Each month, we host a group coaching session within our Facebook Group and post the notes here for your reference. You can check out the video here.
This month we are chatting about weight fluctuations – whether or not you should track your weight, the patterns you will notice and why it is very normal for your weight to fluctuate!
Should you weigh yourself?
First and foremost, I want to highlight that it is not always a great idea to weigh yourself. If you have a history of dieting, weighing yourself frequently, a poor relationship with food or poor body image, it may not be the best thing for you to do.
If you have no interest in knowing your weight, there is no need to start doing it either!
However, education is key when it comes to all things nutrition related and this is the purpose of this article – to give some more information about what is normal in terms of weight fluctuations.
Collecting data over time
Your weight is just one piece of data that will give some information about your progress towards your goals. It is not the whole story and should not be the only thing that you use to reflect back on!
It is best to collect data over time if this is something that you are interested in. Your weight will fluctuate over time and over that time, you will start to notice some patterns.
Reasons why your weight fluctuates
There a number of reasons that your weight will fluctuate up and down each day. Some of these include:
1. Salt
When you consume more salt than usual, your body holds onto extra water — which can make the scales jump up.
2. Carbohydrates
Carbs are stored as glycogen in the muscles, and each gram of glycogen binds to about 3–4 grams of water. Eating more carbs than usual can cause temporary water retention, while eating fewer carbs may lead to a small drop in weight.
3. Volume of Food
If you’ve eaten a larger meal or weighed yourself at a different time of day, your weight might appear higher simply due to food still being digested.
4. Toilet Habits
Yes — whether or not you’ve been to the bathroom can make a difference!
Look for trends, not daily numbers
What we are looking for, over time, is the trends that are showing in your data. If fat loss is your goal, then we are just looking to see if those low points with your weight are gradually getting lower. This may happen each week, or over a few weeks and even months.
Similarly, if you goal is to increase your muscle mass, you are looking for small increases in your high points over time.
You can also use the data to notice pattern which can help you trouble shoot if things are not progressing the way you would like. For example, if your weight has been stable for a few months, you can look at when it is going up (perhaps over the weekend) and possibly address this area of you diet.
What to expect when tracking weight
Drops – you will see your weight drop but it may not be regular or even often. That is OK and perfectly normal.
Plateau – this can happen for days or weeks at a time.
Increase – there will inevitably be increases in your weight from time to time – again this is normal!
Removing your emotions from the number on the scale can be very powerful in helping you to improve your relationship with food, your body and your weight. Whether you weigh yourself or not, I hope that having more information about the process gives you some insight (and possible some relief) that you are on the right track!
When to get support
If you find yourself feeling frustrated or anxious about the scales, working with an accredited practising dietitian can help you build a healthier relationship with food, body image, and progress tracking.
Book a nutrition consultation to create a plan that supports your goals, without the stress of chasing a number.