What is my "real" weight (huge fluctuation)

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ashleyylo
ashleyylo Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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...
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Replies

  • charleycartee
    charleycartee Posts: 49 Member
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    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.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    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.
  • janetennet
    janetennet Posts: 143 Member
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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.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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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!
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    I second downloading Happy Scale.
  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
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    Might you need a new scale?
  • koslowkj
    koslowkj Posts: 188 Member
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    Of note, Happy Scale is for Apple products only. Libra is the Android equivalent.
  • thedoc617
    thedoc617 Posts: 3 Member
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    Wish Happy Scale was available for Android.
  • CaroleatHome
    CaroleatHome Posts: 1 Member
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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.
  • FitFunLosAngeles
    FitFunLosAngeles Posts: 36 Member
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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.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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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.
  • hhazzouri
    hhazzouri Posts: 103 Member
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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)
  • ashleyylo
    ashleyylo Posts: 101 Member
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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.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    thedoc617 wrote: »
    Wish Happy Scale was available for Android.

    Libra is the droid equivalent.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    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.
  • charleycartee
    charleycartee Posts: 49 Member
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    hhazzouri wrote: »
    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)
    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.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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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.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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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.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Options
    ashleyylo wrote: »
    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.

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