Why does my scale weight change every day?
Many of us we use the scale weight as a measure of success for our weight loss goals.
While using the scales can be one good source of data to assess progress, for many of us those numbers we see staring back at us can hold so much power on our self-worth, how good or bad you feel about yourself and your measure of success! (This is not a great way to start each day)
If you currently use the scales as a measure of success it is very important that you understand why you will see small daily fluctuations (which are totally normal) going UP and down.
These small fluctuations that you experience each day does not mean that if you are 1lb heavier than yesterday that automatically means you have gained 1lb of body fat.
The chances of you gaining 1lb of just body fat over 24 hours is very slim…let me explain why.
What makes up the scale weight?
Firstly lets clarify that the weight you see on the scales is not a direct correlation of the amount of body fat you have.
The number you see on the scales includes the weight of:
your muscle mess
your organs
your clothes (if you are wearing any)
what is in your gut (undigested food and poop)
your hair (yes if you went for a chop there is a reason why you often feel lighter)
Water (your body is made up of 50-70% water)
And yes body fat
There are so many reasons for daily fluctuations that don’t have anything to do with gaining body fat
Why does the scale weight fluctuate?
I want to reiterate again that the scale weight fluctuations that you experience every day are totally normal and it happens to everyone, men and women. When the scale weight goes up slightly from the day before, this does not mean you have gained that amount of body fat overnight.
In the paragraphs below I am going to explain the top reasons why your body weight fluctuating on the scales has nothing to do with gaining body fat.
Food volume
The amount of food you consumed the night before can impact your weight the next day. Often when we eat larger meals than we normally would later in the evening, it means that in the morning when we wake up that extra food may still be getting digested by your small intestine and sitting in your gut. This extra food volume may be one of the reason why the scales have slightly increased.
Bathroom habits
Believe it or not, your urine (pee) can weigh more than you think. I have seen the scales change by 1lb before and after gong to the bathroom.
Now, imagine if you haven’t done a number 2 in a while and you have a day or 2 worth of poo being stored in your rectum….guess how much that could weigh! If you have been feeling constipated for a few days this could be another reason why the scales are slightly higher than the day before.
This is one of the reasons why many Nutritionists, Dieticians and PT’s will suggest that you weight yourself at the same time each day after going to the bathroom- it is about consistency and trying to manage some of these variables.
Cortisol
When I refer to cortisol in this context I am talking about chronic elevated levels of cortisol which is normally caused by the constant stressful situations in our everyday lives. When your cortisol levels are chronically elevated this has an effect on your aldosterone hormone which manages our water retention.
This means that when cortisol is constantly elevated this acts on your aldosterone hormone and tells it to retain more water. As a result, we will hold more water in our body, which will increase our overall body weight and therefore scale weight.
Carbohydrate intake
Often when you eat a high carb meal and then jump on the scales the next morning you will normally see a few lbs. increase in weight and freak out thinking that the meal you ate last night has made you gain fat (we have all been there). BUT this is not the case.
When you eat carbs, it gets broken down into glucose by your body and your body will use that as an energy source to pump blood around your body, digest your food, grow your hair, nails and all the other amazing things are body does for us.
If your body doesn’t need all the glucose, your body will store it as glycogen to use later in your liver (helps maintain our blood sugar levels when we aren’t eating) and in your muscles. When your body converts glucose to glycogen it isn’t a 1:1 ratio.
What do I mean by this?
Glycogen is made up of 1g of glucose and 3g of water. So for every 1g of glucose that your body has to store, that is the equivalent of 4g of weight to store as glycogen in your muscles or liver. This means that if you have eaten a high carb meal the night before, the extra weight you will see on the scales is the additional water needed to store glycogen and isn’t body fat.
Did you know that between your liver and muscle you can store anywhere between 480-900g of glycogen which when you add in the 3g of water for each gram of glucose can increase your weight from 1.44kg - 2.7kg.
As your body uses this energy throughout the day and breaks down the glycogen to glucose this will mean your body weight will also decrease.
So the next time you have a high carb meal for dinner, don’t be surprised if your weight increases due to the glycogen storage and know that the increase of a few lbs. won’t be body fat.
5. Sodium/Salt intake
When you eat foods that are high in salt (this is easy to do if you eat a lot of processed foods every day) this also has an impact on the amount of water your body will retain. Eating a diet high in salt or eating a meal that is high in salt can make you feel bloated and often quite thirsty, which can lead to an increase in water retention- your body will hold onto more water which may increase the scale weight.
6. Menstrual cycle
Females may find that throughout the month you experience more bloating at certain times of your cycle due to the changes in hormones. It is common for women to experience more bloating and an increase in water retention a few days before their period and during their period. This can result in an increase in scale weight due to the extra after that the body is holding onto.
If you are a female that weights yourself, it may be better to compare the scale weight against the same week in your cycle from the previous month rather than the previous week as the changes in the hormone progesterone at the second half of your cycle can increase the amount of water your body stores.
I hope you have found this useful and it has provided you with the knowledge to understand why the scale weight may be fluctuating and that it is not always directly related to gaining body fat.
If you have any questions, I am happy to help, so flick me an email or reach out to me on socials.
