Training & Nutrition - Weight Fluctuations

I thought I would do a little experiment during the past week and see just how much my weight fluctuates.

What I did was weigh myself every morning as soon as I got up, after breakfast, after my ride and right before I got into bed each night. The results were quite surprising. Some days I would see up to a 4 pound weight swing.

Yesterday, I weighed 184.5 when I got up, 185.3 after breakfast, 182.7 after my ride, 186 before bed and 187.3 when I got up this morning.

Conclusion: Weighing yourself once a week vs. every day makes a whole lot of sense.

how did you gain weight at night?

Reason I ask is before wrestling tournaments I normally go to sleep ~1lb over weight and by the morning I am fine. Sounds weird that you would gain weight after going to bed.

how did you gain weight at night?

Reason I ask is before wrestling tournaments I normally go to sleep ~1lb over weight and by the morning I am fine. Sounds weird that you would gain weight after going to bed.

I always have a 24 oz. glass of ice water on my nightstand. I down all but the ice right before I nod off and drink the rest as soon as I wake up.

Yep, weight fluctuates quite a bit. I still prefer to measure everyday, since it provides more data points for tracking overall progress, but don't stress out if I find myself 3-4 pounds heavier one morning.

How does a weight fluctuation of up to 4 lbs daily become a conclusion of only weighing yourself once a week ?

Even if you didnt gain/lose for the week, your still subject to the same daily fluctuation error every 7 days as every 1. Weighing daily means you can at least see trends. Getting 30 data points in a month compared to 4 will give a much better indication if your gaining or losing.

once a week is the way to go. same day, same scale, same time man. otherwise it will drive you batty. later.

I do it every day and the key is to take it with a grain of salt. I find it interesting how what I eat and various other happenings affect my weight. Call me strange but it works for me. If it stops or I get bored with it I will switch back to once a week.
For your average person once a week is more than adequate.

I always have a 24 oz. glass of ice water on my nightstand. I down all but the ice right before I nod off and drink the rest as soon as I wake up.

oh that explains it. Thought you were eating your sheets or something:lol:

Weigh yourself as much as you want. But if you get depressed every time you see a little increase then it is best to limit the exposure to that disappointment by weighing less often.

When viewed strictly as a an experiment I can weigh everyday, several times a day, and record it so I know what my body is doing. But if I am actively trying to reduce my weight, I get really mad when the number is higher than expected (depending on what I've done, I occasionally expect a higher number). For most people trying to lose, it is safer to weigh less often so they don't subject themselves to mood swings and binge eating that usually follow the little "bumps" on the road to fitness.

I can usually guess what I will weigh to within a pound. The scale and I go waaay back :p

But I agree with not weighing yourself too much outside of expirimentation... It screwed with my mind and drove me to anorexia :(

I weigh myself everyday, and then take a weekly average, that makes tracking your weight much easier as it smooths out the ups and downs.

If you weigh yourself daily, you might consider using Google 15 which does a 15 day moving average.

I guess what I weigh based on obvious changes in physique and how I feel. I'm usually within a pound or so as well.

Sometimes, I'll have extra "flab" around the abdomen section. I'm not sure if that's fat or water, but it usually goes away after I ride.

You don't want to get too crazed over it. That number can really mess with your head!