Personally, I like to weigh myself first thing in the AM after I drain the lizard. It shows day to day much better, and by weighing at the same it makes the results a bit more reliable. Interesting to track your weight through various training cycles.

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IG: NCGregory8778

That's a bit unusual, but not out of the realm of reality. Especially given your measurement conditions: before bed to post-run. Before bed is typically your heaviest weight of the day. I generally find that I lose 2 lbs overnight---like clockwork. 40 minute run could EASILY sweat 1-1.5 quarts (2-3 lbs). Normal urine volume for me is typically 1/2-3/4 pound...but, can be a >1 lbs if I've really got to go! So, if you didn't replenish very well on 23 March...you could easily lose 2-4 lbs on that day.

Btw, if you aren't peeing very often on a give day, that usually is indicative of under-hydrating---thus more likely to result in water loss on that day.

2 lbs overnight
2 lbs 23 March from under-drinking
2 lbs post-run

Yep, you can get some strange variations by weighing at uncontrolled times of the day. For consistency, I weigh first thing in the morning, just after visiting the latrine. I find I can easily lose up to 4 pounds while sleeping.

And, if I eat a certain local Mexican restaurant, the massive salt content causes me to gain about 4.5 pounds of water weight for about 24 to 36 hours.

Completely agree. I've always done exactly the same thing.

Bonus points for doing it pre/post workouts, too. Also, morning AND night. Since I live in Texas and train in the heat A LOT, I have always tracked pre/post workout---to make sure I replenish enough fluids each day.

My post-surgery instructions have added the night-time weigh-in to the routine, along with BP and pulse 2x daily.

Id say totally within realm of possibility. I can also weigh in at random times and in varying situations, and can easily see variations of several kg between days.

As a related topic, I've kinda had a thing for checking how big variations I can see during short time-periods, and I've found its huge. Sure the big changes come if i weigh in at odd times: f.ex weigh in at end of a big eat/drink friday, and weigh in again sunday after 5 hr ride in the sun with to little drink along the way. I've gotten some crazy results, like 82 kg to 74.5 kg in like 36 hours

Sorry but the geek in mee needs to pint out that 7 lbs down from 163.5 is not nearly 10 %. Its 4,2 % :) Still alot though.

+1 I think sodium content in food is one of the largest contributors to weight fluctuation. Sushi and Pizza do it for me.

Brain fart. Lol. Not even close was I.

That is a huge weight variation in a short period of time. I'd have to run 20 miles and do 30 minutes in a hot sauna to lose around 3-4lbs. Losing 2lbs in urine overnight is a lot too, but plausible. Either way, that is a lot of weight.

I'm about 10 lbs heavier than you and routinely will see my weight fluctuate 7-8 lbs over the course of the day. When working out in AZ I saw an 11lb swing a few days.

I'm notoriously forgetful in regards to fluid intake, so if I stay on top of it, especially with carbohydrate intake, I can keep it down to a few lbs swing over the course of the day. I prefer to stay and train with lower/slower carb intake and I still do a fair bit of fasting, both of which contribute to glycogen depletion and the associated water loss. Couple that with training and there it is.

No. It's not. Not only is it plausible it happens to me every single night. I've weighted myself every day for 4 years. I weigh myself before and after every run and ride. I've been weighing myself morning and night every day for the last 6 weeks, and sporadically over the same 4 years.

Hell, a single shit can weigh 20 oz.

Weigh yourself everyday at the same time. That is the only way it will be accurate. Usually I do that right when I wake up after I do a pump and dump.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Not trying to be argumentative, but I believe that would only be true if you ate and drank the same amounts, had the same workouts, slept the same hours, etc. all at the same times each day.

My approach is just to weigh a lot. Usually in the morning, yes, but then numerous times throughout the day, before/after workouts, etc. My wife makes fun of me, but I think it gives a better overall picture (more data points). Sounds obsessive, but really it's just a quick step on the scale to see where I'm at. I typically fluctuate about 5 pounds in a day. If I start hitting numbers at the top of or above my usual range, then I pay attention. If it's unusually low I know I'm dehydrated.

Sounds more like you have an issue with your weight and are obsessed with the scale*. Yes, your weight fluctuates and you eat differently. Doesn't matter. Weigh yourself at the same time of day, once per day. Then you would in theory take the average of those figures for the week.


*I used to be obsessed with the number for a very long time. I would weigh myself in the morning, then after I got home, then after the gym, then after dinner, then after I took a dump. My girlfriend didn't like it and it took me a long time to be comfortable with just once per day.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

You're reading too much into measurements that don't contain much useful data.
There's no point trying to do much analysis of weight other than long term tracking of averages measured under similar circumstances every day unless you are using a calibrated balance with a known accuracy and precision.
As with your query the other day about comparing calories estimated from HR with joules measured from your PM, you will likely end up pointlessly hypothesising about illusory perceived patterns in the noise.

If you are well, don't start worrying you're not just because you get on your balance and see numbers that are not what you expected.

Very rapid weight loss can only occur via water loss. If you are significantly dehydrated, you'll be thirsty and/or your pee will be dark in colour. So drink some water. That's about it.
The other primary mechanism for weight loss is breathing. You breath out CO2. That carbon comes from your food. Weight from fat does not come out the other end ;)

... And water vapor.

Scales accuracy can vary due to temperature and humidity, although the modern digital versions should correct for that.

Find something inanimate and reasonably heavy, like a 15 lbs. dumbbell, and weigh that several times a day. The scale should repeat within a few tenths of a lbs. at that range. If it is off more than about a half a lbs. then you have a scale problem. Otherwise it is your body, and that has been well discussed above.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I'm including that in water loss

Fair enough. But, it's a different path... And people don't realize how much mass (co2 and h2o) is expelled through respiration.

I went to bed at 157.0, peed twice during the night and had a poop when I woke up, down to 152.2. Throw in a sweaty morning run before breakfast and I would probably be close to 7 lbs loss.

Agree

Drop ALL ballast before stepping on the scale

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I can see how you would say that, but obsessed is definitely not the case. It's more trivial, like checking my watch throughout the day. I work from home a lot so it's just an easy thing to do. I would agree your method is better than just randomly weighing though. I think the most beneficial thing I get from it is an indication of hydration level.

That's not really a reasonable approach in my opinion.
The previous posters suggestion that you weigh first thing each morning before breakfast and only heed the overall trend (he mentioned weekly average), not the individual measurements, is better practice. Weight as a means to judge hydration seems a terrible idea to me. It's far too imprecise and indirect. There are much more reliable and trivially simple methods as I mentioned previously (thirst and pee). Weight makes no sense as a routine method and is only liable to produce false conclusions and obsessions.

Actually the number one impact to daily weight fluctuations is total body water. So, it does work pretty well in that regard. The primary confounding variable is gut solids. So, if you didn't poop yesterday expect to be up 1-2 lbs.

I'm not a big fan of thirst as a hydration test, because chronically dehydrated people will adjust their sense of thirst to that norm. Urine color can have the same problem but, to a lessor degree.

Skin scratch and tugor tests are better at checking absolute hydration. Scratch the back of your hand with your nail....if it leaves a white mark, you are dehydrated. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and let go. It should spring back flat immediately. If it holds its pinched shape you are dehydrated.