You’re probably reading this wondering why your weight fluctuates daily?
You’ve been on point with your diet, got a membership to a local gym and started strength training (lets fucking go!), and you’ve also increased your step count.
Everything has gone as you imagined so far – the weight/fat is melting off your body.
I think it’s safe to say you’re fucking crushing it.
Until… you weigh in the next week and your weight spiked up.
You think, “How in the actual fuck is this possible?”
Now you’re frustrated. Now you want to quit. Maybe you think that weight loss isn’t for you.
I hear ya. It can be frustrating. But here’s the thing… everyones weight fluctuates daily.
If this shit were as simple as the weight going down every single day, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic right now would we?
Probably not.
So, I’m here to tell you to “RELAX” and flex your patience muscle.
That way, when your weight fluctuates daily you don’t freak out.
Alright, rant over. Hopefully, I got your attention by now. For the rest of the article, I’m going to show you why your weight fluctuates daily and what to do about it.
Stay Neutral
I’m going to be straight up with you.
There’s nothing you can do about the number on the scale fluctuating.
I wish I could tell you to close your eyes and make a wish or take some magic pill that will prevent your weight fluctuating daily.
But, the reality is you can’t.
You have to get use to the fact that your weight will fluctuate.
Some days/weeks it’ll go up.
Other days/weeks it’ll go down.
The key is to stay neutral. Don’t let your emotions get in the way. Try and think logically about it.
Realize the scale is a tool. It’s a point of data. One number does not determine whether or not you gained or lost progress. Those daily numbers don’t mean shit in the long run.
So, when your weight spikes don’t get pissed. When the weight goes down don’t get all excited.
Only use it as data and stay neutral.
10 Reasons Why Your Weight Fluctuates Daily:
Now that you’ve agreed to stay neutral, I want you to remember this important point:
Just because the scale went up does NOT mean you gained fat.
As long as you’re in a calorie deficit, then you will continue to lose fat.
I’ve had 1:1 online coaching clients who’s weight would fluctuate up to 5 pounds per day.
Talk about a mind fuck.
And yet, they learned this was normal for their body. They became ok with it because it didn’t determine whether or not they were making progress and it didn’t determine their self worth.
Here’s the thing, in order to gain or lose 1 pound of fat, you have to eat roughly 3,500 calories more or less than your maintenance.
Ex: If your maintenance is 2,000 calories you’d have to eat 5,500 calories that day for your body to gain 1lb of fat or not eat at all for a day to lose half a 1lb of fat.
So yeah… you’d have to eat a shit ton of food in one day to gain a pound of fat. If you’ve been dialed in with your nutrition, you’re good.
Now you may be wondering, “Why does the scale move so much then? If it’s not fat then what is it?”
1. The Main Reason for Weight Fluctuations: Water
Up to 60% of a males body is made up of water while a females body is made up of 50% water.
That is more than half of your total body, which means when you pee, sweat, drink water, eat food, etc. then of course your weight will fluctuate daily.
Don’t believe me? Weigh yourself right now. Then drink a full glass of water and weigh yourself again.
Case closed.
2. Your Weight Fluctuated Daily From Eating Carbs (Glycogen)
Carbohydrates don’t make you fat (I discuss this in my article here), but they can make you gain weight.
Remember, there is a difference between weight and fat gain.
Anyways, carbs provide your body with energy throughout the day.
The carbs that haven’t been used for energy get stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen so your body can use them for later when needed.
You store an average of 80g of glycogen in your liver and 500g in your muscles.
Each gram of glycogen carries 3 grams of water in it.
Therefore, when you eat more carbs, your body acts like a sponge by soaking up all of the glycogen (and water) and as a result, your glycogen stores get “re-filled”.
Basically, that’s a fancy way of saying when you eat more or less carbs, you’ll gain or lose water weight.
For example: 170g of stored carbs would hold around 500g of water which equals a little more than 1 lb gained from water.
That said, there is absolutely nothing bad with carbs and glycogen.
Glycogen will allow you to crush your workouts, improve your performance, and get a massive pump if you’re into that sort of thing.
So, don’t be like “Bob, wtf! The scale moved!” Because my answer will be a simple “So what? I told you so.”
3. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because You Have to Take a Poop
To be blunt… sometimes you have to poop. And yes, that poop has weight to it.
Maybe you’re backed up and you don’t even know it. This is more likely if you’ve been on your fiber game lately.
No matter what, once you let one loose, then your weight will go down.
Try this: Next time you have to go #2, weigh yourself before.
And after you’ve relieved yourself, then weigh yourself again.
I bet your weight will have gone down.
4. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because You Ate More Salt
Other than eating carbs, this is probably the most common reason why your weight spiked up.
The more salt you eat, the more water your body holds onto and vice versa.
Which is why when you go out to eat at places like Chipotle where the cook dumps the whole bag of salt on the rice your weight spikes up.
The same is also true when you eat less salty foods – naturally, your weight will go down.
This is another reason why when you first start a diet that includes more whole foods, your weight drops because you’re eating less processed salty food.
If you ever feel bloated from eating more salt, try to drink water because it will help flush out the access salt.
5. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because You Weighed In Earlier or Ate Later Than Usual
Life happens. You can try your best to stick to a schedule but sometimes its not possible.
Maybe you had a long day which caused you to eat later than normal.
Or, you had to weigh in earlier than usual because you have an earlier day.
Whatever the reason is, you may have more food left in your digestive system.
So you best believe that this can have an effect on the scale.
6. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because You Crushed a Strength Training Session
Whether it’s your 1st or 50th workout, sometimes you absolutely crush it in the gym.
You know, one of those workouts where you instantly know you’re going to be sore the next day?
Yeah, those are the best.
But, here’s the thing…. Lifting weights can cause you to gain weight too.
“Ok Bob, that literally makes no sense at all.”
“How can lifting weights cause you to gain weight? After all, one of the goals of strength training is to build muscle so that you can look leaner right?”
That’s right. But the weight spike is only temporary – like all the other weight spikes.
When you lift weights you’re essentially breaking down the muscle.
Therefore, your body responds by sending more nutrients, water, and glycogen back into the damaged muscle to help it repair and grow bigger.
As a result of this uptake in “contents”, your muscles will essentially “weigh” more.
But, you’ll also be more jacked and shredded because of it.
And by your next workout, you’ll be ready to hit it hard again.
7. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because You’re Stressed
Ah, good ole stress.
Maybe you had a shitty night of sleep.
Or, you have a kid.
Or you have a stressful job that causes you to work long hours.
Or, you’re running an online fitness business while working full time in person training (That’s me!)
Whatever the case may be, stress can cause you to hold onto water.
Because when you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol tends to cause your body to hold onto more water.
That said, stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your body needs and uses stress as a defensive mechanism to keep it safe. If it wasn’t for stress, then we likely wouldn’t be alive today.
But, that’s not the point. The point is this water retention sometimes masks the progress you’re making.
Which is why sometimes when you eat more calories, your body isn’t as stressed anymore, cortisol levels go down, and so does the amount of water your body is holding onto.
Hence, a drop in weight.
8. Drank Too Much?
There have been a number of times where I’ve been on a cut, went out for a few (definitely more than a few) drinks and got completely obliterated.
I’d dread waking up the next day with a hangover, the same clothes on, and the sun pushing through my window blinding my eyes.
But, when I’d take my shirt off and step on the scale, the weight would be down and I’d have a visible six pack.
The fuck??
Well, alcohol is a mild diuretic – meaning that when drunk, it makes you have to pee more frequently. (Ever heard of breaking the seal?)
Well, since you pee A-LOT of course you’re going to shed a few pounds the next morning. Unfortunately, the weight will come back once you get a few fluids and food in you.
9. Weight Fluctuations: Menstrual Cycle
For obvious reasons I can’t speak personally on this. I don’t have any “skin” in the game as you’d say.
But, I can say I’ve worked with a number of female clients both online and in person.
I’ve noticed most weigh more around their time of the month than at other times.
With this comes more cravings as well so more eating is expected.
While I’m no expert in this, its normal to experience an increase in weight fluctuations during this time.
Therefore, it may be best to keep track of your cycle so you can expect when your weight will spike up.
10. Your Weight Fluctuates Daily Because It Just Does
Sometimes your weight fluctuates because only god knows why so there’s nothing you can do about it.
I wish I had some cool scientific study to cite or another cool motivational talk.
Unfortunately, I don’t.
And because I don’t, it is what it is. Your body can be a confusing specimen at times.
What To Do About Weight Fluctuations?
I already wrote an article on this topic “7 Practical Ways to Measure Your Weight Loss Progress” if you want a more in depth explanation.
That said, while you can’t get rid of weight fluctuations, you can help change your mindset by focusing on other methods of progress.
When you realize that the scale is not the only form of progress, this whole journey becomes much more enjoyable.
This is what I have my 1:1 online coaching clients do to check their progress.
1. Keep Track of Your Average Weekly Weight
Many people will tell you to avoid the scale at all costs because its going to hurt your feelings.
I disagree.
In fact, I think you should weigh yourself everyday to get over your fear rather than running from it because what a terrible way to live life.
Research shows that people who weigh themselves more often are more successful with their long term weight loss than those who don’t.
The key is to realize that the scale is not the end all be all.
The scale does not determine your self worth. It does not determine whether or not you are successful. And, it does not dictate if you can get in shape or not.
Again – It’s only a tool to give you data.
So, unless you can’t stop obsessing over the scale then you should use it everyday.
Why You Should Weigh Yourself Everyday
One of the main problems I see is people weighing themselves once a week.
Here is why that is not a good idea:
Let’s say you weigh yourself every Monday.
Well, this past Sunday was a blistering hot day. So, you went to the beach. In addition to getting a nice tan, you also sweat a lot.
Therefore , you weighed in at 150 lbs on Monday. Great! That’s a 2 pound loss from the previous week.
So, you go through your week again perfectly except the next Sunday you eat out at a restaurant which typically has saltier foods.
Now on Monday, you weigh 155 lbs and think “what the fuck I quit”
However, if you would’ve weighed yourself everyday you’d realize that you were making progress throughout the week and happened to weigh yourself on a “spike up” day.
Make sure you weigh yourself:
- At the same time every morning
- With the same scale
- With minimal clothing
- After you go to the bathroom
That way, there are less things that can effect the number on the scale to make it more accurate.
If the weight doesn’t budge week to week don’t stress. Just keep fucking going. You go this.
To Do: Weigh yourself everyday to account for the daily fluctuations and take your weekly average. Compare those averages week to week and month to month.
Aim for .5-2 lbs lost on AVERAGE per week.
2. Measurements
This is where fat loss vs weight loss comes into play.
Many times, especially when you start to eat more protein and strength train, you can be making progress but not losing weight.
The reason for this is because even though you may be losing fat, you’ll also be building muscle. This is known as body recomposition.
So, if you lose 1 pound of fat but gain 1 pound of muscle, you’re going to stay the same weight.
However, since muscle is more dense that fat (takes up less room), then you’ll still be losing inches.
This is why taking measurements is important.
To Do: Take measurements every 2 weeks around your arms, waist, thighs, and glutes because that’s typically where your body holds most of its fat and where it’s going to come off the quickest.
3. Progress Photos
Progress photos are another amazing tool.
Yes, they can be scary – especially at the beginning. The cool thing is that no one else is going to see them. They are for you and your coach if you have one.
Plus, I’ve never had someone send me progress photos and regret sending them.
Seriously, no one.
Especially when they see how they used to look 6-12 months before.
The problem is your brain may not be able to process the changes being made because you see yourself in the mirror everyday.
So, by taking progress photos you can see month to month where you’re losing fat and building muscle.
Since adding muscle will make you leaner, more defined and toned.
Just remember, you may not see initial changes month to month because this shit takes a long time.
Everyone is different.
So don’t get discouraged. Stay consistent with your nutrition and workouts. Keep the photos for data. And eventually, the changes will appear.
To Do: Take your photos in minimal clothing, in the same light, with the same tall posture from front, side, and back once or twice a month.
4. Clothes Fit Better
This ones more common than I thought.
The amount of my in-person PT clients that come to me and say “wow, I haven’t been able to fit into these clothes in years” is crazy.
I even had one client who measured their progress by belt size. He had to buy a smaller belt because the one he had became too small to fit around his waist.
How fucking cool is that?
If being able to fit into smaller clothes and belts sizes isn’t a sign that you’re making progress, then I don’t know what is.
Numbers aren’t everything.
5. Gym Progress
Don’t underestimate gym progress.
Are you getting stronger by lifting heavier weight within your rep ranges? Then you’re building muscle as well.
Do you feel like you have more energy and mobility? Progress.
What about improving your mile time on the treadmill? Mother fucking progress!
Sometimes having a performance goal will drive progress because it’s fun and can be less stressful.
For example, do you want to get your first chin-up or lift x amount of weight on a certain lift?
Well, through this process, you’ll also be making progress even if some of the other measurement haven’t changed much yet.
Think of it like this…
If your friend got their first chin up in the gym but hasn’t seen any changes on the scale you wouldn’t be like “That’s cool and all, but it doesn’t matter because your weight hasn’t changed”
No, what the fuck? You’d be so fucking happy for them because you know pull-ups are hard as fuck and they require a ton of upper body and core strength.
You’d be ecstatic. So, remember this for yourself.
I’ve never had a client who hated my guts because they got too strong. Trust me on this one, its fucking awesome.
Not only will you be making progress in and outside the gym, but you’ll feel more powerful and confident than you’ve ever been which is underrated.
6. How you feel?
Do you feel healthier?
Have more energy?
Less aches and pains?
Stronger?
More mobile?
Taking less medications?
More confident?
This is another very important form of progress because you deal with this shit 24/7.
If you feel better you best believe that’s progress.
Exercise and eating healthy is the fountain of youth.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when an older person tells me “just wait until your my age.”
Like, no mother fucker I’m going to be the fittest 80 year old out there.
So just like you get stronger in the gym by lifting weights, you’ll also get healthier and feel better from losing weight.
And you’ll age slower as a result of it.
Final thoughts
Remember, progress will be slow. Sometimes it can be like trying to watch two turtles race.
And that’s ok because luckily this isn’t a race.
What I would recommend to keep your sanity is to focus on the trends over time rather than the day to day weight fluctuations.
Be consistent and disciplined with what you have control over:
- eating nutrient dense foods
- strength training
- hitting your calories and protein
- sleep
- being active throughout the day.
And watch the amount of progress you make over the months and years.
-Coach Bob
Ps. I have an amazing manual to help you lose fat, get stronger, and build muscle. Download your free “30 Workouts You Can Do From Anywhere” by signing up here. Plus you’ll join my email list so you don’t miss any updates from me. (No spam I promise).
Pps. If you decide you’re interested in coaching and want to hop on a free call, reach out to me bobhooverfitness@gmail.com or apply here.