How does time of day affect your weight??

TChester_05
TChester_05 Posts: 83 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So how much does time of day really effect the scale?? I just bought my first scale the other day never really wanted to know what it had to say before. I weighed in at like 7 am but shorted myself a pound of loss when reporting because I'm worried the next time I weigh myself it will look like I gained or stayed the same. Its early in and I really want to keep seeing results to let me know its working. It said I lost 5.6 lbs since last wed early afternoon, which of course I would love to be true. I'm excited but cautious thats why I only counted 4.6 as lost...is it possible that just by honestly watching calories and no serious workouts those kind of results could happen in 6 days??? Or could it be time of day weighed or my scale versus the doctors?

Replies

  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    People will encourage you to weigh in at the same time each day to get an idea of how your weight consistently averages out. (Usually first thing in the morning after you've relieved yourself and before you eat anything).

    If you are up for an experiment (and won't let the weight fluctuations freak you out) you can try weighing yourself before you go to bed and after you wake up. I've done it (out of sheer curiosity) and discovered that my weight fluctuates anywhere from 1-2.5lbs between when I go to bed and when I wake up.
  • justdoit_steph
    justdoit_steph Posts: 112
    I always weigh first thing in the morning after I have gone to the restroom and with nothing on (sorry if tmi but my weight varies by 3-5 pounds depending on what I'm wearing and the time of day).
  • Mtfd02
    Mtfd02 Posts: 239 Member
    Normaly weigh in is done in the am, before you eat etc. if you do weigh in once a week, do it at the same time in the am, but if you try to do it in the afternoon you will see a difference in the scale
  • cari4jc1
    cari4jc1 Posts: 233
    I weigh more as the day goes on. Usually by the end of the day I can weigh up to 3 pounds more than in the morning. Keep in mind that all day you have eaten all that food and probably drank a lot. So I would highly recommend weighing in at the same time of day (morning is probably better and more accurate.) and you can even wear the same clothes. I always weigh wearing my exercise clothes after I exercise or after I first get up.

    If you are going to weigh often and at different times of the day don't get discouraged when you see the number go up and down all the time. It's completely normal for your body to fluctuate.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Time of day affects your weight because you'll have more or less food and water in your stomach and intestines depending on the time of day. If you're a morning pooper, it's generally advisable to weigh first thing in the morning before breakfast and after bathroom, because you'll be as empty as you're gonna get. Once you start eating and drinking, those things weigh something, so they'll affect the scale.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    The best time to weigh in is first thing in the morning before you have eaten anything. Also, after you have used the restroom. What you eat in a day can affect your scale from day to day. For example, the weight of a salad is far less than that of a burger. But that doesn't mean YOU weigh more. Just that your meal did. As far as your weight loss thus far is concerned- you said you just bought your scale. It's possible the scale you weighed on a week ago was very different than the one you are weighing on now. You always want to weigh on the same scale for comparison.
  • richellekramer
    richellekramer Posts: 42
    I can weigh 6 more pounds when I go to bed as compared to when I got up in the morning. It's CRAZY!
  • butterflywing200
    butterflywing200 Posts: 5
    Yes this is true I did it out of curiosity and weighed myself before i went to bed and i had gained 2lb then i weighed myself in the morning before doing anything and lost 1lb then i waited half hour and weighed again and i had lost the 2lb again and a tiny bit more....so now i weigh myself every saturday morning after walking for half hour and before breakfast..this gives me correct reading.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I'm not sure why you'd take a pound away from yourself. If you're going to manipulate the numbers on the scale, then I would suggest you weigh yourself less frequently, or not weigh yourself at all. I get that you don't want to give yourself "false hope" but look at it this way... While it's possible that throughout the day your water comsumption or food in your digestive tract may ADD pounds to your body weight, the scale cannot give you a lower number than your actual weight. The lowest number you see is the most accurate.

    If your body is a bucket, and you fill it with water, the weight of the water doesn't change the weight of the bucket.

    So record your weight at the time of day when you notice that your weight is the lowest.
  • msudaisy28
    msudaisy28 Posts: 267 Member
    Like everyone else said - you will avoid some of these fluctuations if you weigh in at the same time of day each day as well as using the same scale. I weigh myself every morning (there is much debate about that - search the forums and you'll get tons of opinions), naked, immediately after using the restroom.

    And yes, losing 5 pounds in your first week isn't unusual. But it is likely a lot of water weight, so don't get discouraged if your loss slows down after the first week or two. Good luck!
  • TChester_05
    TChester_05 Posts: 83 Member
    Thank you all very much! I'm feeling a little more aware then before and not so paranoid :smile:

    @secretlobster - that bucket analogy is good point and really puts it into perspective...thanks.

    The key seems to be the consistency...scales are probably different and my weight will look different depending on what is digesting in here at different times of day.

    @msudaisy28 - thanks for the first week comfort...I was a little worried that something was wrong and the weight loss wasnt possibly that much! I will remember to not get upset if it slows down...as long as it keeps going to some degree :wink:

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