Possible to gain 3 pounds in 24 hours?

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echmain
echmain Posts: 103 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I weigh myself every morning at the same time.

My weight had been decreasing for several days then, whamo. A 3 pound gain. I had been eating the same foods and counting every calorie.

If someone posted to this forum asking how to *lose* 3 pounds in 24 hours they'd get laughed at. But I can't explain the 3 pound increase.

The scale I have is the digital model from Amazon that has thousands of reviews.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    body weight isn't static...most people can easily fluctuate 3-5 Lbs day to day. not all weight is fat...you cannot gain 3 Lbs of fat in a day just as you cannot lose 3 Lbs of fat in a day.

    you are always going to have fluctuations due to water retention/release, varying degrees of waste in your system, hormones, etc.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Weight fluctuates day to day. There are a myriad of reasons the scale is showing a gain. However, unless you ate 10,500 calories over what you burned, you did not gain three pounds of fat.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Easy

    I went up 2lbs today

    Tomorrow I'll be down 3 no doubt

    Then up, down and roundabout

    Water
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    It's water weight and part of the body's normal fluctuations. I gain that much between breakfast and lunch. Don't worry about it. Consider getting an app such as happy scale to track your weight trends and learn what to expect.

    PS This question gets asked and answered about 5 times a day on here. I encourage you to read the threads of topics similar to ones you're interested in. Also read all the sticky posts at the top of each MFP forum. They will answer many of your questions so you can be well informed about your weight loss journey.
  • noon1200
    noon1200 Posts: 35 Member
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    You can gain 3 pounds in ten minutes, just drink three pints of water. Of course, that's not three pounds of body weight, so if your goal is to lose body weight, it doesn't matter. To get a clear picture of your body weight, you have to weigh yourself every day for a week and take the average. This will cancel out the fluctuations that occur as your body takes in and processes food and water.

  • Tobysgirl212
    Tobysgirl212 Posts: 27 Member
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    I've got the same issue today. Yesterday I had cauliflower pizza, and though my calories were under budget the sodium was sky high so I'm up 3.5 lbs. Would using NuSalt (potassium) in place of salt and drinking tons of water today counteract the bloat?

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