I have noticed a trend on long flights. I find I don’t need to go to the washroom much on 6-13 hour flights… The next day I have to go to the washroom often through the day.
Yesterday was the first time I got to measure things as I had a weighing scale in my room. I was up to 69 kilos. My nomral weight is 63-64 range…so around 10 lbs of “liquid”. By the end of the next day on the ground back to 64 kilos.
This only happens on long flights. I’m wondering if suddenly going up to 6000+ feet above sea level (cabin pressure) messes with hypothalmus function and appropriate levels of ADH in the body.
I know a lot of people have bloating during flights in the lower extremity. It’s not like I am drinking a ton during a long trip…just the regular amount I would drink in a day. The other side of this is that I am not working out and sweating out liquid like a normal day, so that might come into play…meanwhile my thirst is similar to a day without working out (it’s not like a drink a ton to start off with…my wife claims I have camel genetics).
Any research on either the effects of air travel or suddenly going to altitude on water rentention?
Do you have 10lb of solids/liquids going into your body during that time period? I’m wondering if you weren’t at a high-normal day before you hopped on the plane. I’ll occasionally have days where my weight spikes to 157-158lb due to significant water retention, but after I take a leak about 5 or 6 times over the next day I’m back under 150.
I’ve noticed that this ONLY happens on flights. I’ve even experimented with restricting fluid intake to lower than normal levels, but it always happens on long flights (cross continent or cross ocean). I am wondering if you get SIADH because the the kidneys are trying to retrain liquid in the dry environment of an aircraft pressurized to 6000-10000 feet above sea level with very low humidity? That’s all I can think of.
I was wondering if this might not be dissimilar to SIADH when you get slightly dehydrated and then end up overhydrated once you have a chance to start taking in liquids (by the way, I did have a major head trauma in 2011, but this precedes that so I am not worried…but SIADH can be caused by a head trauma).
Otherwise, this is a measurement error and you aren’t really gaining 10 lbs.
We have a winner. I think that the chance that your home scale and the one in your hotel room are calibrated even to within the same time zone is negligible.
If you really want to confirm your theory, you should bring your home scale. And a reference weight.
I know over the years of travel I have developed a very reliable ‘airplane colon’. Airport/airplane bathrooms usually scrape the bottom of the barrel so it seems I’ve mentally trained myself to ‘shut it down’ on a long travel day, despite eating airport junk food, plane food and usually having a few drinks. The day after travel is always a ‘busy’ one. Never tried weighing pre/post, on my next trip I will.
Like the others, I’m sure it’s mostly measurement error. But, if you want to add another data point, try booking your next long flight on a 787 - lower cabin altitude and higher humidity than older airplanes.
I know over the years of travel I have developed a very reliable ‘airplane colon’. Airport/airplane bathrooms usually scrape the bottom of the barrel so it seems I’ve mentally trained myself to ‘shut it down’ on a long travel day, despite eating airport junk food, plane food and usually having a few drinks. The day after travel is always a ‘busy’ one. Never tried weighing pre/post, on my next trip I will.
This. A long flight means you are doing nothing - lots extra to eat/drink - not enough movement, no clean bathrooms - 10 pounds “sounds” like a lot, but definitely believable.
Like the others, I’m sure it’s mostly measurement error. But, if you want to add another data point, try booking your next long flight on a 787 - lower cabin altitude and higher humidity than older airplanes.
Thanks. This one is the most useful post to this point.
To the others, it really is not measurement error. While 10 may seem high, it is not measurement error because the next day using the same scale in the same hotel I am down 5 kilos. And it is not due to lack of movement. I have done 7-12 hour drives in a car, and don’t have the same scenario materializing. I strongly believe that air pressure and humidity change play into some of this. Not all, but some.
I find the same thing on long flights and I fly pretty much every week.
I find on long flights that it is realted to my normal body functions as it relates to time zones. Be awake/eating/drinking etc for longer than I would in one time zone throws my digestion & typical functions way off track not to mention the nasty plane washroom/restroom.
I also find the warmer the plane on a long flight, them more water retained…which I have not fighured out yet…
I am also a veteran international traveler. Based on some study and on personal experience, I am pretty sure your “10 lb gain” is a combination of:
pooling of interstitial fluids in your legs,
some constipation, and
scale measurement error.
Agreed. I also think that the high sodium food that you’re likely to take in while traveling is also partly to blame. However, I’ve been a corporate pilot for 15 years and haven’t noticed the weight fluctuations that you’ve mentioned…
Just some clarification on this thread…you guys are correct about measurement error (nothing to do with scale and everything to do with user). I had jeans and long sleeve shirt on for the first measurement when I was tired and jet lagged, did not have that for subsequent measurements. I was so tired, that I did not remember. So call the gain 8 lbs.
Take if from an ultra-long haul airline pilot (me). +1 on the sodium. If you eat two meals on a long-haul, you’ve eaten 3000 mg of sodium (at least) in the casseroles alone. Nibble on pretzels, nuts or whatever and you’re, errr… sky-high in sodium. Any fluids you take in are retained. Add the constipation factor and you can easily gain 3 -5 lbs per flight leg. I try to avoid the meals and bring my own food, 'cause that shit’ll kill ya.