How come weight doesn't come off the body in a steady pace?

Sauleeh
Sauleeh Posts: 83 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone please explain the science behind this. On the 13th of August I stepped on the scale and I was about 71.4kg. I did have the coming weeks full of more drinking than expected so I didn't expect to lose anything but yesterday morning I stepped on the scale and somehow it went down to 70.9kg. Excited about the weight loss I thought I'd get in the scale this morning to make sure I wasn't seeing things and somehow overnight my weight went down to 70.3kg. How does that happen? Not saying I pigged out but I did have a sneaky minstrels chocolate bag in the cinema and I was sure I went over my calories a little. Can someone help a girl out ?

Replies

  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    Read this link.

    Many thanks to @jemhh
  • Kimmy1500
    Kimmy1500 Posts: 4 Member
    Well, over the same day, your weight can change. During the night, your body consume energy in order to stay alive (the minimum your body need to stay alive while doing nothing) and you don't eat while you sleep (I hope XD) so that can explain.
    For your drinking, that can be anything : eat less than usual, walking more (walking after eating/drinking help the body assimiling it better), eating more regulary fasten the metabolism or simply sleeping more/better.
    A lot of possibilities, each person is different, so there is not only one answer X) good luck for your continuation :)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Because weight isn't just fat. We lose and gain water weight very quickly.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited September 2017
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Weight loss isn't linear. You can do the same exact routine of eating, exercise and rest 2 weeks in a row and have different results. Hormones, stress, water retention, weather (heat/cold), environment, etc. all have an affect on the body to an extend that can affect how week to week weight change happens.

    ^^ that

    plus this:

    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Because weight isn't just fat. We lose and gain water weight very quickly.

  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Sauleeh wrote: »
    Can someone please explain the science behind this. On the 13th of August I stepped on the scale and I was about 71.4kg. I did have the coming weeks full of more drinking than expected so I didn't expect to lose anything but yesterday morning I stepped on the scale and somehow it went down to 70.9kg. Excited about the weight loss I thought I'd get in the scale this morning to make sure I wasn't seeing things and somehow overnight my weight went down to 70.3kg. How does that happen? Not saying I pigged out but I did have a sneaky minstrels chocolate bag in the cinema and I was sure I went over my calories a little. Can someone help a girl out ?

    The same reason the weather isn't the same day in and day out. Lots of variables come into play and most of the time we have no way of knowing which variables are doing what.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Exactly; there are many variables involved, and it's impossible to know exactly what variables are in play on any given day. There also appears to be a delayed effect where you will be consistent with diet and exercise but not lose anything, then all of a sudden, even if you've cheated, your weight will go down. It's due to the consistent days. Also, it can take some time for cheat days to show up as weight gain, so you can experience the disappointment of getting back on track, and all of a sudden your weight goes up because of the extra chocolates you ate.
  • Sauleeh
    Sauleeh Posts: 83 Member
    Thanks guys!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,730 Member
    Water retention is the biggest issue, which depends on how much salt I ate the day before, how much I drank and what, how much I exercised, how much stress I was under, and how much I slept. Obviously that changes on a daily basis. When I was younger, TOM was also a big factor. With the right combination I get a nice drop in weight. With the wrong combination I get an increase. I've learned to never weigh myself after dinner out as restaurant meals are almost always much higher salt than I am used to eating. After a while you learn to not take the daily fluctuations too seriously.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Also, water retention can happen for hormonal reasons even if you're keeping your sodium intake low.

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