Table of contents:
- But wait, it's not fat
- What causes the difference in body weight in the morning and at night?
- Weight fluctuation is also caused by the storage of energy reserves
- How much weight does this fluctuation in body weight usually gain?
- Weigh yourself once a week, not every day
As soon as you wake up in the morning, you weigh yourself (after emptying your bladder, but before breakfast, of course), and… the needle finally shows a fantastic number! All the hard work of a strict diet and regular exercise has now paid off. But then, you decide to weigh yourself back before going to bed, and the scale shows two kilograms of weight gain. How come?
They say 3500 calorie intake equals half a kilogram of extra fat, but you don't eat up to 10,000 calories a day. Where did this extra two kilograms come from? Is it true that you can gain up to an additional two kilograms of weight in just one day?
But wait, it's not fat
Relax, you're not losing muscle / gaining extra fat every time the scale needle swings to the right - as you've been thinking all along.
Did you know that the human body can store a little weight in our large intestine? There isn't much science needed to support this one, weigh yourself before and after a bowel movement. You can experience a change in weight from about 1-2 kilograms by just going to the toilet.
Weight fluctuation is normal, and it happens to everyone. These fluctuations can be caused by various factors, such as consumption of large meals, excess salt intake, constipation, and hormonal changes. One thing you should know is that the extra weight you see on the scale does not come from increased body fat; That extra "fat" can come from water, waste products or other substances that stay temporarily in your body.
What causes the difference in body weight in the morning and at night?
When it comes to weight fluctuation, water is your prime suspect. Changes in body weight per day, or even per hour, are often the result of how much water you hold in your body. "Throughout the day, our bodies will retain fluids while we eat and drink," said Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, clinical nutrition coordinator at Dubin's Breast Center at Mount Sinai Hospital. Hogan continued, just by consuming two small cups of water, for example, but you also get intake from food. This can add a few extra grams of body weight. It has nothing to do with body fat percentage or muscle mass.
Also, eating too many salty foods causes you to feel dehydrated and bloated as your body retains fluids in the body. When we don't drink enough fluids, the body will automatically hold on to whatever water fluid is left in the body to maintain fluid balance. Then, our kidneys excrete less fluid through the urine because the kidneys are programmed to maintain this balance. This is what causes the numbers on your scale to shift.
Weight fluctuation is also caused by the storage of energy reserves
Apart from salt and water, the amount of carbohydrates you eat also affects how much water is stored in the body because our bodies need additional fluids to store glycogen (carbohydrates) as energy.
To store every gram of glycogen, the body needs three grams of water. When we eat carbohydrates, this simple sugar intake is stored as glycogen in various places in the body, including red and white blood cells, brain, and kidneys (in small amounts). Glycogen serves as a secondary long-term energy storage, after fat. Muscle glycogen is converted to glucose by muscle cells, and liver glycogen is converted to glucose for use throughout the body, including the central nervous system.
Each gram of stored carbohydrates causes your body to retain 2.7-4 times as much glycogen in the form of water. The combination of an increase in carbohydrates and water which binds to each carbohydrate causes our body weight to increase.
Curious why you feel lighter after sweating exercise? While you may notice weight loss immediately after intense exercise, you may gain more weight if your muscles build up fluids. "Resistance training or even trying a new exercise can lead to fluid buildup if the muscles are worked hard," says Hogan. Part of the body's response to repairing microscopic tears in muscles is fluid retention.
How much weight does this fluctuation in body weight usually gain?
Fluctuations in body weight can result in temporary weight gain of up to 2.5 kg per day. It can take some time for your digestive system to process the food, fluids and salts you eat, and other well-processed substances before contributing to your actual body weight.
When you have a big dinner the night before, your weight will stay the same when you wake up in the morning if you don't have a bowel movement yet. This is especially so if you eat foods that are high in salt. Even if you eat more than usual, you can't gain significantly more weight overnight. Your actual weight is the result of a process that occurs continuously over a long period of time.
Weigh yourself once a week, not every day
One way to prevent the stress that results from fluctuating body weight is to refrain from weighing yourself as much as possible on a daily basis. Weigh yourself once a week, and do this without wearing clothes and shoes, which can add a pound or two to the scale.
Try to weigh yourself after you empty your stomach in the morning. If you find that your weight is still fluctuating when you weigh it once a week, you should drink plenty of water to reduce the amount of salt in your body. Then, weigh it again two days later, in the morning. If the results are still high, you may need to reassess your diet and exercise program to ensure that you are not consuming more calories than you burn.
