Weight fluctuations during the day?

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bathsheba_c
bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Sort of a newbie question here. How much weight fluctuation is normal during the day? During the week? I weighed myself yesterday, and seemed to have lost weight from the week before, but when I weighed myself at the same time today, I weighed a full kilogram (2.2 lbs) more!

I've been keeping within 100 calories on either side of my net calorie goals consistently, and am reaching my fitness goals. I don't think I'm inaccurately recording either calories consumed or calories burned (at least, I'm trying to record on the side of caution. So what could be causing this? And how can I tell what is real weight loss and what is an illusion? Is it possible for the menstrual cycle to add noticeable weight *after* someone's period (I know it's common to put on water weight beforehand)?

FWIW, I tend to both eat and exercise a lot more on the weekends. Saturday is my splurge day, but I didn't actually go much over my net calorie goal last Saturday.

Replies

  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member
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    you can see variances of 2-5 lbs during the day. Most home bath scales also won't offer the best repeatability either. You can step on it 5 times in a row and some are so bad that they will give you 5 different weights - possibly 3-5 lbs total swing.
  • Bookchick887
    Bookchick887 Posts: 126 Member
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    Yes, you will fluctuate all day. I will weigh first thing in the am and then an hour later- 1 lb lighter. Then an hour later- 2 lb heavier. The general advice you read on MFP is weigh in once a week. I weigh once a day for incentive, but that's my obsession.
    So make sure you weigh the same time, whatever you choose to do.
  • marm1962
    marm1962 Posts: 950 Member
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    Your weight can fluctuate quite a bit depending on what you have eaten, how much you drink, what you eat, what you drink, how much sodium you have.......there are so many variables that it's almost impossible to keep track of. I can and have gained up to 10 lbs of water weight from morning to night. Once a week is the best for weighing yourself........the preferred time is first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, and either in the nude or with the same exact clothing on every time. I personally weigh myself every day, but I can handle the ups and downs of the scale without freaking out.
  • hypersensitiveb
    hypersensitiveb Posts: 342 Member
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    Just about any thing can fluctuate your weight. A 2-3 lb difference is normal threw out the day. The things you eat and drink weigh some thing so even if you drink a couple glasses of water it will add to it. Like what was said above weight your self in the morning on a empty stomach after going to the bathroom, and if its around that tome of month you deffintly can see 2-5 lb difference even up to a week after. So yeah 3 weeks out of the month can be affected by our cycle. so if your eating right and exercising don't stress .
  • cydonian
    cydonian Posts: 361 Member
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    2-7lbs is completely normal in an average day. I don't bother to weigh myself anymore but I've seen people step on a scale before and after peeing and they weigh more after! There really is no rhyme or reason. Water weight is normal, and especially when you start exercising as your muscles swell with water.
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    Yep, it does change back and forth for the reasons mentioned above. A good example is one evening I weighed myself before going to bed. I weighed again the morning after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything. I was five pounds lighter in the morning.
  • sathor
    sathor Posts: 202 Member
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    of course it can, and does. Lets face it, if you eat it, some of it stays inside you till you crap it out. Sometimes that stays constant, sometimes you eat something like bad mexican and you get a purge of the system and that makes it go down.

    Of course, if you drink a standard 16.9 oz bottle of water, you just gained 1 pound! (a bit over, but still) which will not just come back out instantly, it has to leave either by urine, sweat, or just the moisture in your breath. As such, you don't want to think what a 32 oz bottle of gatorade would do to your temp weight. (2#'s !)

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