What is a "normal" daily weight variation?

[BumbleBeeDave]

Over the last month I've been trying to lose some poundage to get ready for the spring season. In the winter I go back to the gym and my only riding is spin classes, trainer sessions, and a few times venturing outside. Invariably, not buring as many calories riding and putting on muscle (which is denser than fat for a given volume) leads to me gaining some weight.

I nudged 178 at the end fo January and have been seriously watching the calories. I weigh myself the same time every day--just before getting in the shower--and on the same body fat percentage scale.

So yesterday morning I was at 170.4. Then THIS morning suddenly I'm at 173.6. How in God's name can I gain THREE POINT TWO pounds in one day?!?

How much normal variation can be expected in body weight from day to day? Can water weight really add that much? Can a good poop really remove that much? What's the deal, anyway? . . . :confused:

BBD

[reggiebaseball]

58 oz of fluid weigh 3 pounds.
I drink that much coffee before 8AM.

If you want to feel better, go sit in a sauna for 45 minutes and you can loose 8 pounds.

[tannhauser]

I used to have 7lb. variations/day when racing.

[Mark McM]

Back when I was weighing myself on a daily basis, I sometimes saw swings of as much as 4 - 5 lb. from one day to the next (starting from an average weight of 150 lb.). The body can sweat out water faster than it can absorb it, so even if I drank a lot of fluids during and after a long, hot ride, I could still be down several pounds of weight the next day.

Oh, this also partially explains the popularity of high protein diets - a high protein/low carbohydrate diet tends to dehydrate the body (the body needs a lot of water to process protein to convert it into usable "fuel"), so dieters would see several pounds of weight loss just in the first few days of starting the diet.

[Tom]

I used to lose 8 pounds off 165 start when I ran at lunch time and weighed myself on the triple beam when we used to have a gym at work.

What you want to do is record your weight every day in an Excel spreadsheet. Then you create two more columns of data. The first is your average weight calculated from the first day you record. The second is the rolling seven day average. Graph them and update the graph every day to include the new cell.

That will keep you from freaking out over a one day variation in weight. Plus watching the trend line go down is good, ad you can pretty much tell what your weight loss is - when after two weeks the graph line crosses a point two pounds lighter than when you started, that's where you are, not four pounds heavier or eight pounds lighter.

[edl]

..
So yesterday morning I was at 170.4. Then THIS morning suddenly I'm at 173.6. How in God's name can I gain THREE POINT TWO pounds in one day?!?
..
BBD

Did you eat something salty last night? Soup? Sodium does crazy things to your water retention.

[crownjewelwl]

3lb on 170lb is nothing.

i regularly have 5lb swings on my 190lb frame. i too weigh myself at the same time every morning (right after i go #2) just to keep the variables the same.

the biggest variable seems to be what i had for dinner the night before and if i sweat a lot. i find that my body retains more water when i go carb heavy. 2 sierra nevadas and 4 slices of pizza = 2lb weight gain this morning. if i eat a bowl of lentils tonite, i'll drop 2lbs. if i run as well, i'd expect a 4lb drop.

[Louis]

Dave, if you're using an impedance body-fat % measuring device (i.e. something like a Tanita) measure before bed instead of first thing in the AM. Your body gets dehydrated as you sleep and you get unrealistically high % fat numbers if you measure too early.

[Tom]

That drives me crazy when the large fellows at work go on about how they're losing weight by "avoiding carbs". It's water. It's just water. Then they sit there and the muscle mass disappears because instead of actually doing anything they're "avoiding carbs". I ask them what their body fat content is and they have no idea - but they're losing weight because they're avoiding carbs!

I have to remind them that the word really is "carbohydrate". Four syllables. Car-bo-hy-drate. If they weren't too dumb to manage a four syllable word they might also realize the total emptiness of their method.

And four years later the one guy is well over 275 pounds when his frame weight is about 180. A couple of years ago he was down to 220. Yeah, that dieting thing really works.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Did you eat something salty last night? Soup? Sodium does crazy things to your water retention.

. . . for dinner. Chicken and Broccoli and an egg roll. Also a beer.

Or maybe two. :rolleyes:

I was splurging. :o

BBD

[Louis]

. . . for dinner. Chicken and Broccoli and an egg roll. Also a beer.

Or maybe two. :rolleyes:

Gee, what do you eat when you're not trying to loose weight? :beer:

[jr59]

Stop weighing yourself every day. This only leads to trouble.

Water weight will effect your weight, so by weighing yourself one time a week you will become less prone to OMG!

Also, if you are trying to loose weight; Start by going a whole week and writing down every thing that you eat or drink and how much of it.
You will be amazed.

Then try to cut that intake by 10-15%. It becomes easier when you have a baseline.

Good luck.

BTW; I'm a fat guy and like it that way. Yet if I really work hard at it, I can get down below 245, but everybody says I don't look well at that weight.

Yea I know, I'm to fat for this sport. But beware a fat guy going down hill!

[benb]

I weight just about the same as you BBD and I see 4-5lb swings regularly.. I am trying to lose right now... I think the magnitude of weight change might shrink as I get more fit.

I think I was 180 when I got up Sunday morning.. ate breakfast & lunch, then rode for 2 hours in ~35 degree weather, taking in 24oz of fluid.. and a powerbar on the ride.. I was 176 when I got back. I think I was back up to 178-179 the last few days in the morning.

My parents do the wacky diet thing.. my mother calls me and says she lost 15lbs in 2 weeks.. craziness. (Low carb diet) It hasn't worked for them long term.

I lose weight reliably from cycling & eating normally, if anything I increase my carb count as my mileage goes up.. but I sure as hell can't lose weight anywhere near as fast as yo-yo dieters. I might lose 2-3lbs in a month of hard cycling in the late winter/spring.

[esldude]

Yeah variations can sometimes be crazy. My bet is on the egg roll.

I find whenever I eat Chinese, don't know if it is the salt or what, but I usually show at least two or three pounds more the next morning. Obviously that one meal doesn't have 10,000 extra calories. So it has to be water retention caused by the meal.

The suggestion above about averaging is a good one. I have a spreadsheet with daily weight, next column is a one week running average and the next is a 3 week running average. Also have it graph each of those which is nice visual feedback.

[Grant McLean]

Stop weighing yourself every day. This only leads to trouble.



i agree with that, it's really important to think longer term.

-g

[dogdriver]

3-5 pounds daily fluctuation is normal. If you must, try to weigh yourself at the same time each day (the morning is good), and pay attention only to trends over a week or so. A look in the mirror is generally a better assessment of fitness, unless you're at an elite level of a sport, in which case none of this information is of any use to you. More than a pound or so of weight lost in a week is unhealthy/ unsustainable. Don't think of "dieting", which implies a temporary condition. Think "change of dietary habits/lifestyle", which should be permanent. Weight lost to dehydration doesn't count and is generally bad for you ( I wrestled for 12 years, I lived this and know it to be true). Technique only: Weight yourself before a ride or other exercise event. Attempt to drink enough water that you weigh the same, or close to it, when you're finished-- its hard to do.

My opinion, I could be wrong, Chris

[T.J.]

Im 155 @ 6ft1 for reference and I see 3~4 lbs swings. In race season after a three day race I can see quite a bit larger swings.

[J.Greene]

Yeah variations can sometimes be crazy. My bet is on the egg roll.

I find whenever I eat Chinese, don't know if it is the salt or what, but I usually show at least two or three pounds more the next morning. Obviously that one meal doesn't have 10,000 extra calories. So it has to be water retention caused by the meal.

.

I've seen the MSG effect too.its an easy 3-4 lbs. I also lose weight quickly when I drink lots of water. Ive wondered if the body retains less water if it knows it's being regularly hydrated.

[eddief]

this might be the best thread yet. just the mention of #2 takes the cake...so to speak.

[Tom]

Stop weighing yourself every day. This only leads to trouble.


That's like trying to train and only writing down your Sunday ride.

The point of getting data points every day is that it also imposes a daily reminder of the discipline required.

"Oh, well, it's Wednesday, the scale won't show it Sunday if I have it today and I can always starve tomorrow and Friday."

"Oh, well, it's Thursday, I can starve myself Friday and the next day."

Fail.

[bobswire]

One guy suggests not weighing yourself every day but maybe once a week then admits he's overweight. No offense but I would be hesitant taking weight control advise from him.
I'm a skinny guy and weigh myself everyday, it becomes a normal activity as brushing ones teeth and yes it helps keep you vigilant.
Best time do it is in the morning when your body has digested and before taking any fluids.
It is easy to fluctuate 3-4 lbs daily (especially during the holidays).

[cassa]

What you want to do is record your weight every day in an Excel spreadsheet. Then you create two more columns of data. The first is your average weight calculated from the first day you record. The second is the rolling seven day average. Graph them and update the graph every day to include the new cell.This sounds like the kind of graph recommended in The Hacker's Diet (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/), which I used 7 years ago to lose 50+ pounds (before I was a serious cyclist, BTW).

If you want to really geek out, you can have such a graph generated automatically using Android app Libra (https://market.android.com/details?id=net.cachapa.libra&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsIm5ldC5jY WNoYXBhLmxpYnJhIl0.), which can automatically get data from daily weigh-ins on a Withings WiFi Scale (http://www.withings.com/en/bodyscale).

[fiamme red]

For me, experiencing a 7-lb. fluctuation over a single 24-hour period is far from uncommon, especially if I have a big meal with salty food and a lot of fluids.

[esldude]

Yeah, for those saying don't weight yourself everyday:

There is very clear statistical evidence, done over years, involving thousands of people that says people trying to maintain or lose weight have a higher success rate if they weight themselves daily. A lot like another poster said, try keeping a record of your training miles by only counting one day a week. Extra data is almost always helpful, less data isn't a benefit.

Sure, don't freak over any given day that goes up or get to feeling too smug about a day that drops 3 lbs. Over time it is better to have the input, feedback and daily reminder. Weigh in the morning shortly after waking up and before drinking or eating.

[jpw]

I had a bike accident in early January that kept me off the bike for about 6 weeks, and I put on 12 lbs. Only really just getting back to a regular riding schedule and I have 6/7 lbs still to lose. My weight can fluctuate in one day by 7 lbs quite easily.

[edl]

. . . for dinner. Chicken and Broccoli and an egg roll. Also a beer.

Or maybe two. :rolleyes:

I was splurging. :o

BBD

Being Chinese, I hope no one is offended when I say you will ALWAYS weigh more after eating chinese food. Especially if you're eating out. There is so much sodium, MSG, and starch in Chinese food. It's tasty though.

[benitosan1972]

You guys are too obsessed with #'s

For me, it's about how you feel, how you look in the mirror,
how you fit into race cut spandex. Whatever your weight & dimensions,
if there aren't any significant "bulges" going on, well except maybe "that one,"
then... rock on! :banana:

Seriously though, #'s are hangups... the weight of your bike, the weight of your body, eat right exercise take care of health but enjoy life and stop obsessing, I'd rather be 175# and feel good mentally & physically, than be some depressed obsessed 150#'er

[jpw]

Being Chinese, I hope no one is offended when I say you will ALWAYS weigh more after eating chinese food. Especially if you're eating out. There is so much sodium, MSG, and starch in Chinese food. It's tasty though.

MSG? A poison.

[benitosan1972]

Being Chinese, I hope no one is offended when I say you will ALWAYS weigh more after eating chinese food. Especially if you're eating out. There is so much sodium, MSG, and starch in Chinese food. It's tasty though.


Restaurant or Americanized Chinese food is terrible.
The food we eat at home is very healthy and lean.
Most Chinese are naturally thin cuz of diet (and genes)
but add some cheeseburgers, donuts, ice cream... oops

[ultraman6970]

What is a "normal" daily weight variation? <--- it depends on how much you do while takin' a DUMP!!!! :D

[John M]

Weigh daily at the same time of day, but only measure significant gains/losses by weekly comparisons. This will retain the motivation of close tracking and also the reality of sustained changes. 1-2% variation from day to day is normal, mostly related to changes in water.

[GPrince]

Disagree on not weighing everyday. Points out daily differences but can focus on long-term as well. Livestrong.com has a nice interface for weight and diet

[dawgie]

The Chinese food you had for dinner explains it all. My weight almost always goes up if I eat out for dinner because most restaurants use a lot of salt in their food, and Chinese restaurants are among the worst offenders.

I weigh myself daily and often experience 2-4 lbs weight swings in a single day. Ironically, some of my biggest weight increases occur the day after I do a long ride -- presumably from ingesting a lot of carbs, energy drinks the day before. The longterm trend is what is important. That's why weighing yourself once a week is absurd -- what if the day you weigh yourself is on the day when your weight spikes (or become dehydrated)?

[hookookadoo]

You guys are making this weight thing way to complicated. This short little document makes it a lot clearer.

http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r600_9.pdf