A weight-loss journey can be frustrating and challenging for many reasons, especially when your weight increases or decreases for what feels like no reason. Fluctuating numbers on the scale can make you feel like all of your efforts are being thwarted, but short-term increases and/or decreases in your weight are a completely normal part of losing weight and resetting your set point.
The average adults' weight can change throughout the day, and for several reasons. What, when and how you eat, drink, exercise and sleep can all have an impact on your weight each day. While it is important to know where you are each day, consider stepping on the scale once in the morning and know that if you step on later in the day and the numbers have changed, you have not magically gained or lost weight. Keep reading to learn more about why these changes may take place, but remember that health is much more than the number you see!
- Water: Water retention in your body is often the reason for weight fluctuations you may see on your scale. Eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom can all change the water content in your body which can change the weight you see.
- Physical Activity: Moving your body and sweating can both lead to short-term water loss and weight loss when you step on the scale. Water retention can also happen after we engage in physical activity causing the number you see on the scale to be higher.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can be an appetite stimulant causing us to potentially eat more and typically those foods tend to be on the saltier side. The additional water retention from those saltier foods, and the overall increased eating, may cause the number we see to increase.
- Menstrual cycle: Hormonal changes, bloating and water retention, and potential increased cravings for salty foods can all cause weight fluctuations during menstrual cycles.
Ultimately, weight fluctuation is normal! If you are eating healthfully, drinking water, and moving your body, slight ups and downs are nothing to be worried about. However, if you do see an increase of about 5 pounds or more that stays consistent, listen to your body to see what it needs or consider consulting with your doctor.