Why Do You Weigh Less in the Morning?
Why do you weigh less in the morning? Those who weigh themselves multiple times a day may be wondering why they arrive at different numbers each time. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why this is.
For those who have bathroom scales or who diligently track their weight, you are probably already aware of how confusing the scale can be. This is especially true in the evening, when you tend to weigh the most.
When trying to track progress for either weight gain or weight loss, it can get frustrating when the scale starts going in directions that don’t make sense, especially when you’ve been putting a lot of work into your diet and exercise regimen. Before you start changing your diet, though, let’s talk about why these inconsistencies occur.
Is It Normal to Weigh Less in the Morning?
If you were to weigh yourself at different times of the day, you would almost always find that your weight first thing in the morning is the lowest. There are several factors that influence why your weight fluctuates so wildly, even in a 24 hour period.
7 Factors that Impact Weight
So here are 7 key factors that impact morning weigh ins, and how to consider them for more accurate weight readings.
1. You Have Or Haven’t Had A Bowel Movement
If you weigh yourself before you’ve had your morning bowel movement or you weigh yourself during a bout of constipation, you may find that you’re unusually heavier. Thus, it’s best to void both the bladder and the bowels prior to weighing yourself.
2. The Amount of Sodium You’ve Been Eating
As mentioned in my recent article about sodium and weight, sodium is very effective at causing the body to retain water. Some people can find themselves several pounds heavier the morning after an evening of eating high sodium foods.
The solution here is to either stick to a lower sodium diet while you’re tracking your weight, or to simply be aware that your weight is going to be higher the day after a deep dish pizza night.
3. How Many Carbs You’ve Been Eating
As the name indicates, carbo-”hydrates” can cause the body to store extra water. If you consume more carbs than your body needs for fuel at any given time, those carbs get stored as glycogen for your body to use for energy later. When glycogen is stored in the muscles and liver, it carries water with it.
This is one reason people insist that carbs cause weight gain, as consuming a high carb meal can result in a higher weight on the scale and even some bloating. It’s also one reason people who start low carb diets experience a lot of weight loss right away. In reality, much of this loss is actually water. In any case, just be aware this bloating is temporary.
4. You Are Over Hydrated Or Dehydrated
In the same way that sodium and carbs influence water retention, it may be obvious to point out that your water intake influences your weight as well. This influence is so strong, it’s even common to see wrestlers and boxers drastically reduce their water intake before weigh-ins in order to be placed in a lower weight class.
Other individuals, however, should always stay on top of their fluid intake for optimal hydration. This consistency is not only important for health reasons, but also for more accurate weight readings. Just make sure not to overdo it. Too much water can cause toxicity that can throw off your electrolyte balance which can be life threatening.
5. You Flew On A Plane Recently
Have you ever found that your mouth feels as dry as its ever been when you get off of a plane? Studies have shown you lose about 8 ounces of fluid for every hour you’re in the air. This is due to the elevation causing the lungs to work harder to get the oxygen your body needs.
Given that the lungs lose water as part of the respiration process, the longer you’re in the air, the more fluid you lose. This is one reason airlines are required to provide drinks for flights of certain durations. Thus, you can expect to weigh less after a long trip.
6. You Are Sleep Deprived or Under A Lot of Stress
Research has shown that a lack of sleep and an increase in stress causes the body’s cortisol levels to rise. When cortisol levels are high, the body tends to hold onto more fat.
Unlike shifts in water or certain digestive habits, this effect can be more long term. This means that if you’ve been consistent with your diet and exercise, but find that your scale is not budging, your true barrier may be your stress levels and sleeping habits.
7. You Exercised A Lot
After intense exercise (especially in the heat), you’ll probably weigh less after you’re done due to fluid losses from sweat. Furthermore, trained individuals may even find that they weigh more the day after an intense weight training workout, as certain muscle groups may retain some fluid from blood plasma as the body rushes blood to that area to help with muscle repair and recovery.
Do You Weigh More At Night?
Yes individuals typically always weigh more at night, which is exactly why nutrition and fitness professionals discourage taking weight at night. Why? By the end of the day, you have a body full of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and probably are full of fluids as well.
Thus, you’re almost always going to weigh more if you weigh yourself before bed compared to taking that weight right when you roll out of bed.
How Often Should You Weigh Yourself On A Diet?
So how much does weight fluctuate from night to morning? Since weight changes vary depending on:
what you’ve eaten,
how many fluids you’ve had,
how often you’ve gone to the bathroom,
and several other factors we talked about…
there's just no reliable way to quantify it. So, it’s best to weigh yourself every other week to get the most reliable trends.
If that seems like a long time or you are on a short term weight loss journey, you can weigh yourself once a week, but anything more often than that probably will do more harm than good as you’ll likely get some confusing readings.
You can also take other data points to cross reference with your weight if you want more reliable metrics to track progress. You can take weekly progress pictures, measure your waist circumference and pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.
The Bottom Line on Why You Weigh Less in the Morning
So, is morning weight your true weight? The answer is yes! Since all of the food you ate the previous day has been completely digested after a full night’s sleep, if you take care to go to the bathroom and not eat before your morning weigh in, you are most likely to get the most accurate weight.
In the event that you've engaged in recent activities that may affect your body's ability to retain water, such as eating a lot of carbs and sodium or getting on a plane and not drinking enough fluids, this number may still be off.
However, being aware that these factors are influencing your weight readings is key. Enlisting the help of a dietitian to help you properly manage and track your weight can take a lot of guesswork out of your weight gain or weight loss efforts. If this is something that sounds appealing to you, contact me today.