Physiological reasons for weight gain

[Pam]

I am wondering if anyone can help me with this question. Why is it I can weigh up to 5 lbs more at night than I do in the morning and experience a weight loss, sometimes up to 2 lbs by the time morning rolls around? Also what can account for a weight gain of up to 3 lbs from one day to the next when clearly not enough calories have been eaten to account for the weight gain (nor increased sodium levels)?

I understand there is the water retention issue, but can that account for 5 lbs? I also understand that while we breath at night we are losing water but I am not convinced that I lose 5 lbs of water at night. I'm just curious what the physiological reasons for this would be. I should also point out that though I realize that weight gain for women can happen during certain times of the month I am inquiring about all other times.

I also do not consume excess sodium (and I do track this) so I'm not sure that would be the reason here although I am aware that it could account for some it. Again I'm looking for physiological reasons for this. If anyone has any links or could shed some light on this I would appreciate it. I also should add that I had Ryan track his weight, both morning and at night and he experiences the same thing. He can be up at night up to 6 lbs but will either be the same or down a bit from his morning weight the day before.

[RyanA]

This is what I posted on exrx.net:

I think you could change any of the parameters you listed. The sudden drops do actually make sense in terms of metabolism as some said because if you are "gradually" decreasing your eating then your metabolism can account for that to keep you alive on less fuel, but as soon as it realizes this is the new regular thing and decides it can survive, it picks back up to normal and that weight drops rather discretely to a new level of equilibrium.

I think hitting too hard can be horrible for weightloss because you drive yourself into the ground so much that your metabolism never feels it can "survive" because it just sees a huge decrease and start holding onto all it can and then it establishes that is what it always has to do, so when you finally get tired of hitting it hard and take it easy, now it is working less efficiently than before you hit it hard and BAM you put on weight.

Since you keep track of so much already, try keeping track of intensity in some way, as well as duration, and frequency (these last 2 are pretty easy, first can be challenging) and try to correlate in strange fluctuations in weight to this. Could be interesting.

~Ryan Applegate

In addition, I want to add that the whole idea is intriguing because it somehow says that your body has these quantized levels of homeostasis at which it can function. IE, maybe someone's body can exist comfortably at 150 average weight and also at 142 average but not at 147. Very interesting, atleast to me but I am a nerd and such.

[Pam]

Ryan I could spend all day reading books on this stuff if I had the time. Ever since the first day I picked up a dumbbell I've been intrigued with how our bodies function and handle the stress of lifting and the how's and why's of weight loss.

My son is taking a Cell Bio class...I think I've gotten more use out of his text book than he has.

Thanks for your response. What you said makes a lot of sense and I am going to start tracking intensity. My heartrate monitor tracks my average heart rate so I'm going to record that and also rate it on a scale of 1-10. Not sure I'll figure anything out but I might discover something.

Thanks.

[jack]

don't discount the paranormal,phases of the moon,etc . I'm not being trite.....I'm just in over my head on this one. Whatever the reasons.....you're trending in the right direction and that's the most important thing.

[fish]

Water weighs about 8.34 lbs per gal. So a pint of water weights over a pound.

I think water loss, together with the overnight fast and metabolic burn can account for the numbers you mention.

[Pam]

I realize I'm losing now but thats not really why I asked Jack. Im more curious how the whole thing works.

Sort of like when I took a programming class in college, I needed to know how the computer first.

[fishI justI]

I just reread the string.

I still say that water loss, especially during the winter when the ambient humidity in the house is so low, can account for a swing of 5 or 6 pounds.

As for the other issue (sic), I have wondered if an analysis of human waste products might indicate that the body is limited in the rate at which it can store calories relative to ingestion, and that excess over that amount are simply passed.

The storage rate might change, but I don’t recall any sudden gains in weight regardless of sudden huge increases in caloric intake.

Like the time I ate that entire cake with a quart of ice cream.

ps We use the clothing rack summer and winter. In winter, the house is so dry that the clothing dries in an hour. In summer it takes much longer. Dryers eat clothing and use a lot of electricity. In winter the humidity from the clothing cuts down on those darn static elec shocks, too.

[RyanA]

You realize people spend 4 years in college learning all there is about programming and still dont know it all?

They also spend 4 years learning how a computer works(which is actually a different subject) and yeah...

Lofty goals Pam.

[Pam]

I know Ryan..and I never did learn exactly how a computer works.

I dont expect to learn it all overnight. Its just a subject that is very interesting to me. Once I get more established in my art business I'd love to go back to school and get another degree in physiology, kinesiology, exercise science or something along those lines.

Fish I'm sure a fair amount of the weight loss is water weight. So what prompted you to eat an entire cake and quart of ice cream? One pattern I noticed way back when i started losing weight was if I had an off day...ok pigout day..the weight didnt catch up with me until a day or two later.

[fish]

Miss Honey's aunt, Mrs. Trunchbull made me do it.

Phew !