Rapid Scale Change in One Day?

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soccerkon26
soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I got on the scale this morning, and then decided instead of going to the gym I would sleep for an extra hour! So I went back to sleep and when I woke up I got on the scale (same clothes; nothing different than before) and it said I lost 1 pound. Is the scale wrong?? Lol I'll sleep more often if it's right! ;)

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  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Are you sure you didn't visit the toilet?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Scales are weird. Did you burn 3500 calories while sleeping? Nope I don't think so.
  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
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    Water weight :). Even if you didn't use the toilet, you exhale water when you breathe. You also sweat. That extra pound may be mostly back tomorrow if you don't sleep in again! I've had a 2 lb difference before when weighing at 6 AM vs 8 or 9 AM.
  • dwaterfield
    dwaterfield Posts: 34 Member
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    Scales are mechanical devices and my guess is that most bathroom scales aren't exactly high quality scientific instruments. Our old one used to show a different weight each and every time you got on...I learned to do a quick average. :)

    The new scale is better but will sometimes get "stuck". Not sure how else to describe it, because I'll see the exact same weight as the day before. I can usually fix it by getting on with something in my hands, like a bottle of shampoo, and then reweigh myself without the extra weight.

    In general I just don't trust bathroom scales for much other than showing a trend. I like to use the old balance beam scale at my gym when I want a more accurate reading.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Weight fluctuates as the day progresses based on any number of variables... water, food,temperature, whether or not you've worked out, whether or not you've gone to the restroom.

    I fluctuate up to 10lbs in a day if I just measure haphazardly.

    I find that weighing at the same time, in the same circumstance (same clothes, before eating, before drinking, before working out, etc) will help minimize the fluctuations. I also use trendweight to smooth the noise out of the curve and allow me to see a more reasonable representation of the trend. There are lots of other apps/websites that will help smooth the trend line for you.

    But, fluctuations are normal. Most people I've talked to report 3-4 pounds of fluctuations in a day, mine are a bit extreme, but then again, so is my life. :)

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