It can be extremely confusing why one day your weight is down 3 pounds and then up 5-6 pounds the next day, especially when you have been working hard at the gym.
Let me explain...
There are many reasons for this. However, if you are consistently following a workout and nutrition program, you are more than likely not gaining fat. Even though, the scale weight will fluctuate up and down.
So what can possibly be going on?
First, I want you to understand that in order to gain 1-3 pounds of fat it would require you to eat 3,500-10,500 *calories over the number of calories that you are burning each week, which comes out to 500-1500 calories over per day. It isn't likely that you are eating that much every day.
Is it possible? Yes, however extremely unlikely if you are sticking to a nutrition program.
(Calorie: A calorie is a unit of measurement. It's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating a particular food or drinking a particular drink. 3,500 calories =1 lbs)
In reality, fat is lost and gained at a slow moderate rate.
Here are 6 things that need to be considered when you see your weight fluctuate on the scale: Carbs, Salt, Glycogen, Water, Time of Day, and Stomach Content.
Carbs, Salt, Glycogen, and Water:
Carbs will mess with our scale weight. They get stored in our muscles as *glycogen, and they retain around 3 times the amount of water, adding to our "weight gain".
So if you decide to go out to eat and order bread and some pasta, you will more than likely be heavier the next day simply because you are storing more *glycogen. The same can happen if you decide to stay in and order a pizza.
So by just eating a lot more food than you normally would and then if you decide to step on the scale the next morning you will probably see that you gained 5 lbs. That can seem scary I know. However, the spike on the scale is a combination of 2 things:
1) Your digestion system hasn't had time to process all the food you ate the night before.
2) All the excess sodium has caused your body to hold on to excess water.
Your body will naturally sort these two things out in time. The food will go through the usual digesting process and leave your body and the extra water is also temporary.
*(GLYCOGEN: the stored carbohydrates in the muscles and liver.
Each gram of glycogen is accompanied by three to four grams of water.)
If you severely cut your carbs, you are going to store less glycogen which means your muscles will also hold less water. Which means your overall scale weight will be less.
Now I'm not saying you should cut out carbs. Carbs aren't the enemy. However, if you decide to go on a super low carb diet, and drastically lower your carbs with the goal of reducing body weight you may easily flush 10 lbs of "scale weight" in the first few days. I want you to keep in mind this will be water weight, not fat.
Time of Day:
If you decide to weigh yourself in the middle of the day please know that your weight will fluctuate mid-day. Which means your weight can increase during the day.
So what happens during the day? Well, you've either used the restroom multiple times or not, and you've consumed some foods and liquids throughout the day, bowel movement affects your scale weight, along with the amount of sodium content of your meals and drinks throughout the day.
Stomach Content:
The foods that we choose to eat from day to day can cause big swings in our weight as well.
By simply having more food in the gut (undigested or what's left after digestion) adds to our overall weight. This goes for water as well. If we chug a liter of water, we can weigh 2-3 lbs more just because of the liquid that is sitting in our stomachs.
So with all this being said, weight can fluctuate 5-10 lbs. I know I know, that number is huge. However, with patience, results will come.
Please note...
If the scale is all you're looking at, you'll be missing some of the progress you are making. The scale is only one tool we can use.
There are several different ways to measure progress, and using all the tools will give you a more accurate picture.
Here are other tools we should be using to track progress:
Measurements
Taking body measurements is one of the best methods to track progress. It’s common to gain some muscle while losing fat, now that may mean that the number on the scale stays the same or it might even go up.
The main spots that you'll see inches lost are the stomach and hips, but all measurements will usually go down when losing fat.
Lossing a quarter to half an inch per week from the waist is a very good rate of loss, however, the results will be personal depending extremely on the individual (weight, height, body fat percentage, fat distribution, muscle distribution, etc.) all play a role in this.
Some people may lose more from their hips, while others may lose more from their upper stomach first before losing from their lower stomach. The leaner you are the slower you will lose inches, and the heavier you are you tend to lose inches rather quickly.
Even if your scale weight doesn't budge, taking weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly measurements will let you see if you are headed in the right direction.
Performance in the Gym
Paying attention to how you are doing in the gym. Are you getting stronger? Are you able to do more reps? Are you resting less?
The quality of your workouts says a lot about what is going on with your body. If you are making progress on your workouts or even maintaining while sticking with a nutrition program, you can be sure that you are on the right track.
Progress Photos
Keeping track of how you look, not by sheer memory or just passing by in the mirror, which both can be misleading. So taking photos allows us to compare changes and it also allows us to see a particular body part you'd like to focus on. Progress photos are a crucial tool for us to keep track of results.
How to take a progress photo:
1) Take 3 photos: Front, side, and back.
2) Stand up straight, but relaxed.
3) You want to take each photo in the same conditions (good lighting, the same distance from the camera, angle, same time of day, same clothes, etc.).
4) Wear a bathing suit if possible: wear what you would if you were on the beach. (Shorts for guys and bikini for girls or at least shorts and a sports bra)
Even with all this knowledge, I know it might still be frustrating when the scale doesn't budge. So there is one more trick we can use.
If you are tracking your weight, by using the scale you should weigh yourself first thing in the morning, right after using the toilet but before eating or drinking anything. That way you are always weighing your body consistently in the same condition, but it still doesn't mean your body will be in the exact same conditions every single day. The body's fluid level can and will change. So there will be random ups and downs in weight, that is inevitable.
The Trick
What you'll do is take the average weight by simply adding up your most recent 3-10 weigh-ins and divide by the number of measurements used. Each time you add a new measurement, recalculate your current weight by dropping the oldest one and adding in the new one.
For Example:
1) If you record your weight daily, calculate an average from the past 7-10 days.
2) If you record your weight 2-3 times per week, take an average from the past 4-6 measurements.
3) If you record your weight only once per week, use an average from the past 3-4 weeks.
This will help with eliminating the random fluctuations that are so easily messing with your head, and keep your expectations realistic.
So now if you drop 3 lbs overnight, this trick will show you a more modest and gradual drop over time (assuming you maintain your weight or even continue to drop). And on the other hand, if your weight spikes 5 lbs one-day because you spent the night drinking salty margaritas and Mexican food, then you shouldn't be upset. Just make sure you ignore the actual weight and use the trick demonstrated above to calculate your average weight and keep track of your progress.
The only way to know whether you are making progress is to be both consistent and patient. Consistent with the whole program, nutrition and workout program, and patient enough to see meaningful results. And if for some reason you don't stick to the plan for more than a few days at a time, now you at least know why you might suddenly see your weight fluctuate.
Please remember:
1) Gaining weight does not mean you have gained fat.
2) Track your progress using more than one tool, including taking measurements, track your performance in the gym, and take progress photos.
3) And use the trick above to determine your average weight for when your weight randomly changes.
This way you'll be able to see steady changes!
So now you know why the scale weight might not drop, even though your measurements are improving.
References:
Roumelioti ME, Glew RH, Khitan ZJ, Rondon-Berrios H, Argyropoulos CP, Malhotra D, et al. Fluid balance concepts in medicine: Principles and practice. World journal of nephrology. 2018;7(1):1-28.
Kreitzman SN, Coxon AY, Szaz KF. Glycogen storage: illusions of easy weight loss, excessive weight regain, and distortions in estimates of body composition. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1992;56(1 Suppl):292s-3s.
Areta JL, Hopkins WG. Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Content at Rest and During Endurance Exercise in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2018.
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