Sport water weight

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NeuroRN76

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Is it normal to fluctuate 7 pounds of water weight from day to day? The other day I weighed 106 ...drank lots of water, was 113 the next day. I did have a lot of salt. Some people crave sugar, I crave salt.

Also, I work nightshift, and every now and then I need some caffeine to stay awake. As you probably know, coffee has a diurectic effect. I hate to drink it, but sometimes I have to, to get through till morning. I had 1/2 cup of coffee (with milk and sweet & low) at 2am last night, and at 2pm today, I was still running to the bathroom with a full bladder. Anytime I have coffee, literally, every 30-60 min, I have the urgency to pee. How long does this diuretic effect last? I'm trying to figure out if I have something wrong with my hormones that causes me to retain a lot of fluid, then let it all go at once. So far today I've lost 3-4 pounds of water. (Still replacing it.) I have never monitored my weight this closely, so maybe that's just normal day to day fluctuation. I wasn't sure... any idea?
 
Are you drinking at least .5-1 gal of water on a daily basis?

It's not normal to fluctuate that much in weight. if you just started drinking a lot of water, the peeing senstion will get better in the next few weeks and you won't have to make as many trips to the bathroom.

Could the gain been from maybe having a cheat food or some a large amount of food the day before?

The more water you drink, the less your body will hold as it will work to reduce the sodium levels and excrete excess salt/sodium/water from the body.
 
No I was a little bit dehydrated from a fever when I weighed 106. I had lots of salty foods hoping to retain a little fluid and get my strength back. But 7 pounds over night seemed like a lot. Although, that was a LOT of salt. And probably 6-8 glasses of water. I ate some fattening food but was still way below my calorie requirements for the day. Normally I don't fluctuate 7 pounds, but 4-5 pounds is almost guaranteed daily. I was not regularly drinking much water. Usually just a cup or two per day. I just recently (in the last week) started to drink more fluids -- can't do plain water so gatorade is doing the trick. (I know it has calories, but I can't ever meet my calorie requirements anyway.) Then once I let go of that fluid, it's like it all goes at once. And I'm back to square one.
 
Well, 1 gallon of water weighs about 8.3lbs, so 7lbs is less than 1 gallon of water retention (or dehydration).

I suppose on a fever, not drinking enough fluids, and too much salt, you could shrink down a few quarts of water, then you replace it the next day and the sodium makes you hold most of it...

I couldn't call it normal or common though. How good is your scale?
 
It's been very consistent, I compare it to the scales at work, and they're hospital scales, so pretty reliable. If a gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds, that's very possible I gained that much overnight. It just seems weird that half a cup of coffee can make me release it in just a day or two. Hard to know what my "real" weight is when it fluctuates so much. I'm guessing around 108-110.
 
I have a bad tendency to retain water, even though I drink tons of it (frequent UTIs have ensured that I do).

Before getting pregnant, I would fluctuate up to 9 pounds a day. I had a blood workup done, and everything showed within normal range. The doctor wasn't sure what could cause it since my levels were normal, and put me on a very mild diuretic to help even things out, which worked. She said some people are just more sensitive to fluid than others and I would probably always have to be very careful with my sodium intake. I am now incredibly careful about sodium intake and that has made a ton of difference.

Also, isn't Gatorade high in sodium? That might be contributing.
 
Gatorade contains sodium, but I wouldn't say it's high in sodium. My cardiologist recommended I take in 7 gms of sodium daily followed by large amounts of water to help me retain fluid. (Yes I know that sounds insane, but I have it in writing, LOL!) They told me to eat lots of Chinese food, chicken broths, and just carry a salt shaker everywhere. I don't take in anywhere near 7gms, and I don't think I could if I tried. But I do crave salty foods, so I indulge, and just drink lots of fluids with it. I don't know if anyone remembers me saying, I have a neurocardiogenic disorder, and I am unable to produce enough blood on my own, so adding sodium and water increases the blood volume. It just seems odd that it will all leave my body in a day...then come back again. Especially after just half a cup of coffee, I must be REALLY sensitive to caffeine, but pop doesn't do that to me. You'd think it would just sort of stabilize and maintain some sort of balance. Maybe I'm just not consistently taking in the right amounts of each daily. I guess that would be kind of hard to control unless you watched it very closely, and I don't. I'll have to start measuring everything and keeping better track... maybe then it won't be so "up and down." I just wondered if everyone else fluctuated too. I'm the only weirdo once again! :eek:
 
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It's normal to fluctuate in weight and with the water, coffee and salt you had recently... it could be the culprit. Keep an eye on your water/caffeine intake and modify it as needed. If that doesn't help it may be something else.

One last piece of info: not having enough protein will cause your body to be puffy and feel dehydrated. Be sure you are eating enough protein. (Long shot, but worth mentioning).
 
I was 190.4 when I went ot bed last night... and 184.6 in the morning... if you are not doing it now... wieght yourself when you first get up... after you use the bathroom... that should be the most consistent... My last 4 days have been 185.4, 185.0, 184.8, 184.6... but my nite weights and weight when I get home have been allow over the place from 185-193...

So if you are not taking your weight at the same relative level of hydration then you won't get a good feel for what your weight is really doing... I have a scale that measures body fat... (really impedence)... which fluctutes with hydration level.... I really like it because if helps me notice water weight vs actual weight gain...

BUT that being said I have seen a few pound jumps from eating foods that hold water... like if I eat whole grain pasta... the next day I usually am a pound heavier... or from increased sodium... but my scale tells me HEY JOHN YOU ARE RETAINING WATER... because my BF% will not be the same...
 
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