Weight fluctuation (?)

[LaGamine]

How much weight is it normal to fluctuate in a day?

I only started weighing myself recently, and I noticed I fluctuate between 120-126. I only weigh once a week or so, usually at night.
Then one random morning I weighed 115, and I was so surprised by that I weighed myself that same night to confirm it was just fluctuation and was back at 123. Is 8-10 lbs normal fluctuation for a day? I could see 3-5 lbs, but 10 lbs seems like a lot.
What's more accurate, morning or night weight? I notice in the morning my stomach looks flatter too; does this mean I'm normally bloated or something?

[Komadori]

How much weight is it normal to fluctuate in a day?

I only started weighing myself recently, and I noticed I fluctuate between 120-126. I only weigh once a week or so, usually at night.
Then one random morning I weighed 115, and I was so surprised by that I weighed myself that same night to confirm it was just fluctuation and was back at 123. Is 8-10 lbs normal fluctuation for a day? I could see 3-5 lbs, but 10 lbs seems like a lot.
What's more accurate, morning or night weight? I notice in the morning my stomach looks flatter too; does this mean I'm normally bloated or something?

We are ugly bags of mostly water, afterall.

Think about all the beverages and food you intake and expel throughout the day. Then add in the activities, hormones, and chemical responses of going through a day in a human body, and you'll get a good idea of why weighing is a good guide, but not the final say, of your fitness goals.

I DO weigh, but I log it and look at the trend. I was up a huge amount prior to Thanksgiving... and now I'm back under 250. Weird how it goes.

[VanillaSie]

I always weigh in the morning, after taking care of business.

I can fluctuate 3-4 lbs any given day. When it is around that time of month, I generally avoid the scale because of all the water weight and bloat.

[firecracker3]

Scales are evil

Honestly, the morning, after bms and urination is the best time, but still, don't let the sun set and shine on it.....when losing weight (are you even trying to?) it's a great indicator of progress, esp. when using the same scale at the same time of day (am)....but don't let this be the hard and fast rule, in the last year the scale regularly sits 5 lbs higher for me yes my clothes are loose and my BF% is down....go instead by inches, how your clothes look and how you feel.....sometimes I even recommend to clients to PUT THE SCALE AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS and get over the need to stand on it whenever you see it, the numbers can play havoc on your mental "feel good" and a bad reading can put you in a mood all day and a good one could have you cheating because you think you can.....

HTH

[Eddie-M]

Yes I'm a dude posting in a female thread. What else is new.

I weigh myself morning and night. I usually fluctuate about 6lbs.

I find that on the weekends when I eat saltier fast food, I gain more water weight because of the sodium causing me to retain water, I know I'm drinking a ton of fluids after some fries and a philly cheese stake

The human body loses moisture through perspiration and breathing (hopefully not much else) in upwards of 2 or more equivalent glasses of water while sleeping at night.

When on a creatine cycle I gain about 5lbs of water.

When I fast, I lose about 5 lbs from my morning weight in extra grey matter loss from the digestive system. This is all easily gained back by my second day on a normal diet.

Keep in mind that in the morning, your bladder will be emptied, and your stomach empty. Both of these organs occupy alot of volume in your abdomen.

Just my personal experience

[NightSprite]

I always weigh in the morning, after taking care of business.

I can fluctuate 3-4 lbs any given day. When it is around that time of month, I generally avoid the scale because of all the water weight and bloat.

I do this too.

[Amanda76]

It's normal, but I've found that with a diet based on whole foods that I eat regularly over 5-6 meals a day while drinking lots of water throughout the day, that I don't experience much weight fluctuation at all (I also don't add salt or sweetener to foods and don't eat a lot of dairy). It's when I get lazy about eating habits that my weight goes all over the place and I get surprise bloating.

Of course, weight fluctuation, bloating and puffiness don't matter so much when you're covered up in the winter...so apply that info in the summer if the weight fluctuation is cramping your style at all.

[EequalsHbarC]

The huge fluctuations could also be your scale. My parents have one the weighs about 15lbs different, depending on its location on the bathroom floor! ridiculous!

[Nicksmommy52]

I stick to weighing myself in the mornings because the morning reading always makes me the happiest, lol. I've heard it's really the best time to do it too because it gives you the best indication of your actual weight.

[LaGamine]

It's when I get lazy about eating habits that my weight goes all over the place and I get surprise bloating.

So it's better not to fluctuate as much?
I'm not on a super strict diet, but I rarely add sugar or salt. I buy almost everything unsalted (ie. peanut butter) and use a lot of other spices for flavoring my food.
Dairy is probably my weakness in life though. I loooove cheese. I buy all dairy low fat, except for cheese sometimes, hehe.
I know I could drink more water. I'm always working on that.

I used to only fluctuate 2-3 lbs when I was younger (I only knew from doctor's visits though...this is the first time I've ever owned a scale). I guess that's why it surprised me to fluctuate this much. I just wondered if that one morning reading was an error or if I'm normally bloated or something...
I'm only weighing once a week at most though. The scale has been a new toy that tempted me to hop on a few more times than necessary, haha.
I know I have gained fat, so I'm looking to lose an inch off the butt/hips and lower tummy, and lose some fat and gain a little muscle; whatever total weight I end up at for that goal.

[firecracker3]

So it's better not to fluctuate as much?
I'm not on a super strict diet, but I rarely add sugar or salt. I buy almost everything unsalted (ie. peanut butter) and use a lot of other spices for flavoring my food.
Dairy is probably my weakness in life though. I loooove cheese. I buy all dairy low fat, except for cheese sometimes, hehe.
I know I could drink more water. I'm always working on that.

I used to only fluctuate 2-3 lbs when I was younger (I only knew from doctor's visits though...this is the first time I've ever owned a scale). I guess that's why it surprised me to fluctuate this much. I just wondered if that one morning reading was an error or if I'm normally bloated or something...
I'm only weighing once a week at most though. The scale has been a new toy that tempted me to hop on a few more times than necessary, haha.
I know I have gained fat, so I'm looking to lose an inch off the butt/hips and lower tummy, and lose some fat and gain a little muscle; whatever total weight I end up at for that goal.

PLEASE just don't go by the scale....before I started competiting I was 125 and a size 6....then I dropped to 113 and 0s were falling off..now I average about 125 off season and a size 2....not sure what my new onseason weight will be yet, but hope I don't go below 118...in other words scale weight says little about overall shape and health...as mentioned it's great as a progress tool for those needing to lose weight, but for a few pounds, or maintenance it provides nothing more than agony and stress IMO....go by your clothes and hide the darn thing for a few days...you'll be FREE I can guarantee it!

[Amanda76]

So it's better not to fluctuate as much?
I'm not on a super strict diet, but I rarely add sugar or salt. I buy almost everything unsalted (ie. peanut butter) and use a lot of other spices for flavoring my food.
Dairy is probably my weakness in life though. I loooove cheese. I buy all dairy low fat, except for cheese sometimes, hehe.
I know I could drink more water. I'm always working on that.

I used to only fluctuate 2-3 lbs when I was younger (I only knew from doctor's visits though...this is the first time I've ever owned a scale). I guess that's why it surprised me to fluctuate this much. I just wondered if that one morning reading was an error or if I'm normally bloated or something...
I'm only weighing once a week at most though. The scale has been a new toy that tempted me to hop on a few more times than necessary, haha.
I know I have gained fat, so I'm looking to lose an inch off the butt/hips and lower tummy, and lose some fat and gain a little muscle; whatever total weight I end up at for that goal.

I think it's NICE not to fluctuate as much. The 2 lbs I might gain over the course of a day doesn't even register (sometimes I feel like I look more defined after eating if I've slept in too long and gotten smooth/dehydrated overnight)...but 10 comes with side effects that don't look good, cause clothes not to fit as well or cause physical discomfort (gas/bloating/unsteady blood sugar/being overly full/etc).

I do think wild fluctuations can be a sign your body isn't getting steady nutrition. I'd imagine people who go nuts making sure to eat all their food before 6 (I've even heard of people who don't eat after 3!), weigh significantly less after a 12 + hour fast than what they do after eating a huge lunch to make up for the fact they'll probably jus thave a snack at 3 and won't be eating for a while after that. I used to eat once or twice a day and used to have all kinds of side effects I didn't realize were side effects caused by unsteady nutrition until I started eating correctly.

Weighing once a week the morning you get a chance to sleep the longest is a good strategy for not obsessing over your weight while getting an accurate reading. Keep in mind that the week before and during your TOM may cause your weight to go up (it's good to be aware of what's normal, but don't take those weeks too seriously). Sounds like you already know that how you look in the mirror, how your clothes fit and tape measurements can be better indicators of how you're doing than what the scale tells you, but they're all good tools.

It's good that you like spices...being able to spice things up over sweetening them makes controlling cals a lot easier. I'd work on upping your water intake to the recommended 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces or more. If you haven't been getting at least that much in, that should help curb your appetite for cheese (or whatever). Lots of people can get to/maintain a healthy body weight by simply eating healthy, but sometimes it takes more work (tracking cals and macros) to reach vanity goals. So don't get frustrated if your "not super strict" diet doesn't get you the results you want. Just realize you may need to put more effort into a meal plan later.

Aside from fat and preservatives in cheese (which normally aren't an issue for most people who stick to the oz serving size...but if you're going nuts on the stuff it could be an issue), it's the lactose (sugar) in dairy that causes digestive issues for lots of people. You may or may not be sensitive to it...you'd have to experiment by removing possible sources of bloat from your diet and adding them back in one at a time to find out.

[trance__dreamer]

lawlorz. the last time i remember weighing myself was when i was 15. =P i couldn't give the slightest of damns what my "weight" is (what it says on the scale) or what my body fat percentage is or what size i am. i just look in the mirror. xD however, i would be curious to know what my percentage of lean tissue (muscle) is. =)

[LaGamine]

I'm not freaking out about the scale in general, just that weird fluctuation, but I think the 10 lb fluctuation was an error now; it only happened once and I don't think I weigh 115 no matter how de-bloated I can get, haha. I will avoid the scale for a bit though.

I don't go crazy with cheese then, if 1 oz is okay.
I only drink about half the water I should be drinking now though, so maybe if I get better about that I will get less bloating (if that is the issue).

[jfifield013]

i can be anywhere from 110 to 120 in a week.. at any given time.. thats my 10 pound fluctuation. i think its normal..
i usually just try to weigh myself at the same time every day though, usually in the morning for me.. as long as you always weigh at the same time then you should be getting an accurate reading of gains and losses, and close to accurate for your real weight.