Water weight, etc. in relation to actual weight.

beardena5746
beardena5746 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I hope this makes sense. I understand that weight fluctuates everyday and that we will not always have a precise weight, but if you’ve been maintaining a deficit that a higher scale
Number could be the result of anything from water weight to waste, but when the number on the scale drops to a lower number, is that indicative of what your actual weight could be or at least Closer to it than what the scale says when you’ve got some extra funk going on in your body?


Please don’t chew my head off...

Replies

  • beardena5746
    beardena5746 Posts: 5 Member
    Yes, that’s what I’m asking. Ok, thanks. I’m trying to focus on the trend, and I see that my clothes seem to fit better and that overall, I’m pretty sure that I’m losing, but a couple of weeks ago, I had a few consecutive days of 174 lbs, Then I had hit a low of 173, then all this week it has consistently been 177. I’m like dang... which am I actually
    Closer to? But thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    beardena5746 wrote: »
    I hope this makes sense. I understand that weight fluctuates everyday and that we will not always have a precise weight, but if you’ve been maintaining a deficit that a higher scale
    Number could be the result of anything from water weight to waste, but when the number on the scale drops to a lower number, is that indicative of what your actual weight could be or at least Closer to it than what the scale says when you’ve got some extra funk going on in your body?


    Please don’t chew my head off...

    You don't really have an "actual" weight. Your weight is what it is at that particular point in time. In maintenance I'm typically about 180 Lbs on the average...but I can be 177 one day and 183 on some other day that week depending on a myriad of factors.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
    I have often wondered myself. Just look at the trend. It keeps me from feeling frustrated.
  • beardena5746
    beardena5746 Posts: 5 Member
    I know we don’t have “actual” weight and that in the grand scheme of things, a couple of Pounds up or down does not mean anything, I just thought I’d ask if anyone can make better sense of the question running through my head.
  • beardena5746
    beardena5746 Posts: 5 Member
    I like that! Look at it like it’s a sneak peak. Thanks all who have answered. I completely understand that nothing is linear and that we will have ups and downs. It was just something I’ve always wondered.
  • svel713
    svel713 Posts: 141 Member
    I weigh myself daily every morning. My "real weight" is whatever the lowest number is that month. If that number goes up or down, I consider that a legitimate weight change.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    When monitoring weight you want to limit variables. This is why the best time to weigh oneself is first thing in the morning after a voiding. Your sleep cycle is one of the natural "detoxes" your body goes through and helps you remain consistent.

    16 oz of water weighs ~1 lb and the human body is ~55-65% water, so massive variability is inherent.

    What you are actually attempting to track is fat loss and muscle gain, so you want to limit the influence of water weight.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    It might help to think of your weight the way you would think about your temperature, blood pressure, or pulse. There is an average range but the number's going to move around based on a lot of different factors. There's not an 'actual' number being obfuscated by your salty lunch or a recent sprint around the block, that is your actual reading at that particular point in time.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    I figure I don't have an actual weight. Instead, what I have is a current range, and a long-term trend.

    The weight I see on the scale is a random point in the current range, up a little because I just drank a pint of water, down a little because I just worked out and sweated, up a little because I ate a low-calorie but very high fiber meal, down a little because I just slept and didn't eat anything for the past 8 hours, etc.

    If I track the daily scale weights over a period of weeks to months, I'll see the number jump around from day to day, but over time the bumpy jumps are on a downhill trend if I'm losing, horizontal if I'm maintaining, or uphill if I'm gaining.

    There is no "true weight", just the short-term range, and the long-term trend.

    Thinking this way, IMO, is very helpful when one reaches maintenance. Weight is going to vary up and down through a few pounds' range, and that has to be OK, or it'll drive you nuts. ;)
  • Jadub729
    Jadub729 Posts: 135 Member
    garystrickland357 wrote: »
    Someone posted recently that when you see a new low on the scale it's a "sneak peak" of what's coming. I like that because that's how it works for me. I agree there is no "actual" weight. I consistently have a calorie deficit but my weight loss is certainly not linear. I'll see a new low on the scale one day - the next day I'll be up a pound - the next day down 1/2 pound - it will stay there 4-5 days - or maybe up another pound - then I'll drop 2.5 pounds to a new "sneak peak". On average I've been losing 1-1.5 pounds per week.


    this is how it has always been for me. I'll be steady at one number for a days, then a new low, then back up a couple pounds...soon that new low is my steady number, then a new low again.

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