Why Your Weight Fluctuates Daily

Do you want to do one thing that will drastically change the way you look at your personal fitness? If so, go find your scale and toss it in the trash. Let go of the idea that the numbers on the scale mean anything when it comes to your health and focus instead on the way you feel. And if you can’t bring yourself to throw out the scale just yet at least read on to learn about why your weight fluctuates daily so that you don’t drive yourself crazy trying to hit and maintain that magic number.

Different Weight At Different Times

Not only does your weight fluctuate day to day, you can actually have a different weight by the hour. In fact, the average person’s weight fluctuates about five pounds from the morning to the evening. This is due to both sodium consumption and the fact that the food you eat on any given day is not fully digested and excreted by the time the evening weigh in rolls around.

Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, immediately after you use the restroom for the most accurate reading.

If you insist on weighing yourself as a way to keep track of your health and fitness progress then there are a few guidelines that you should follow.

1. Only weigh yourself once per week
2. Weigh yourself in the middle of the week rather than the weekend (when you’re more likely to have a cheat day)
3. Always weigh yourself in the morning as soon as you wake up
4. Try to weigh yourself on the same day of the week
5. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat so movement on the scale is not indicative of progress or lack thereof.

Carbo Loading Strikes Again

Carbohydrates are one of the most important macronutrients to include in your diet (unless you are on a Ketogenic diet). They provide you with the energy your body needs to function. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, sweet potatoes and green vegetables are more nutritionally sound than simple carbohydrates and thus should be incorporated more regularly into your diet. That being said you can go overboard with carbohydrates, and that can lead to water retention and fat accumulation.

Pre workout carbo loading can be helpful depending on your overall fitness goals and whether or not you know how to carbo load correctly. If you are overloading on carbohydrates on a regular basis without workout out to work off your energy it is likely being stored within your body as excess fat cells. And for every gram of carbohydrate that you store your body must store three additional grams of water. That’s a lot of unnecessary water weight if you ask us.

Too Much Sodium Intake

Water weight is the real culprit behind why your weight fluctuates daily when it comes to your sodium intake. The equation is simple, the more sodium you consume the more water your body must retain to help flush out the excess sodium. The weight gain surrounding sodium intake can seem drastic to those who normally eat whole foods, and workout regularly because they aren’t as likely to be accustomed to the occasional bloat that someone who eats more salt in their diet may be.

The good news is that once you go back to eating a more regular and balanced diet your water retention should decrease and your weight should fluctuate back to its “normal” range within about twenty four to forty eight hours. To speed up the process try drinking more water to flush out the excess sodium and heading to the gym to sweat out some of the retained water.

The Constipation Crisis

Constipation can be caused by many things from a lack of proper water or fiber intake to your body’s specific reaction to certain foods. Which means that solving your constipation problems may take a bit of trial and error as well as time. While you’re dealing with your constipation crisis it’s likely that your weight is going to be higher than usual, thanks to the excess excrement that you haven’t been able to eliminate yet.

When you’re already bloated and uncomfortable due to constipation the last thing you may be thinking of is drinking more water and risking more bloat through water retention, but now is actually the time to drink more. Proper hydration will help to facilitate healthy bowel movements so that your time suffering will be reduced. So drink up!

Weight Gaining Causing Meds

Certain medications cause hormonal changes that contribute to weight gain. The weight gain can be attributed to water retention but it can also be attributed to an increased appetite that results in the consumption of more calories. In the event that your appetite is increased by your medication you may experience true weight gain rather than fluctuating weight gain. In this case, it’s important to talk to your doctor to make sure that you remain at a healthy weight and do not continue to gain unwanted weight.

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