Your bathroom scale can be friend or foe. When the pounds are coming off, you’re likely to feel excited and motivated to continue with your weight loss efforts. However, noticing an increase of a few pounds can be upsetting and discouraging for many.
Don’t fret—overnight bodyweight fluctuations are normal and are not necessarily an indicator of “true” weight gain. In fact, the average adult’s weight may fluctuate anywhere from five to six pounds on any given day. While it is important to be aware that consistent overeating will lead to real weight gain overtime, daily weight fluctuations can often be attributed to factors such as fluid retention, water consumption, exercise, sleep and stress levels, constipation and/or a woman’s menstrual cycle. Here’s everything you need to know about the many causes of weight fluctuation.
Your body’s retention of excess fluids often comes from eating foods that are higher in sodium (salt) and carbohydrates. Some common signs of fluid retention include swelling or puffiness, particularly in the arms or legs; an increase in abdomen size, achy joints or limbs, skin tightness, and weight fluctuations.
Your body is made up of 60 to 70 percent water. Not only that, water is critical to proper bodily functions, such as metabolic reactions, carrying nutrients and waste products, the regulation of body temperature and blood volume, and fluid balance. Fluid balance is regulated by the kidneys and any imbalance can lead to either fluid retention or increased urination. To keep your body in a normal fluid zone, you should drink about eight to 10 cups of water per day. If you aren’t drinking enough water, you run the risk of becoming dehydrated. Dehydration is the gradual depletion of bodily fluids when fluid losses exceed fluid intake. In this state, your body wants to hold on more tightly to any water it does have, therefore causing water retention and bloating. As a result, dehydration will likely cause the numbers on your scale to go up and your clothes to feel a bit tight. Increasing your water intake can help balance out the fluids in your system and actually get rid of any excess water.
There are many reasons for daily weight fluctuations; therefore, you shouldn’t allow the number on your scale to be the only indicator of your weight loss success. It’s actually quite uncommon to consistently see the same weight on your scale on a daily basis. As explained above, most fluctuations are related to changes in water weight and normal bodily functions. However, if your weight continues to increase for about a week, you may want to check in with your True You team.
For the most consistent results, be sure to weigh under the same circumstances each time—wearing the same clothes, at the same time of day, and the same day of the week. Most importantly, try to limit how often you weigh in. We recommend every other week, but if you can’t handle that—limit yourself to one or two times per week. Remember that weight loss or gain is never linear and the scale is only one indicator of your progress. Body weight alone can’t define your health or happiness—we know that each one of our True You Weight Loss patients is so much more than just a number on the scale!
Dr. Christopher McGowan, MD, a leader in endobariatrics, specializes in non-surgical obesity treatments and is triple-board-certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Obesity Medicine. Renowned for pioneering endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) with over 2,000 procedures, his global influence and research contributions define him as a top expert.