What is my "real" weight (huge fluctuation)
ashleyylo
Posts: 101 Member
Hey all.
I know that at the end of the day, the number on the scale doesn't matter, and it's how I feel, etc.
However, daily fluctuations are driving me crazy! I can be xxx one morning, and the next morning, be 5-7 pounds more, next day 5-7 less, back and forth, back and forth.
So my question is, what is my "real" weight. I know that daily fluctuations like this are normal, but is this amount of fluctuation normal? I mean, 7 pounds is a lot when we are talking a weight range of 99-106lbs.
I am thinking neither the low or high end of these fluctuations would be correct...so is my weight just somewhere in the middle? And why is the number bouncing so drastically? other than the weekends, i tend to eat pretty much the same things...
I know that at the end of the day, the number on the scale doesn't matter, and it's how I feel, etc.
However, daily fluctuations are driving me crazy! I can be xxx one morning, and the next morning, be 5-7 pounds more, next day 5-7 less, back and forth, back and forth.
So my question is, what is my "real" weight. I know that daily fluctuations like this are normal, but is this amount of fluctuation normal? I mean, 7 pounds is a lot when we are talking a weight range of 99-106lbs.
I am thinking neither the low or high end of these fluctuations would be correct...so is my weight just somewhere in the middle? And why is the number bouncing so drastically? other than the weekends, i tend to eat pretty much the same things...
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Replies
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Download the "Happy Scale" app on your smart phone and live happily with your scale ever after.
And if you don't have a smart phone, like me, either resolve to do regression analysis on every day's logging or switch to monthly weighing at the midpoint between your menses.6 -
I can easily fluctuate by 5 pounds in a day;
Personally I've picked a time to weigh myself to be consistent: I get up and walk in the morning (usually about an hour), use the bathroom when I get home and then weigh myself. IF I miss a morning walk (happens occasionally) then I'm usually around 2 pounds heavier than I'd expect.1 -
Your real weight is the weight you are when you weigh yourself. Nobody weighs exactly the same all of the time. Some people fluctuate only by small amounts, some by great amounts. But you weigh what you weigh, whether or not you want to accept it as your real weight or not.4
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Pick one weighin time and stick with that. Of course you weigh more after a full day or eating, activity and more than you do in the morning. I prefer to weigh in the morning after my toilet and before the shower this gives me a baseline that I can use everyday.0
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With hot days coming on I can probably be a 8 to 10 pound variation depending on salt intake and the heat of the day between morning (less) and evening (more). Its not about the fat loss though. So I don't fret over it. Water water!0
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I second downloading Happy Scale.1
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Might you need a new scale?0
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Of note, Happy Scale is for Apple products only. Libra is the Android equivalent.4
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Wish Happy Scale was available for Android.0
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Hi, I find it more stable if I weigh myself weekly at the same time and use that as my baseline! If I weigh in between I use it as a guide only.1
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Some fluctuation is normal but 5-7 pounds is too much fluctuation to happen in one day, even considering water retention, etc.
So here are my comments/suggestions - from someone who has spent far too much time figuring out the vicissitudes of scales!
1) do you have a good scale? I just changed mine to one that seems to be much more stable & accurate (same reading if I weigh myself several times in a row). It keeps me a little saner to trust the scale more and it was one of the cheaper scale on Amazon so it is not a matter of spending a lot of money. I question your scale's accuracy if it is up or down 5-7 pounds daily on a regular basis, regardless of any other factors that may be changing the numbers.
2) Be consistent: weigh yourself just after you wake up/just after you go to the bathroom.
3) Also to be consistent: weigh yourself in same clothes every day (or naked!).
4) Sounds stupid, but step on the scale gently and step onto it the same way every day (don't "jump" on it one day to weigh yourself and gingerly get on it another day) as this will result in different outcomes on many scales.
5) Also sounds stupid, but keep your scale in the same spot. I mean exactly the same spot. If I move my old scale 3 inches closer to my wall, I weigh a pound more! Scales are very sensitive to what is underneath them - the level of the floor and the material (wood, tile, concrete).
4) I would generally say registering a fluctuation of up to a pound and a half per day now and then is normal. For example, today my weight was down a pound from yesterday, even by following all of my rules above. But yesterday was up almost a pound up from the day before! So - if I look at my weight graph on MFP, it's pretty much downward in a straight line if I ignore that "blip."
SO the lesson is to look more at the trend in the past week or so rather than the daily fluctuations. Most artificial fluctuations (such as those caused by temporarily holding on to water) sort themselves out in no more than 3 days.
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You don't have a "real" weight...body weight isn't static...this is why obsessing over the actual number on the scale is lunacy.1
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measuring yourself multiple times a day is asking for a headache. Just do it once a day under the same conditions, say when you wake up after using the bathroom (coz we dont want another one of these threads haha)2
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Thanks everyone! I do weigh myself at the same time (in the mornings after bathroom), but I also know I need to not focus on the number, as it isn't what is most important...and will just lead to unhealthy obsession for me.
I thought my scale was a decent one (weight watchers scale), but who knows. i put it on the same place on the floor every time. Either way, I know that i probably just need to not let it affect me. Maybe stick to once a week instead.0 -
FitFunLosAngeles wrote: »Some fluctuation is normal but 5-7 pounds is too much fluctuation to happen in one day, even considering water retention, etc.
So here are my comments/suggestions - from someone who has spent far too much time figuring out the vicissitudes of scales!
1) do you have a good scale? I just changed mine to one that seems to be much more stable & accurate (same reading if I weigh myself several times in a row). It keeps me a little saner to trust the scale more and it was one of the cheaper scale on Amazon so it is not a matter of spending a lot of money. I question your scale's accuracy if it is up or down 5-7 pounds daily on a regular basis, regardless of any other factors that may be changing the numbers.
2) Be consistent: weigh yourself just after you wake up/just after you go to the bathroom.
3) Also to be consistent: weigh yourself in same clothes every day (or naked!).
4) Sounds stupid, but step on the scale gently and step onto it the same way every day (don't "jump" on it one day to weigh yourself and gingerly get on it another day) as this will result in different outcomes on many scales.
5) Also sounds stupid, but keep your scale in the same spot. I mean exactly the same spot. If I move my old scale 3 inches closer to my wall, I weigh a pound more! Scales are very sensitive to what is underneath them - the level of the floor and the material (wood, tile, concrete).
4) I would generally say registering a fluctuation of up to a pound and a half per day now and then is normal. For example, today my weight was down a pound from yesterday, even by following all of my rules above. But yesterday was up almost a pound up from the day before! So - if I look at my weight graph on MFP, it's pretty much downward in a straight line if I ignore that "blip."
SO the lesson is to look more at the trend in the past week or so rather than the daily fluctuations. Most artificial fluctuations (such as those caused by temporarily holding on to water) sort themselves out in no more than 3 days.
5-7 lbs is not a lot. I drink about 4 lbs of water in the morning and eat. 5 lbs right there.1 -
personally, I like being able to have some idea how my weight changes during the day. It makes me feel like I'm getting a more apples to apples comparison.measuring yourself multiple times a day is asking for a headache. Just do it once a day under the same conditions, say when you wake up after using the bathroom (coz we dont want another one of these threads haha)
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I can fluctuate a few pounds daily. Each person is different, so if u fluctuate 5-7 then that's normal for you. I also use Happy Scale. Trendweight is the similar web based app for your computer if you don't use either phone.0
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@ashleyylo ' i put it on the same place on the floor every time'
That could be part of your problem right there.
Find somewhere where the scale can be placed permanently. Every time you move it it has to be reset. This could well be what is making the fluctuations so large.
Cheers, h.1 -
Hey all.
I know that at the end of the day, the number on the scale doesn't matter, and it's how I feel, etc.
However, daily fluctuations are driving me crazy! I can be xxx one morning, and the next morning, be 5-7 pounds more, next day 5-7 less, back and forth, back and forth.
So my question is, what is my "real" weight. I know that daily fluctuations like this are normal, but is this amount of fluctuation normal? I mean, 7 pounds is a lot when we are talking a weight range of 99-106lbs.
I am thinking neither the low or high end of these fluctuations would be correct...so is my weight just somewhere in the middle? And why is the number bouncing so drastically? other than the weekends, i tend to eat pretty much the same things...
If this is making you crazy, simply weigh yourself once per week same day and time. It's that simple.0 -
I fluctuate by as many as 3 pounds a day, based on first-thing-in-the-morning weights only, at a current bodyweight of around 120. I've had 5 pound fluctuations from one morning to the next in the past.
Real weight? All of the readings are my real weight, and none of them. Meh. I'm only concerned about the overall direction.2 -
I downloaded Libra for android last week..... I weigh myself first thing in the morning, after Ive deposited items in the toilet...
.... Monday is always my highest day/Friday my lightest...(weekend planning still WIP)......
So - before this week -every Monday Ive beaten myself up (+3-5lbs from Friday) - gave up hope a little - had a minor case of the f-its......
THIS WEEK HOWEVER.... put in my Monday weight (plus over Friday) - and lo&behold - Im still on a downward trend.... YAY - Black coffee for me today instead of my f-it drink (black coffee with milk AND sugar - I drink about 5-7 cups of instant coffee per day )
LOVE Libra!
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I fluctuate by as many as 3 pounds a day, based on first-thing-in-the-morning weights only, at a current bodyweight of around 120. I've had 5 pound fluctuations from one morning to the next in the past.
Real weight? All of the readings are my real weight, and none of them.
Yes, you don't have one "real weight."0 -
5-7 pounds would make me suspect the scale. I weighed myself every day for about 16 months (while losing 55 lb) and the average daily variation was less than one pound. The maximum daily difference was 3.6 lb. Be sure your scale is on a solid floor (no carpet).1
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Weigh yourself same time each day...0
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Here is my last month. How much do I weigh?
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