{"id":48947,"date":"2016-04-18T11:15:18","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T15:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48947"},"modified":"2021-05-12T08:07:01","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T12:07:01","slug":"weight-fluctuation-whats-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/weight-fluctuation-whats-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight Fluctuation: Here\u2019s What\u2019s Normal and What\u2019s Not"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Weight
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You step on the scale in the morning and the digital numbers flash quickly like a slot machine. Cue imaginary drumroll and\u2026Ta-da! The result is a happy one, and it\u2019s automatically a good day! All those workouts and weekly meal planning<\/a> are finally paying off. But then, you decide to weigh yourself before you go to bed, and the scale shows a four-pound weight increase…What the what?<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Real Talk: How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?<\/a><\/p>\n

Did you really gain four actual<\/em> pounds over the course of a single day? Here\u2019s what you need to know about that shifting number on the scale.<\/p>\n

The Truth About Weight Fluctuation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes down to it, water is a main culprit in weight fluctuation. Daily or hourly changes in weight are often due to how much H20 you\u2019ve got inside. \u201cThroughout the day, our body will hold onto fluids as we eat and drink,\u201d says Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai Hospital. \u201cJust two cups of water \u2014 and there\u2019s water in food, too \u2014 can add an extra pound.\u201d And that has nothing to do with your percent of body fat<\/a> or muscle.<\/p>\n

Wondering why you feel lighter after a super sweaty hot yoga<\/a> class? While you may weigh less immediately after an intense workout, you might weigh more if your muscles are hoarding fluids. \u201cResistance training or even trying a new workout can result in fluid retention if the muscles are worked hard,\u201d says Hogan. \u201dPart of the body\u2019s response when repairing microscopic tears in muscle is fluid retention.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 10 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Aren\u2019t Water)<\/a><\/p>\n

Keep in mind: When you see that number quickly go up and down on the scale, it\u2019s certainly not pounds of fat magically appearing or disappearing. \u201cIt [is] physiologically impossible to gain or lose three to five pounds of fat overnight, no matter what the scale says,\u201d Hogan says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The Truth About How to Lose Belly Fat<\/a><\/p>\n

What you eat, drink and do during the day plays an important role in how much you weigh. If you eat a lot of salty food<\/a>, you retain fluid, causing you to feel bloated and potentially see a higher number on the scale. Similarly, carbohydrate intake can influence how much water our bodies hold, since our bodies need additional H20 to store glycogen (carbs) for energy. To save each gram of glycogen, we need three grams of water. \u201cThis is why endurance athletes who carb-load tend to gain water weight in the days leading up to their races, and why people on low-carb diets lose weight so quickly at first,\u201d Hogan says.<\/p>\n

Water Weight Gone Wrong<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another sneaky source of temporary weight gain: dehydration<\/a>. While body builders and fitness models often intentionally cut down on water before competitions or photo shoots to show off more defined muscles, depleting your body of liquids can actually make you retain water. \u201cWhen we don\u2019t drink enough fluids, our bodies hold on to whatever water we do have in us to maintain fluid balance,\u201d says Hogan. \u201cThen, our kidneys excrete fewer fluids via urine because they\u2019re training to maintain that balance, and that can make the scale go up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, the rapid, intentional weight loss tactics used by body builders certainly aren\u2019t your best bet for sustainable weight loss. So drink up, and your body will find its liquid equilibrium. (Just make sure you\u2019re not rehydrating at happy hour<\/a>. Alcohol is particularly dehydrating, so you may see the number on the scale creep upwards after a night on the town.)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Your Body on..Booze<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Weigh Yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re going to put a lot of weight (pun intended!) into the number on the scale, take a consistent and calculated approach to assess how much your body is actually changing. For starters, do it on the same scale, in the same place and at the same time every week. Wear as few clothes as possible, since heavy jeans or belts will make your measurement less accurate. Also try to go to the bathroom beforehand. (You\u2019ll weigh less after you pee or have a bowel movement.)<\/p>\n

When it comes to frequency, you might even want to consider weighing yourself just once or twice a week instead of daily, so you\u2019ll avoid the mind games that come with constantly fluctuating numbers.<\/p>\n

The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While the scale can be a useful tool to hold yourself accountable, it shouldn\u2019t be the only way you assess how healthy you are. Your weight may not budge, but you might be making healthy changes to your diet or potentially building muscle.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember to look at the big picture,\u201d says Hogan. \u201cProgress over one or two months says a lot more than a few days or even a week.\u201d Check in with how your clothes fit, or take weekly measurements of your stomach, thighs, hips and arms.<\/p>\n

What other amazing things can happen to your body? Check out these non-scale victories<\/a> that are just as sweet as seeing the scale change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does the scale change every time you blink? Here\u2019s what\u2019s really going on with weight fluctuation, plus tips for a more accurate way to measure progress. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[161,325,341,343,285],"class_list":["post-48947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-hydration","tag-scale","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48947\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}