Scales, Water Weight & Fat Gain
Understanding Body Weight Fluctuations: why the Number on the Scale Doesn’t Tell the Full Story.
One meal out, one celebration.
And suddenly, the scale hits you with a number that feels like betrayal.
Before you panic — here’s what you need to know.
Stepping on it can feel like judgment day, to the point that some people avoid it altogether. But the truth is, the scale doesn't create anxiety —𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬.
The scale is not a judge, but a tool that provides you with clear, objective feedback on how your diet is progressing.
If your weight is trending in the right direction, it's more than just a number — 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.
It serves as positive reinforcement — a clear sign that your current approach is working. That small moment of confirmation reinforces your habits, builds momentum, and keeps you locked in on what's delivering results.
If your weight trend moves in the opposite direction, it's not a failure; it's feedback—a prompt to refine your approach. Maybe your nutrition needs tightening, your steps need increasing, or your consistency needs reinforcing.
Some argue that weighing yourself regularly is "obsessive." Still, the research says otherwise. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. In fact, diets that include consistent self-weighing are far more effective than those that don't.
The scale isn't your enemy — it's your accountability partner.
𝐒𝐨, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐨, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧?
Remember, body weight naturally fluctuates day to day due to water, sodium, glycogen, and digestion. It's a normal part of your body's functioning, not a cause for alarm.
If you panic every time the number goes up, you'll overreact.
If you avoid the scale altogether, you'll lose awareness.
So how do you use the scale?
- Same time, same conditions
- Every morning, after going to the bathroom, before eating or drinking, and ideally without clothes.
- Log it, use the physique club app to see the weekly trends, and at a minimum, use notes on your phone or a spreadsheet.
- Don't judge a single day. Compare week-to-week averages over time.
- Say this objective: The number doesn't define you—it just gives you feedback to make smarter adjustments.
Your body weight can fluctuate day to day for reasons unrelated to fat gain or loss.
Here is what we know:
Hydration levels, sodium intake, food still being digested, glycogen storage, and even sleep quality can all affect the number you see on the scale.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞/𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.
The mass in your digestive tract alone can cause noticeable weight shifts. You could easily be 1 kg heavier than yesterday simply because you haven't been to the bathroom yet, whereas yesterday, you had. 💩
After a large meal, you may retain 1–2 kg of food and water in the gut before digestion and excretion.
High-fibre or high-volume diets increase intestinal contents further, since fibre and plant matter hold water.
Water retention can cause significant, temporary changes in body weight — and it's completely normal. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐲.
We hope it doesn't, but you need to be prepared.
A 50 kg woman might see her weight shift a whole kilo overnight, while someone at 130 kg barely notices the exact change. Different bodies, different responses.
But here’s what really matters — how you feel in your body.
The confidence in your clothes, the strength in your lifts, the calm that comes from knowing you’re doing the right things.
The number on the scale will rise and fall — but how do you feel getting stronger, healthier, and more in control?
That’s the real progress.
These shifts in your body are influenced by many factors: hydration levels, sodium intake, mineral balance, hormonal changes, and even the composition of your meals.
A high-carb or salty meal, for example, can make you hold extra water overnight, while a low-carb day or a sweaty training session can make you drop it just as fast.
It doesn't reflect fat gain or loss — it's simply your body's way of maintaining fluid balance, and im not even going to mention what alcohol does.
Changes in your carbohydrate intake — and even small dietary shifts — can directly affect how much glycogen your body stores in the muscles and liver.
𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐥𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫. So when you eat more carbohydrates and your body refills its glycogen stores, it naturally pulls in and has more water inside the muscle. That’s why your weight can rise quickly after a high-carb day — it’s water and energy storage, not fat gain.
That means a shift in glycogen levels from diet or training can lead to a noticeable weight change of 1–3 kg, without any actual change in body fat.
It's one of the main reasons your scale weight can jump overnight after a high-carb day: you're simply holding more glycogen and water, not gaining fat.
𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝟕,𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟏 𝐤𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭. 𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝟐,𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟏𝟎,𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 (𝟐,𝟓𝟎𝟎 + 𝟕,𝟕𝟎𝟎) 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝟏 𝐤𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐭.
So don't worry about the changes in your day-to-day weight; start focusing on the long-term trends of the weekly averages. Patience and consistency will lead to the results you're looking for.
