Bathroom scale readings the morning after alcohol

Fursian
Fursian Posts: 564 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

This probably is nothing new for most people here to learn that the morning after a night drinking alcohol, you can get some of your lowest weight readings, thanks to dehydration. (not the case for everyone)

My question though is, what do YOU personally do with those 'lowest ever' dehydrated scale readings? Disregard it? Log it, but it's not an official weight in your mind? Log the reading as official and own it?

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I don't log extreme lows. Same with random highs, unless they stick around for more than 2-3 days. You could track it in a trend weight app and make a note that you drank the night before if you like to be meticulous and love the data
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I weigh daily and so would log it into Excel, but I wouldn't log it into MFP as a new low.

    I put notes into Excel about events that throw the weights off, such as my TOM or starting to lift weights again after an absence.
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 564 Member
    Checking to see if the weight sticks around for more than 2-3 days sounds like a good idea, and I like the ideas of making notes next to these low/high readings in excel or a trend weight site.

    Thank you both @arditarose, @kshama2001! :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My pleasure!
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    I retain water after drinking alcohol, so my scale is higher.
  • numbnumbnumb
    numbnumbnumb Posts: 237 Member
    successgal1 wrote: »
    I retain water after drinking alcohol, so my scale is higher.

    This - I can gain up to 4-5 pounds after a night of beers.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    My scale is always 2-3Lbs HIGHER after alcohol. I ignore it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I just look at the overall trend, so it doesn't really matter. I weigh in every day and log it on another app I have so that I can use the data points for trend analysis...I don't care about the actual number itself.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Alcohol results in a temporary gain for me not a loss.
    I understand and accept daily weight fluctuations both ways so my response is no response really - it's just data with very fleeting interest.
  • Charlot4444
    Charlot4444 Posts: 170 Member
    Alcohol makes me dehydrated too. So I don't log it on MFP, I may log it on my trendapp that I use as that's what it is for - to show me the trends so I toss in my weight every day.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    I never log it. It's not an accurate reading. I got on the scale this morning and was down 3 lbs due to drinking last night.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    successgal1 wrote: »
    I retain water after drinking alcohol, so my scale is higher.

    Me too.
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 564 Member
    Thanks all for your responses, very much appreciated! Good to get different perspectives. :)

    lol @GuitarJerry, funny
  • DanSTL82
    DanSTL82 Posts: 156 Member
    First off, are you weighing in every day? If so, why? Weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis that a daily reading is pretty much useless. The only way to accurately log your progress is to weigh on a weekly basis or longer.

    Secondly, when you do weigh yourself, make it at the same time every day. I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 564 Member
    Hi @DanSTL82,

    I formerly weighed weekly. I made the switch to daily to overcome the inevitable slow losses I'd be seeing eventually as I got closer to goal, head on. I liked seeing the big drops that weighing weekly gave, and for some time was truly put off by the slow drips of .2-.4 lbs drops that weighing daily would show, but I needed to prepare myself for the times ahead when I'd only be losing .2-.4 lbs.

    I use TrendWeight to log readings. Mornings, and after bathroom visits. Looking back over the days, weeks, and months of data points lets me see where I am and if I need to change anything.

    In the case of logging those low weight days after alcohol, I have logged them, but don't see them as official in my head. I was just curious to pop in and ask others how they approached this, and so a thread was born.

    Thanks for your post. :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    DanSTL82 wrote: »
    First off, are you weighing in every day? If so, why? Weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis that a daily reading is pretty much useless. The only way to accurately log your progress is to weigh on a weekly basis or longer.

    Secondly, when you do weigh yourself, make it at the same time every day. I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.

    I weigh myself every day. Why? To see trends. Like: the scale goes up after drinking alcohol.
  • eyeshinebright
    eyeshinebright Posts: 51 Member
    Alcohol tends to dehydrate me and reduce water retention resulting in lasting weight loss. So it really depends.
  • powered85
    powered85 Posts: 297 Member
    DanSTL82 wrote: »
    I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.

    Same here. Seems to be the most consistent method for me and generally has the best chance of the lowest # on the scale each day.

    As for alcohol it I find some days it will yield a lower number the morning after or a higher number. Depends what other factors are going on with types/amt of food/water consumed that day and associated water retention etc.

    Either way it levels out in a day or two.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    eyeshinebright wrote: »
    Alcohol tends to dehydrate me and reduce water retention resulting in lasting weight loss. So it really depends.

    Do you mean to say that your weight has never gone up again after a drop following drinking alcohol?

    Girl I think you've found the next diet fad!

    The Dehydrated Drinkers Diet!
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    DanSTL82 wrote: »
    First off, are you weighing in every day? If so, why? Weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis that a daily reading is pretty much useless. The only way to accurately log your progress is to weigh on a weekly basis or longer.

    Secondly, when you do weigh yourself, make it at the same time every day. I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.

    I weigh myself every day. Why? To see trends. Like: the scale goes up after drinking alcohol.

    Exactly, for me if I see a gain, I know it isn't a fat gain and I like to see the trend, the app I use on my phone has a weigh-in reminder every morning when I wake up. Plus, my trainer prefers daily weigh-ins.
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
    DanSTL82 wrote: »
    First off, are you weighing in every day? If so, why? Weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis that a daily reading is pretty much useless. The only way to accurately log your progress is to weigh on a weekly basis or longer.

    Secondly, when you do weigh yourself, make it at the same time every day. I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.

    By definition, more data is more accurate than less data. As long as you interpret it correctly, everything is fine. In fact, the more data you have the better you can interpret the results - I can tell that one day is unusually high or low and speculate about water weight and decide whether or not to take it seriously. Once a week is only "better" for those that can't interpret the data (or are still upset by fluctations regardless of knowledge) so need to weigh less to mask the daily ups-and-downs of life.

    Anyway I weigh myself every day and put it in my log except for weekends when I visit friends/friends visit me. I know that the day after alcohol is unusually low, and the first weigh-in after I relax my diet for a weekend will be unusually high, but I like having the data points there. I just remember that the reason I was so low was alcohol so I don't get disappointed when the loss disappears in a day or two.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    Fursian wrote: »
    Hi all,

    This probably is nothing new for most people here to learn that the morning after a night drinking alcohol, you can get some of your lowest weight readings, thanks to dehydration. (not the case for everyone)

    My question though is, what do YOU personally do with those 'lowest ever' dehydrated scale readings? Disregard it? Log it, but it's not an official weight in your mind? Log the reading as official and own it?

    Log it in Happy Scale, and let it take care of the trend.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    Lucky you! I go up :-(
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    successgal1 wrote: »
    I retain water after drinking alcohol, so my scale is higher.

    Yup. I am never lighter after drinking.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,185 Member
    DanSTL82 wrote: »
    First off, are you weighing in every day? If so, why? Weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis that a daily reading is pretty much useless. The only way to accurately log your progress is to weigh on a weekly basis or longer.

    Secondly, when you do weigh yourself, make it at the same time every day. I tend to weigh myself in the morning, after I go to the bathroom, before I eat or drink anything. That way the conditions are more consistent without me having to wonder if the liter of water I just chugged added a pound or whatever else later in the day.

    I weigh myself everyday. I like to have the data, and as someone mentioned upthread, more data is better than less data. A daily reading is certainly not useless. I have friends who weigh weekly and they are always dreading weigh in day. I don't want that. I weigh every day and log it in happy scale. My trend is going down and I don't get upset with daily fluctuations. I don't dread weigh ins and even when I think I'll be up I usually expect it and it doesn't bother me too much. I prefers the lows, but I also like seeing what caused me to go up. I have realized that instead of retaining water during TOM like a lot of women I retain water during ovulation. I also don't notice much of a difference when I drink alcohol. I don't drink that much at a time, just what fits in my calorie goal and if I am up I usually attribute it to eating more sodium when drinking.
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