If you weigh yourself every morning, you'll notice the scale number goes up and down. Sometimes it shows weight loss, other times weight gain, which can confuse you, especially if you're following a diet to lose weight.
But what's causing your scale number to fluctuate?!
There are many obvious reasons behind weight changes that affect your scale reading. For example:-
- If you ate a heavy meal before bed and weighed yourself in the morning, you'll see a weight gain.
- If you did some exercise causing you to sweat and burn calories, you'll notice weight loss.
- If you’re on a diet aiming to lose weight, these fluctuations might be due to losing or gaining fat.
These reasons might be clear enough to explain your daily scale changes, but there are other causes too that make your weight jump around.
- Endocrinologist Kathleen Wyne says that daily weight swings of 5 pounds are normal, but weight can swing up to 20 pounds depending on body mass and other factors.
Other factors that cause weight swings:-
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Sodium (salt):-
Eating foods high in sodium (salt) causes water retention, which can make your scale weight go up. You might watch your salt intake well, but it can hide in foods like cold cuts, sauces, yogurt, and many kinds of soup.
If you follow a low-calorie soup diet, you might see your scale jump even though it's just water retention.
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Carbohydrates:-
If you like carbs like rice, pasta, or bread, your weight gain on the scale might be from these carbs.
For every 1 gram of carbs, your body holds 3 grams of water to store energy. So eating a carb-rich meal likely ups your weight from water, not fat. Plus these foods often have a lot of sodium, which is linked to the earlier point.
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Weight of the food eaten :-
The weight of the food and water you consume throughout the day will add to your weight before digestion happens. The weight of food can reach a few pounds during the day.
Experts say drinking two cups of water (including drinks and water in food) increases weight by about 1 pound.
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Bowel movements :-
Bowel movements cause weight changes depending on how much stool you pass. Researchers found the body releases about 120 to 170 grams of stool daily. So, going to the bathroom causes weight to fluctuate.
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Exercise :-
Exercise causes water loss from sweating. Experts say an average person loses 0.5 to 1 liter of fluid during workouts (which must be replaced). Also, some exercises like weightlifting make muscles hold water, causing weight to fluctuate.
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Menstrual cycle :-
Most women notice some bloating due to fluid retention before and during their period because of ovarian hormones (progesterone, estradiol).
Hormonal changes during the period can also cause cravings, leading to weight gain during menstruation, which usually goes back to normal after it ends.
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Medications:-
If you're taking medicine for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or headaches, you might see weight gain of a few pounds because some of these meds cause the body to hold water, and others increase appetite.
So, with all these factors, weight fluctuations are normal and not something to worry about. But if your weight keeps going up for more than 5 to 7 days, it could mean a medical problem and you should see a specialist.
Also, weight loss might not show as a number because fat can turn into muscle. So instead of fighting with the scale every day, use monthly waist measurements and body fat amounts to track weight loss.
