I’m 6’ and usually right about 200lbs. I am not a pro athlete, just a guy doing his first IM in November.
My weight can be completely crazy. Last Sunday I weighed in at 191 after running a lot over the weekend and doing some biking. It is super hot in Florida this time of year so I would imagine that is water weight.
This morning I got on the scale and I’m 206! I do feel quite hydrated and I haven’t done a ton of running this week. Is it normal to fluctuate that much. I would imagine if I did some running it would go down a lot. Is my body holding on to fluids to prepare for running? I am hoping a 15lb swing is normal and not dangerous. Thanks.
Big weight swings like that are almost certainly a combination of water weight and perhaps issues with the scale you’re using. If you go back to the basics and realize you have to consume 3500 excess calories or burn off 3500 calories beyond the balance of your normal daily intake and your RMR/BMR to gain or drop one pound it’s really clear that it would be difficult to actually gain or lose 15 pounds of fat or muscle in such short time spans. Sure if you stopped all exercise and ate huge meals or really indulged yourself for a couple of weeks it might be possible but it would be tough and probably wouldn’t have surprised you as it’s not easy to add 3500 calories per day above normal and not notice.
But it’s easy to see water weight fluctuations up to a couple of pounds just based on the time of day you weigh yourself and can have much bigger fluctuations if you weigh after a long or intense workout in the heat or something like indoor training where you sweat a lot and then weigh again after topping up on fluids. FWIW, I typically see about a two pound weight loss overnight if I weigh myself before going to bed and then again when I wake up and that has to be pretty much completely water weight as it happens whether I’m dieting, training hard or just in a normal life mode and it happens whether I happen to be lean or heavy at the time.
Yeah, a fifteen pound weight swing is a lot but it sounds like the 191 was likely low as it followed a sweaty workout and perhaps the 206 was on the high side following some water retention but you also could have some calibration issues with your scale that could add or subtract a few pounds here and there.
I’ve varied from 137.5 to 147.5 depending on the time of day. After running, after coffee, and after ice cream (don’t tell my coach!) are all different weights.
Save yourself from the insanity and start using a simple measuring tape to take your waist measurement. That won’t fluctuate nearly as much and is a much more honest assessment of what’s going on… Hard to blame the extra 5 lbs on “muscle weight” when you also gained an inch on your waist : ) Weighing yourself first thing in the morning before you eat/drink is still a helpful thing to track; but some salty food and a couple margaritas can cause unnecessary panic; while being a little dehydrated can make it look like you suddenly have had a dramatic weight loss.
It’s definitely water weight, I can fluctuate ten lbs in a weekend of bad eating, but I return to normal weight with a few days. You can’t check your weight at random times during the day. I wake up everyday, take a piss, then use the scale. You have to be consistent with it
I weigh in the 142-144 lb range.
In the last couple months I have seen weights between 138 and 148.
If you know how much you trained and how much you ate, it is not really an issue (unless your eating caused the gain).
As others have mentioned, it could be hydration levels or sodium.
Could also be the need for a major poo.
I am on the move to lose weight and I track my weight daily for about a month now.
During my first week of exercise, I immediately gained 3 pounds, which I attributed to the body responding to exercise with glycogen storage and the associated water.
Then over three weeks, I gained one more pound, with my weight never fluctuating by more than about 1.5 pounds and then bouncing back to where it was. Normal fluctuations.
Now, I have lost about 4 pounds in 5 days, losing 0.6 to 1.0 pounds per day.
As I think about “what’s changed” to cause the fairly fast loss in the last 5 days, my first response was “nothing.” But a bit more reflection, and I believe I have had very little sodium over the past 5 days. I don’t keep a food diary, so I can’t be sure. But it is the only thing I can think of that might make sense.
It’s definitely water weight, I can fluctuate ten lbs in a weekend of bad eating, but I return to normal weight with a few days. You can’t check your weight at random times during the day. I wake up everyday, take a piss, then use the scale. You have to be consistent with it
Definitely agree with this approach (as it is the one I employ). I always see a 5-6lb bump on Monday morning from where I was Friday morning due to less caffeine, some malt-containing, hopped beverages, and usually at least one dietary indiscretion. But by Wednesday I’m typically back to where I was and by Friday (as I too started in the 200+ zone and am trying to slim down for the “season”) am 1-2lbs lighter than where I was the Friday before.
I retain water during big training blocks, I think, I can spike up to as high as 172-173 while training hard, then taper for a week or two and drop 4 lbs. full race weight around 166 last year.
I’m 6’1 180. I can go to bed at 180 and wake up and have coffee(diuretic) + be dehydrated from over night + take a dump and be as low as 172. If I went to swim practice w/o hydrating I’d be under 170 I imagine. Food/water/poop + status of hydration can lead me in the 10 pound range in a single 24 hour period. FWIW I’m in Tampa so know the feeling with dehydration.
Being hungry is a drag for my workouts, but being dehydrated is a no brainer I’m just done. Zero performance and feel horrible.
I retain water during big training blocks, I think, I can spike up to as high as 172-173 while training hard, then taper for a week or two and drop 4 lbs. full race weight around 166 last year.
I actually had not heard this specifically before, but it would explain why I started last week at 163, then 2 days later I was 167. The fatigue was really starting to hit me 10 days into a 3 week training block I think. SO water retention would make some sense. Ideally on my recovery week I should drop a little weight.
I wonder if a little weight is also short term increased blood volume as well as a result of stimulus form harder workout session with efforts above threshold.
I’ve decided to mostly not worry about it and just focus on maintaining descent diet discipline.
I do apply at least more discipline with eating and drinking whe tapering, since the burn rate is a but lower.
I retain water during big training blocks, I think, I can spike up to as high as 172-173 while training hard, then taper for a week or two and drop 4 lbs. full race weight around 166 last year.
I actually had not heard this specifically before, but it would explain why I started last week at 163, then 2 days later I was 167. The fatigue was really starting to hit me 10 days into a 3 week training block I think. SO water retention would make some sense. Ideally on my recovery week I should drop a little weight.
I wonder if a little weight is also short term increased blood volume as well as a result of stimulus form harder workout session with efforts above threshold.
I’ve decided to mostly not worry about it and just focus on maintaining descent diet discipline.
Throw out your scale (and don’t buy a new one). Weight is an inaccurate measurement of health. Look at how you feel, your body composition, your fitness levels, your training times, how well you sleep/recover from training, your mental focus, your mood, etc.
You can look in the mirror and tell whether you have excess body fat. Keep at the healthy eating, eating maybe a little less than you need, until that’s gone. IF, by some sweet miracle, you get there, and you really are considering losing additional weight for triathlon reasons, then by all means bust out a scale and start collecting data.
I have the same weight fluctuation issues. They can be even more extreme during the Arizona summers. The issues is definitely water retention- dehydration. (I think it takes about 26 miles of running to burn 1 lb of fat, and it probably takes three ridiculously unhealthy meals (with no exercise) to gain 1 lb of fat).
Water retention is aggregated by swelling. Swelling is a natural product of recovery from long runs and rides. And is more pronounced in the heat. And even more extreme, if you stay in a hot environment after you are done with your workouts. (Note: how some athletes take ice baths as part of their recovery process). There might be an argument that swelling and contracting is a necessary part of training.
In addition to recovery swelling, there is also water retention caused by fluctuations in body salts. Salts will cause you to retain water. Running or cycling in hot weather will cause you too loose copious amounts of salt. It is very hot in Tucson (or Florida) but heat is not the danger. The danger is dehydration (not enough water) or hyponatria (too much water, not enough salts). Either way, if you do long runs or rides in the heat, something is bound to get out of wack. You can expect the body to over compensate the next day.
My most extreme weight fluctuation:
159 lbs-after long run on 100+ day. (Dehydrated)
185lbs- 2 days later after soda, soup and Nuun (salts tablet) festival.
Weight budget estimate (low to high):
Dehydration- 6 lbs
Salt Overcompensation swelling- 14 lbs
Exercise swelling- 5 lbs
Fat loss and gain 1 lb.
Racing weight 167.