During the journey to lose weight, many people will experience weight fluctuations, especially those who follow a strict diet plan, only to find that they have gained weight at night. In fact, the key to understanding this phenomenon is to recognize the natural fluctuations in weight throughout the day, as well as the many factors that influence weight change, with water playing a central role.
1. The truth about weight fluctuations
It is normal for the human body to fluctuate by 2-3 kg throughout the day, mainly due to water intake, metabolism and excretion. As a result, weight in the morning on an empty stomach and after a bowel movement is usually the lightest of the day, while weight naturally rises as food intake, water metabolism, and physiological activity change throughout the day.
2. Why does the weight gain occur suddenly
1. Food and water intake
Food itself has weight, and it will temporarily gain weight before it is digested. At the same time, water in foods, foods high in salt (e.g., salty, processed foods), and high carbohydrate intake all encourage the body to retain water, especially when glycogen is synthesized.
2. Physiological factors
Special conditions such as women's menstrual cycles, use of hormone medications, kidney disease, etc., can also cause water retention and affect weight.
3. Exercise impact
Immediate weight loss after exercise is mainly due to water loss through sweat and respiration, but then weight may regain due to hydration and muscle repair (protein and hydration are needed).
3. How to correctly interpret weight changes
• Measurement time: Choose a fixed time, preferably in the morning after an empty bowel movement, to reduce errors.
• Focus on long-term trends: Short-term fluctuations don't have to be overly concerned, it's important to observe the overall trend over time.
•Diet and water management: Pay attention to food selection and intake, avoid too salty, too sweet and too much protein, and ensure appropriate water intake to avoid edema.
• Exercise & Recovery: Understand the temporary loss of weight after exercise and the normal regain after that, and pay attention to post-exercise nutritional supplementation, especially protein intake, to help muscle repair and adaptive growth.
Special Reminder****
For those on an extremely low-calorie diet, weight stagnation or transient regain may also involve nutritional imbalances, such as a drop in plasma albumin levels due to inadequate protein intake, which can cause slight edema. Therefore, a balanced diet, reasonable arrangement of exercise and rest is the long-term solution for healthy weight loss.
In summary, understanding the science behind weight fluctuations can help us stay rational and avoid unnecessary anxiety on our weight loss journey. Healthy weight loss is a gradual process, and focusing on long-term habit changes rather than short-term numerical changes is key.
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