Why does weight fluctuate daily?

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wildrosejmj
wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
in Motivation and Support
So, in general, I have a downward trend, but why and how does my weight fluctuate so much? It makes me question what my weight actually is. I do about the same thing every day. I don't understand what's happening. I'm trying to add a screenshot of my weight but basically I keep bouncing up and down. 259, 258, 259, 258.8, 257.4, 259

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  • jmule24
    jmule24 Posts: 1,392 Member
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    Water weight
  • wildrosejmj
    wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
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    But what does that mean? I understand that there will always be some fluctuations, but this seems crazy and makes me wonder if I'm actually making any progress. I started out at 263/265, and Here are my last 3 weeks:
    9/7 - 260
    9/12 - 261.8 - period about to start - no surprise
    9/13 - 260.4
    9/14 - 259
    9/15 - 259.8
    9/16 - 258.8
    9/17 - 259.4
    9/18 - 259.2
    9/19 - 259
    9/20 - 258.8
    9/21 - 257.4 - my period ended here so I wasn't surprised by the drop but then today:
    9/22 - 259 - right back to where I was before.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    I can fluctuate up to 3 pounds a day, you seem to have really minor fluctuations (i.e. 1 or 2 pounds). The amount of sodium the day before, waste still in your system, etc., etc. will cause you to go up and down.

    Take a look at this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations

  • wildrosejmj
    wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks. That article puts things into better perspective. I was just looking back at my diary and did have higher than average sodium yesterday and on the 16th. I also was up REALLY late last night waiting for a teenager to come home and didn't realize that amount of sleep and wake up time makes a difference. During the week, I'm up for work at 6 every morning, but today didn't weigh in till almost 9. Totally makes more sense now. I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks!
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
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    Yesterday I woke up happy to finally hit my 5lb mark. Today I woke up to it being back up to 3lbs because I woke up during the night to drink a cup of 10cal juice. It’s normal but just a mood killer.
  • wildrosejmj
    wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
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    That's exactly it. I know my clothes are fitting better so SOMEthing must be happening, but it's so demoralizing to have those ups and downs. I've thought about doing weekly weigh ins instead of daily, but then I think - what if I weigh in on the "wrong" day and see no progress at all!! lol.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Have you looked into a trend weight app like Libra or Happy Scale yet? They'll show you what's happening to your weight despite the fluctuations and it might help.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    diannethegeek wrote: »
    Have you looked into a trend weight app like Libra or Happy Scale yet? They'll show you what's happening to your weight despite the fluctuations and it might help.

    Another vote for a weight trending app! I recommend them so often I feel like a broken record, but if you're going to weigh daily anyway, it's a great way to put the numbers into perspective.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
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    wildrosejmj wrote: »
    But what does that mean? I understand that there will always be some fluctuations, but this seems crazy and makes me wonder if I'm actually making any progress. I started out at 263/265, and Here are my last 3 weeks:
    9/7 - 260
    9/12 - 261.8 - period about to start - no surprise
    9/13 - 260.4
    9/14 - 259
    9/15 - 259.8
    9/16 - 258.8
    9/17 - 259.4
    9/18 - 259.2
    9/19 - 259
    9/20 - 258.8
    9/21 - 257.4 - my period ended here so I wasn't surprised by the drop but then today:
    9/22 - 259 - right back to where I was before.

    Do you eat and drink the same foods and fluids at the same volume every day? Do your bowels
    and bladder evacuate the same volume of waste with the same regularity every day? Do you eat the same amount of salt every day? Do you retain the exact same volume of water or shed the same amount of menstrual blood every month? Do you do the same exercises for the same amount of time to the nanosecond every day?

    The answer is no, because you're a human, not a robot, and human bodies are infinitely flexible in terms of how they function. Your weight may still be trending downwards, but a scale doesn't differentiate between true weight and an extra 1 or 2kg from water retention, food, waste, etc. It simply shows how light or heavy a random object placed upon it is. Maybe you could weigh yourself less often, if tracking it daily seems to be stressing or discouraging you.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited September 2018
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    wildrosejmj wrote: »
    So, in general, I have a downward trend, but why and how does my weight fluctuate so much? It makes me question what my weight actually is. I do about the same thing every day. I don't understand what's happening. I'm trying to add a screenshot of my weight but basically I keep bouncing up and down. 259, 258, 259, 258.8, 257.4, 259

    The human body is a system with many, many things that need to stay in balance. Because a person eats different each day, moves different each day, has different levels of hormones being released all day long the body is always working towards maintaining that balance. Think of a tightrope walker. They are always making balance checks. Sometimes they are leaning a little too much to the left so they lower their right arm to get back to center. Sometimes their body sways back and forth and sometimes they actually need to windmill their arms to stay on the wire.

    It seems that fluids are the balance checks our systems need. Push your muscles further than usual, they need fluids to facilitate the repairs. Eat too much sodium, your body retains fluids to flush out the excess. Do something where your body drops too much fluid, it releases hormones which will cause you to regain that back so it has enough to function on.

    It can be frustrating but it is normal and fluctuations actually means you body is doing what it should be. Either don't weigh yourself so often or use a weight trend app to see the trend rather than the fluctuations.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,480 Member
    edited September 2018
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    That’s 2 weeks and one day. 2 lbs in 2 weeks is good.

    2 things. One, you need a much longer time horizon. Think in terms of 3 months from start date. You don’t need to concern yourself with day to day. It’s meaningless.

    Two. Do not let your brain trick you. I think our brains must hate weight loss. Be on guard against your brain trying to convince you that all your effort is for nothing. You said yourself, you have a downward trend. All you need is a downward trend and time. The trend is your friend.
  • wildrosejmj
    wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it.
  • wildrosejmj
    wildrosejmj Posts: 26 Member
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    Woke up at 5:30 this morning, used the bathroom, got 259.4. Went back to sleep and weighed again at 7 - 258.8! So goofy but I'll take the lower one! Ha!
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    wildrosejmj wrote: »
    Woke up at 5:30 this morning, used the bathroom, got 259.4. Went back to sleep and weighed again at 7 - 258.8! So goofy but I'll take the lower one! Ha!

    If you have a day when you around the house most of the day, weigh yourself several times in a day. It will show you just how much you can fluctuate within a few hours. I've had my weight vary 7-8 pounds in a day without any heavy eating or mass exercise. Add in one of those two and it can vary even more.

    The trending apps mentioned upthread do a great job of smoothing things out so you can see the bigger picture and not worry about the ever changing exacts.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    Combination of water retention (probably a 90% of fluctuations) and weight of whatever is in your digestive tract.

    Water retention fluctuations can be caused by:
    1. A change in diet
    2. A change in exercise
    3. Stress
    4. Salt
    5. TOM (obviously only applies to women)
    6. Sleep
    7. Caffeine
    8. Hormones
    9. A myriad of other things as well....
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Because you are a biological system, with a number of processes simultaneously occurring to maintain life.

    The human body weight is about 60% water. 16 oz water weighs ~1 lb. Your weight is nothing more than a snapshot in time. If you weigh yourself throughout the day you'll find it fluctuates continually.

    Metabolic pathways are in motion. You inhale/exhale water vapor. You ingest water and food and void your bowels. You sweat.

    My weight fluctuates ~5 lbs throughout the day. I've lost 5 lbs of water weight on long runs and regained it soon after re-hydrating.

    Your cells take on water during any hormonal change - this is your body's defense mechanism against change. Same effect occurs with higher sodium intake. This will return to "normal" after 5-7 days with proper hydration.

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