What causes large losses overnight?

[GerddwrEryri]

I've been dieting on and off for a year now. I started off really well again in January then slipped off the wagon. Last week I got back on it and did really well with the exercise and healthy eating. I weighed myself on Monday and I'd lost 5 lbs.

What causes these huge losses? I don't feel 5 lbs is a real loss because my weight was in the healthy range (just!) before that loss so I haven't got much left to lose.

[Frosty66612]

Water weight. This is what it says online about it:
When you reduce your caloric intake, your body gets its needed energy by releasing and utilizing its stores of glycogen, which is a type of carbohydrate found in the muscles and the liver. ... This results in the initial "water weight" loss that accompanies early weight loss from dieting and calorie restriction.

Well done with the weight loss though and just keep going. You might find it slows down a lot but don’t get obsessed with the scales as sometimes you can look and feel leaner but the numbers stay pretty much the same because you gain a bit of muscle

[Rainydaydog]

When you first start a diet program you burn off some off your glycogen first. This is the easy access energy store in the liver. This glycogen is stored in your body bound up with a lot of water so it is quite heavy. Once you have burned that off your body starts to burn your body fat. This is most noticeable on a strict low carb diet but it also happens on other diets.

[RunMummyRun68]

also time of weigh in makes a difference....we weigh less in the morning usually

[Buglife]

Water weight usually. If you weigh yourself in the morning and then in the evening you'll See that you can fluctuate by about 5-6 pounds in a day easily. So long term weight loss is only really visible as a downward trend if you weigh once a week and then see how that goes over a month or so. Overnight you sweat and lose liquid and become more dehydrated and then in the evening you’ve got a days with of water and food in you. I’ve read so many poss etc on Slimming World message boards etc where people are distraught that they’ve put on pounds in a day but is because they weigh themselves too much! It’s why jeans etc feel tighter in the evening.

[Clinicalwaste]

Foods that are diuretic will make you wee loads quickly like cucumbers.

[Starryskiesinthesky]

Bugweight is that a typo that your weight fluctuates 5/6 pounds over the course of a day? Seems hard to believe!

[PrimalLass]

Not that's not a typo, it can do.

[RunMummyRun68]

Yes it can fluctuate that much! Mine does too

[Johnnycomelately1]

In summer I can lose 2kg just on a long run - glycogen depletion plus dehydration.

Your body can store 500g glycogen and 2L of water with it, which is roughly 5lbs.

[unintentionalthreadkiller]

My weight can fluctuate +/- 5lb in a day. That's why I've given up the scales and use a tape measure now.

[Frosty66612]

My weight fluctuates by about 4-5 pounds per day as I have IBS and get very bloated. I’m also heavier before my period compared to just after it (body clings to water during those times).