gaining 3lbs overnight weight fluctuation while on low carbs???

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123juliaj123
123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I wonder if anyone can help. I have noticed that my weight fluctuates a LOT as in I got weighed yesterday same time first thing in the morning etc and again today and despite having low carbs yesterday and plenty of exercize and keeping my cals low my scales tell me I am 3lbs heavier than yesterday???

scales seem accurate since my partner is also using them and not having this problem.

This is not the first time this has happened and its very depressing I really dont understand it. Im not premenstral or anything like that and I am at a loss to understand it as I presume I am retaining water but why?

hope someone can help
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Replies

  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
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    If I drink alot of water esp mineral water the night before I often weigh in heavier, also if we had dinner later than usual. Lots of things make you weight fluctuate. I am currently trying to break the habit of weighing myself everyday and move to once a week. The problem for me is on my designated weigh in day I weigh myself and not get a great result, then weigh myself the next day and lose 1kg overnight!
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
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    Are you eating high sodium while doing low carb? That can cause water retention, too
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Thankyou for your reply thunder. I ate at the usual time yesterday or at least within an hour and didnt drink more fluids than usual yesterday night.

    I have got so that I dare not just rely on getting weighed once a week because if my weight is up for some reason I am stressed that I have gained when I have stuck with my diet for a whole week til I get weighed again. I would prefer to just weigh weekly and hope to do that soon but atm it seems unreliable and leaves me not really knowing how Im doing
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Protranser wrote: »
    Are you eating high sodium while doing low carb? That can cause water retention, too

    hmm I have no idea ... runs off to look at diary for yesterday
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I can gain over 5lbs from water retention if I have a high sodium day. There are also other reasons for water retention, and I'd suggest that a 3lb overnight gain is definitely due to that.
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    I looked at my diary and the sodium level appears similar to previous days however I do add salt to my food (yes I know it is unhealthy and is something I plan to deal with after I have my weight sorted) so I can not be sure if I did take more salt than usual.

    I dont feel its possible to pack on 3lbs in fat overnight logically I just wish I understood the reason for the water retention so I could expect it or freak out a bit less when it appears out of the blue overnight

    I think bottom line is I am terrified of regaining the weight and keep thinking it will come back so when I get on the scale and it shows I am up I panic and feel like it is starting
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I can gain over 5lbs from water retention if I have a high sodium day. There are also other reasons for water retention, and I'd suggest that a 3lb overnight gain is definitely due to that.

    5lbs is a lot I think I would faint lol thanks for letting me know its reassuring that its not just me
  • aspdenbrae
    aspdenbrae Posts: 49 Member
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    I don't believe the scale day to day. Graph over a few weeks and use the average. Scales are notorious *kitten* lol. Not to be crass but I can lose weight after my morning coffee and newspaper if you get me :|
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
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    If you're confident in your weighing/logging then yes, it's unlikely you ate 3500*3 calories ABOVE maintenance to gain 3 lbs of fat.

    Definitely watch for salt intake, that's one of those "Gotchas" when watching the scale.
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    aspdenbrae wrote: »
    I don't believe the scale day to day. Graph over a few weeks and use the average. Scales are notorious *kitten* lol. Not to be crass but I can lose weight after my morning coffee and newspaper if you get me :|

    I do get you and err the coffee and newspaper is not an issue lol but thanks for making me laugh
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Protranser wrote: »
    If you're confident in your weighing/logging then yes, it's unlikely you ate 3500*3 calories ABOVE maintenance to gain 3 lbs of fat.

    Definitely watch for salt intake, that's one of those "Gotchas" when watching the scale.

    thanks I am thinking that it is time to be much more careful about the salt I add to food, I hadnt planned to start that yet but it really is something I should probably deal with now
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    No reason to cut salt unless you have elavated blood pressure, your kidneys keep it in balance and on restricted carbs you tend to lose more sodium in urine.

    Weight does fluctuate +/- 2 lbs daily around an average as the body doesn't tightly regulate its water content. There are data smoothing apps and web sites that might make you feel better like trendweight.com and the Libra app.
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    Try sprinkling herb mix on the foods you would normally eat with added salt? It'll be weird at first but at least you can still keep sprinkling your "salt". ;)
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Don't weigh yourself daily!! I have fallen into this trap before and it can be frustrating.

    Weight easily fluctuates several pounds a day, it's normally just water weight.
    Lots of things can affect this. Levels of glycogen in the muscles, excess water retained by your cells - being dehydrated can affect the amount of water you retain.

    The main thing to remember is, if your maintaining or in a deficit, that 3lb's won't be additional body fat.

    Weigh maybe once a week and focus on your progress from there.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    123juliaj123 wrote: »
    I wonder if anyone can help. I have noticed that my weight fluctuates a LOT as in I got weighed yesterday same time first thing in the morning etc and again today and despite having low carbs yesterday and plenty of exercize and keeping my cals low my scales tell me I am 3lbs heavier than yesterday???

    scales seem accurate since my partner is also using them and not having this problem.

    This is not the first time this has happened and its very depressing I really dont understand it. Im not premenstral or anything like that and I am at a loss to understand it as I presume I am retaining water but why?

    hope someone can help

    "Plenty of exercise"? That could be what's causing it. The body retains water to build up glycogen stores after it's been depleted due to heavy exercise.

    It's related to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - where your body hurts more a day or two after intense exercise.

    I climbed a 70-storey mountain today, so I'm expecting a big jump in weight tomorrow or Sunday, but it's not going to bother me because I know I've eaten at a deficit and it's just water, and will go back down.

    Kind regards.
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Orphia wrote: »
    123juliaj123 wrote: »
    I wonder if anyone can help. I have noticed that my weight fluctuates a LOT as in I got weighed yesterday same time first thing in the morning etc and again today and despite having low carbs yesterday and plenty of exercize and keeping my cals low my scales tell me I am 3lbs heavier than yesterday???

    scales seem accurate since my partner is also using them and not having this problem.

    This is not the first time this has happened and its very depressing I really dont understand it. Im not premenstral or anything like that and I am at a loss to understand it as I presume I am retaining water but why?

    hope someone can help

    "Plenty of exercise"? That could be what's causing it. The body retains water to build up glycogen stores after it's been depleted due to heavy exercise.

    It's related to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - where your body hurts more a day or two after intense exercise.

    I climbed a 70-storey mountain today, so I'm expecting a big jump in weight tomorrow or Sunday, but it's not going to bother me because I know I've eaten at a deficit and it's just water, and will go back down.

    Kind regards.

    Now that is very interesting and I think it could well be a large part of the reason for the sudden gain. I have been doing a lot more exercize than usual and am feeling it in my whole body right now. Thankyou so much I had no idea about this :)
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone, I am beginning to understand quite a lot from all your help here

    1)stop weighing daily and try to accept fluctuation is caused by simple water retention which can be a result of heavy exercize, sodium intake, etc
    2)If I am at or below maintenance cals I can not gain weight so stop panicking

    Im going to write this down and put it near my scales o:)

  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Gotta poop EVERY day!
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I weigh every day, because I like the data, but weight fluctuates. One thing you can do is high/low comparison. So keep all your weights listed for the week, circle the highest, under line the lowest. Repeat the next week. Compare your highest weight the week before to the highest weight this week. Do the same with the lowest. If your highest weight this week is lower than your highest weight last week, and your lowest weight this week is lower than your lowest weight last week, you are moving in the right direction. It helps to keep things in perspective and lets you celebrate each new low, the day it appears.
  • N200lz
    N200lz Posts: 134 Member
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    daniwilford wrote: »
    I weigh every day, because I like the data, but weight fluctuates.
    Same here. I look at the weekly average as my "progress barometer." I track my lowest weight of the week and the average.
    After a while he day-to-day fluctuations become an expectation and will no longer concern you.

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