scale than weeks of staying within my goal. Some of it may be excess weight due to waste/bloating (as when I am being good I usually eat clean so "cheating" usually means processed carby junk) but some of it is stubborn weight which makes me think it is regain. Supposedly you would have to go over maintenance by 3,500 calories to gain, but that does not seem to be the case for me
  • eyeofnewt555
    eyeofnewt555 Posts: 47 Member
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    I drink a _ton_ of water throughout the day, so after a big meal, my weight can actually be up to 8lbs higher than my morning weight. 2lb fluctuation is nothing to worry about
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    jezahb wrote: »
    I know weight fluctuates during the day, but I was wondering how much is "average"? Mine can sometimes change by 2 lbs from morning to night, is this all water weight? It seems excessive.

    Last time I checked - a few months ago - the standard deviation of my weight is 1.4 pounds centered around -0.25 pounds. I weigh everyday.

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