Q. I recently bought a really good scale and I weigh myself every morning. Some days, when I think I should have lost weight, the scale says I gained two pounds and that ruins my mood….
A. The scale reports not just changes in body fat, but also changes in body water and intestinal content. Hence, your weight can fluctuate one or two pounds daily. Many factors affect weight. These include:
— Are you constipated? Or do you have diarrhea?
— Are you experiencing pre-menstrual bloat?
–Did you eat a salty Chinese meal the night before?
–Are dehydrated from hard workouts?
–Did you overeat carbohydrates?
Your muscles store carbohydrates (fruits, veggies, grains, sugars, and starches) as glycogen. You rely on glycogen to fuel hard exercise Your body stores about about three ounces of water along with every ounce of carbohydrate. Hence, you might notice you “gained weight” the morning after a big pasta dinner, but that’s water-weight that gets released during your next exercise bout.
You should not expect your body to consistently weigh, let’s say, 120 pounds — but rather, vary within a range between 118 and 122 pounds, depending on the kinds of food you eat. Water weight quickly comes and goes. It is not permanent. You should not let this normal fluctuation depress your mood for the day.
Rather than weigh yourself every morning, I suggest you not weigh yourself (or if you must, then just once a week, like on a Wednesday). If you feel thinner, if your clothes are looser, and if people comment that you look leaner, then you have lost body fat–despite the number on the scale.
Better yet, rather than start each day by weighing yourself, how about starting it by smiling at yourself in the mirror and appreciating your body for all the wonderful things it does to for you? That sounds more fruitful to me!
For more information on how to attain your desired body weight, refer to the weight management section in: