How much can your weight fluctuate overnight, without meaning anything?

alwaysbloated
alwaysbloated Posts: 458 Member
in Getting Started
I've heard that people can gain up to 7lbs within a week, due to extra carbs/sodium, water intake, time of day, TOM etc.

Does that sound about right?

I gained 2.6lbs overnight, and its kinda freaking me out. (Not currently tracking food, but eating healthy and less, plus getting my steps in. I did check calories on a few items, and look to see how many calories my exercise was burning. Back on whole30 now, for IBS purposes). Before you ask, I am here because I enjoy the forums, and find some of the stuff on here pretty helpful. Have definately lost weight this year. I might go back to tracking food eventually, but because I'm so heavy, I don't think exact numbers are as important, whole30 is pretty restrictive and my food scales keep playing up, and I can't afford to replace them.

Replies

  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    Did you eat enough calories the day prior to gain 2lbs? Doubtful! So there's probably a reasonable explanation.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    The only way to know for sure is by tracking your food but I've definitely woken up a couple pounds heavier because I was retaining water. Give it a week or two and if the number keeps going up you might be better tracking.
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  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    alwaysbloated wrote: »
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    Did you eat enough calories the day prior to gain 2lbs? Doubtful! So there's probably a reasonable explanation.

    How many calories do you have to eat to gain 2lbs? Because my snacks were less than 1000 calories, and I burnt off at least 1400 due to exercise (half an hour on the bike, 17000 steps, according to my fitbit).

    About 7,000!
  • somborlol
    somborlol Posts: 1 Member
    About 4lbs in a day, but idk if these studies are made in fasting
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I can put on a so called 3lbs the day after eating a chinese meal... high sodium.
    There are so many things that cause fluctuations but they are just part of how the body works and are completely normal.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    I go up 3-5 pounds every time I take anti-inflammatory medication and I've been taking a lot of it lately. I know it's not fat because I know I didn't eat that much. It will come back down a few days after I stop the medication.

    There are so many variables to water weight that I don't worry too much about it. I just keep track on my weight grapher and as long as I am staying stable over time or losing I'm happy.
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  • Imasingingal
    Imasingingal Posts: 1 Member
    I would suggest only weighing yourself weekly, at the same time on the same day of the week. Your weight can fluctuate so much throughout the day/week. I wouldn’t worry so much about the extra couple pounds; they’ll likely come down on their own with your steady calorie intake. Weighing once a week will give you a better representation of your actual weight loss, and it’ll help you not obsess over the numbers day-to-day.
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  • g00286581
    g00286581 Posts: 19 Member
    When my IBS acts up i can but on 2 kg for a few days, it’s okay and it’s normal.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited January 2018
    5oi4qw1udit1.png
    Black dotted line is my weight. Daily weigh ins. Green line is my trend. See even though the scale shows an up swing my trend is still going down.
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  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited January 2018
    alwaysbloated wrote: »
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    5oi4qw1udit1.png
    Black dotted line is my weight. Daily weigh ins. Green line is my trend. See even though the scale shows an up swing my trend is still going down.

    Wow! How did you make that chart? I suck at excell stuff...

    Google sheets. I actually made it to keep an eye on whether or not my Fitbit burn was working for me (I check it every few months...right now I'm getting that there is about 37 calories off somewhere...which now that I think about it could be the crystal light I don't log :laugh:

    If you want the trend line for your weight there are some phone apps that will do it for you.
    iPhone: Happy Scale
    Android: Libra

    ~Im not good at explaining how to get the chart in Google Sheets. I could probably create a video if you want. ~
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    a quart of water weighs over 2 lb
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  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited January 2018
    alwaysbloated wrote: »
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    ~Im not good at explaining how to get the chart in Google Sheets. I could probably create a video if you want. ~

    Yep, that would be super helpful :-) but you don't have to.

    K. I'll try to do it tomorrow. In the meantime, here is the spreadsheet I created:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EzY6Q-BRuJB8kDoL1dfvMeJSuWCHOlq69udoAi2JYYY/edit?usp=sharing

    If you go to " File " and select " Make a copy " you can have your own private copy. Some of the information on the sheet does need the estimated TDEE to make it work (like the estimated daily deficit).


    **edit: BMR column is the women's formula and I did edit the spreadsheet so that you can input your age/height (so it's not using a 5'4.5", 28 yr old by default anymore)
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  • StevefromMichigan
    StevefromMichigan Posts: 462 Member
    Bowel movements, stomach content, and hydration can all affect your weight on a day-to-day basis. Scales themselves can also sometimes contribute to inaccurate measurements. As long as you continue to trend downward you should be ok.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    I have literally lost 7 pounds in one week because I flew on a plane and "gained" that weight over 4 hours.
    Last week, I started lifting weights and gained 2.4 lbs overnight.
    If I have take out, I can gain 3lbs overnight. It might take a week to fully come off. If I'm stressed, I can gain up to 5 lbs in two days.
    You literally can't look at the day to day stuff. It'll drive you crazy.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 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

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