Intraday Weight Fluctuations
 

I'm consistently seeing a 5lb difference between my morning weigh-in and the one in the evening. It's been like that for years.

Anyone else see that much variance?

5lbs would be at the top end, but it isn't uncommon for me to see a 2 kilo fluctuation. I've never understood it, but I've stopped worrying about it.

Yes. Keep in mind your digestive system has things coming and going all day long. Some things people dont normally think about such as even though water is 0 calories it does have weight to it so every 16oz is about 1lb. To try to keep an accurate representation of my weight I usually weigh myself only in mornings and before I have anything to eat or drink.

Try weighing yourself every hour. I have to stand on a scale every hour to hang a material bag above. Thus, I see my weight every hour. I typically see fluctuations of about 3 lb throughout the day. I drink a lot of water, and thus eliminate a lot of water often as well all day long. Couple that with 115° temp on the plant floor and I sweat buckets also.

How about clothing when weighing yourself? Same clothing (or lack of)? I weigh 4-5 lb heavier at work from clothing. Plus I carry almost a pound of items in my pockets.

Same clothing. I'm guessing it's due to water retention.

Why do you torture yourselves by weighing more than once a day? ;)

Agreed, once a day at the same time. You'll be happier.

Because I've been losing weight :)

Me too. But once a day is enough.
Some say a week is enough. But I find I behave better if I check everyday. :innocent:

Yep, once a day is enough.

I do sometimes weigh just before and just after a ride.

Oh my, I have to admit that I have gone away from focusing on the scales. Measurements and how clothing feels have been how I have been judging my progress.
When I started I was focused on the scales and for a few weeks my weight went up, but I could tell in my clothing that I was gaining muscle. I have only lost 30 lbs over the last year, but my clothes are way looser, my pants I have gone in 3 holes on my belt and my cycling numbers have gone way up. If I just looked at the scales I would be disappointed and may have even stopped when the progress plateaued.
Allan

I weigh every day,then compute a 7 day average , the daily may seesaw a little but the average drops like a lead balloon :-)

I know they are just numbers and we all keep track of way too many numbers. Number of miles and average speeds, etc.
I am still at the high of weight to lose so just seeing how my clothes feel takes too long.
I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I eat better when I see the scale move in the right direction. When it plateaus for too long or even goes up, I get frustrated and am tempted to give in and eat poorly.

That's an interesting tactic, and probably more accurate (week by week) than once a week, and less frustrating than recording daily weigh-ins. I may try that.

\
...this!

Yea I used to weigh every day, then log a loss in MFP on the low cycles......the 7 day average is probably only 10% of the mental drama :-).

I weigh myself each day but use it as a guide... a trend. It also helps me keep focused.

I only count my Sat AM weigh-in. All my other hops on the scale are just a way to gauge whether or not I'm on pace to lose my 1-2 pounds per week. It helps.


...and keeps me from snacking at this time of night.

That's really true, weighing on a daily basis keeps us focused. But when I do that, I have to really know my body - for example, when I eat certain items late in a day, the next morning's weight may be artificially high by a couple of pounds. Or if you drink too much caffeine, and "drain" lol, the morning weight may be a little lower than expected. But we should still see the overall trend downwards . . .

Sure. Have seen 7# swings across two days, many times. Water has much to do with it.

So long as I weigh at similar times of the day, following a light meal and ~20oz or less of water, I feel comfortable with the overall trend in what the scales report.

But if I double or triple the water intake over that previous hour, along with a bit larger meal, there can be a 3-4lb difference right there.

Can't say whether others get so much variation off the same intake differences, but I'm no longer surprised by such short-term changes, particularly when a couple days later it has evened out.

Last night we got home late after visiting a sick friend in the hospital. We were pretty hungry. But, it was almost 10pm. I went for some pudding wife made with coconut and oats, threw in some grapes and then walked the dogs for 1/2 hour. When I arrived back, I was still hungry. But, before eating more, I chose to step on the scale. It showed that I was 5# over my morning weight. So, I drank some water with vitamin powder added to it and played on the phone instead of eating a sandwich, chips or something.

I haven't weighed in yet this morning. But, I suspect my weight will have remained the same as yesterday's AM weigh-in or dropped slightly. Had I eaten, I'm certain I'd have gained a pound.

I guess there is a difference between "gross body weight" and "body weight when empty" :-).

[h=2]GVW: Gross Vehicle Weight[/h]

GVW Includes

• Curb Weight
• Cargo Weight
• Persons weight

Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is the actual weight of the fully loaded vehicle or trailer, including all cargo, fluids, passengers, and optional equipment, as measured by a scale.







[h=2]Dry Weight[/h]Dry Weight is the actual weight of a vehicle or trailer containing standard equipment without fuel, fluids, cargo, passengers, or optional equipment.
We have seen the following variations to this definition:

• Includes commonly ordered optional equipment
• Includes fluids of generator and other onboard equipment (oil, coolant, fuel)
• May or may not include RV batteries

Pay close attention to how the manufacturer defines Dry Weight because this is often used to calculate other weights, such as the cargo carrying capacity or Payload.


In the morning we are often getting a "dry weight".....and it can be very consistent in my experience....it will vary a little, but the GVW which you happen to grab at any point during the day is more of a GVW :-).


It takes 3500 calories to "gain" a pound..............if I consumed two scoops of Metamucil mixed as directed I could "carry" probably a couple pounds for 24 hours as "cargo" :-).

Bill

It's tricky because habits put on pounds not the occasional splurge. Problem is scarf on pizza tonight. What stops you from scarfing on burgers and fries tomorrow?

Also, from my experience, eating tasty junk food usually leaves you feeling hungrier the next day because the food didn't provide any real nourishment. As a result, we pound more calories than we would otherwise need.

Ever since I began eating for nutrition instead of the joy of gorging on fats and sweets: breads mostly; I noticed that I can easily get by on 2000 calories per day. Prior to this new found wisdom, I'd average 4000-5000 per day--hence the major weight gain over the past 5 years.

Bingo.

High sodium and high carb meals will likely have you weighing more due to water retention.

Try to weigh yourself only once a day at the same time and same conditions.

I typically weigh myself in the morning fasted after my workout.

Well I mentioned fiber especially (the Metamucil is fiber based) because it is harmless as far as weight gain, and probably is good for us, but eating something high in fiber could show up on the scale.