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The Number on the Scale - 4.19.26
Eight years.
For eight years I had been obsessed with the number on a scale.
An inanimate object had a hold over my happiness and freedom.
If it went down, I felt in control.
If it went up, I felt like I had done something wrong.
But what I didn’t understand at the time is how much that number can fluctuate, and how little it actually says about your health.
Your body weight can fluctuate anywhere from 2–5+ pounds in a single day, and sometimes even more depending on a variety of factors (Mayo Clinic, 2023).
These changes are rarely due to body fat. Instead, they are primarily influenced by:
Water retention
Food intake and digestion
Sodium consumption
Carbohydrate intake (glycogen storage)
Exercise and recovery
For example, when you eat carbohydrates, your body stores them as glycogen. Each gram of glycogen is stored with approximately 3–4 grams of water, which can temporarily increase your weight (Olsson & Saltin, 1970).
This means that eating more carbs, or even just fueling your body properly, can cause the scale to go up, even though nothing “negative” is happening.
Water retention is one of the biggest contributors to short-term weight changes.
It can be influenced by:
Sodium intake
Hydration levels
Stress (cortisol)
Exercise-induced inflammation
After a workout, your body actually retains water in your muscles to support repair and recovery. This is a good thing, it means your body is healing and adapting (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2015).
For women, weight fluctuations are even more complex due to hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle.
During the luteal phase (the week before your period), rising progesterone levels can lead to:
Increased water retention
Bloating
Temporary weight gain
These changes are completely normal and do not reflect changes in body fat (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2022).
Your body is simply responding to hormonal shifts, it’s not something to “fix.”
The Scale Doesn’t Tell the Full Story
The scale cannot measure:
Your hormone levels
Your hydration status
Your muscle recovery
Your energy levels
Your mental health
It gives you a single number, without any context, and it leaves you to interpret it.
And most of the time, we interpret it wrong.
Your body is not a static number.
It’s dynamic, responsive, and constantly adapting.
Weight fluctuations are normal.
They are expected.
And they are not a reflection of your worth or your health.
You don’t need to be controlled by the scale to take care of yourself.
You just need to start listening to your body.
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