Why the Scale Lies: Understanding Weight Fluctuations
One of the most common things people ask me is, “Why does my weight go up and down so much, even when I’m eating right and working out?”
To be honest, I used to wonder the same thing too.
There are mornings when we wake up feeling like we have had a great week, good food, solid workouts, plenty of water, and the scale still jumps up by a kilo or two. It’s easy to feel disheartened, even when you know better, because the truth is those numbers can mess with your head if you let them.
Weight Fluctuations Are Normal And Expected
Over time, through my personal experience, reading research papers, and observing other people’s journeys, I have come to understand something important:
These daily weight changes are not just normal, they are expected and they don’t say much about your actual progress.
In short, I am now a strong believer in not trusting the weighing scale to gauge one’s fitness.
“Have I Gained Fat?” Probably Not.
Someone recently told me, “I drank loads of water yesterday, and the scale was up this morning. Have I gained fat?” No, not at all. Drinking two pounds (just under a litre) of water will instantly show up on the scale, but it’s just water. Your body is carrying it for hydration, not turning it into fat overnight.
“I Worked Out Hard, Why Did My Weight Go Up?”
Another person messaged after a tough workout, saying, “I trained so hard yesterday. I expected the scale to drop, but it’s gone up.” What most people don’t realise is that after an intense workout, your muscles hold on to extra water (up to a pound or around half a kilo) to help with muscle recovery. So even though you are progressing, the number might not reflect it the next day and that’s okay.
Salt, Sleep, Hormones, Everything Plays a Role
Even eating a little extra salt, which is easy to do without realising, especially when eating out or snacking can make your body hold on to 1–3 pounds (roughly half to one and a half litres) of water for a day or two. It’s not fat. It’s just your body balancing things out.
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| One Pound of Fat vs. Muscle |
People also ask, “Why is the scale not moving when I have been eating clean for five days?”
I always say, fat loss takes time. It takes about a week to lose one pound of fat (around 0.45 kg), assuming you are consistently in a calorie deficit. Meanwhile, muscle gain is even slower, about a month to gain a pound.
So when we expect the scale to reflect all our effort within a couple of days, we are setting ourselves up for unnecessary stress.
From my own experience, I have seen how easily the scale fluctuates based on the time of day, whether I have been to the washroom, how salty my food was, and how much water I drank recently or a day before.
Even hormones, sleep, and the weather can play a part. It’s wild and that’s why I don’t take the number too seriously anymore (I believe in inches)
That’s not to say I don’t weigh myself, I do (once in 2-3 months), but I use it to track general trends, not as a daily mood-swing trigger.
Here’s something I tell a lot of people:
If you look at your weight over a month and chart it, it won’t be a straight line.
It will be a zig-zag, like a cardiac line; up, down, up, up, down. But if your habits are consistent, the overall direction will still make sense.
“So what does weight loss actually look like?”
If you are losing fat, the scale will drop gradually over time, but not every day.
Some days it would go up, then down again. That doesn’t mean it’s not working.
“And if I’m maintaining weight?”
You would still see small fluctuations. A flat line is unrealistic, maintenance still includes little bumps here and there.
“What if I’m trying to build muscle?”
Expect the scale to go up slowly, but again, not in a straight line. You would have days where it drops. That does not mean you are losing muscle.
For better clarity, I have created simple visuals that show how weight trends typically look when you are losing, maintaining, or gaining.
That depends on how it makes you feel. If stepping on the scale ruins your day, maybe take a break. There are so many other ways to track progress:
- How your clothes fit
- Strength in workouts
- Digestion and bloating
- Energy and sleep quality
Also, to be clear, I am not saying stop eating salt or drink less water. On the contrary, these are essential. Skipping them will mess with your body, muscles, hormones, and overall function. What matters is balance. Too much or too little of anything will be harmful.
A few common experiences people share:
“I have been the same weight for three weeks, but my jeans feel looser. What’s going on?”
That’s progress. The scale does not always show fat loss immediately, but your body knows, and it shows you in other ways first.
“I feel bloated after eating out and the scale jumped. Did I undo everything?”
No. That’s salt, water, food still being digested. Give it 24–48 hours, it will pass.
“I ate dessert two nights in a row and I am terrified to check my weight.”
Let’s not give the scale that kind of power. One or two indulgent meals, even if they show up as water weight, don’t undo consistent habits over time.
So yes, your weight will fluctuate. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. But those numbers don’t mean you are failing. They just mean your body is alive and responding to life and that, to me, is a much better way to see it.
