T Nation

How to Deal with Weight Inconsistencies

Bigger Stronger Leaner
#1

Currently bulking after my first year of lifting on a cutting diet(yes I was dangerously obese initially)

Screenshot_20190125-203421_Samsung%20Notes
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That’s my bulking chart and somewhere in january I started dosing with pre workout which may explain the 159 pound? Or not? Could that be fat or water or actually muscle?
I follow this lean gains approach
https://www.google.com/amp/s/kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/intermittent-fasting-tips-for-lean-bulking/amp/
Not eating until 30min prior to lifting.

I’ve heard of taking averages of weight when bulking but as you can see in the picture. The weight is a rollercoaster in both good and bad ways

Am I a Lost Cause? Can I Be Fixed?
#2

Good job on the initial weight loss I guess.

In practice you should try to weigh yourself everyday same time under same conditions. There’s lots of reasons for short term fluctuations but they aren’t always predictable. By weighing yourself like that you can see a clear picture of what’s going on and the trend to it whether you are getting heavier or lighter at the rate you wish.

It you had graphed your weight from day 1 and averaged it out you may actually find you are gaining weight at a nice slow rate perfect for a lean bulk. Even with all the fluctuation the trend should be gaining weight

If you aren’t happy with the rate of your weight gain or have stalled around this weight what it probably comes down to is inconsistency in your diet specifically caloric intake leading to your inconsistency in weigh in. You ain’t eating in a surplus enough consistently it seems.

#3

My stomach portrays however and to answer your statement I guess, I do weigh myself after nearly every workout which ends usually at the same time

#4

Most of the time first thing in the morning after a massive dump minimal clothes is best time. Minimal stuff to throw off things

After a workout is a bit of a doozy. Lots of inconsistent factors

Something like the weather will influence much we sweat and then how much we end up weighing after a workout. Also how much water we drink intra workout

#5

There aren’t any wild inconsistencies there. Any one of those differences could be “was very active one day, ate cake the next”.

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#6

Dude I weigh in at 103kg Wednesday morning and 104.9kg Thursday morning.

Its normal.

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#7

That’s the thing, I dont know if I’m truly bulking with excessive calories or if I’m lean bulking as they say smart bulking aims for 1-2 pound gain per month but if your weight changes 5-10 pounds daily how do you know if you’re putting on 1-2 pounds of muscle a month?

#8

The weight or reps you move will go up.

Also, weighing daily is kind of meh, and can lead to this kind of doubt and confusion.

I’m pretty sure that some of the best guys like @robstein and a few others may weigh daily when it’s important, but use the weekly trend to really see where they’re going.

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#9

thats not going to happen under normal conditions… if so it will be in the form of actual fluid retention.

#10

Unless you’re hopping on stage, there’s no reason to weigh in daily, unless it’s a motivation thing for you. I think twice a week is sufficient to see your movement.

I never understand why people weigh themselves multiple times a day. Best time is in the morning, after bathroom, with minimal or no clothing. After that I think there are just too many varying factors.

Regarding the 1-2 pounds thing, it’s very challenging to gauge that just from scale weight alone. Again, many factors. What if you lose a pound of fat and gain a pound of muscle? The scale won’t change, but your body certainly will.

Use the scale as A guide, not THE guide. For smart gaining, just make sure your weight isn’t increasing significantly. If the scale doesn’t show much movement but your conditioning is looking good and you’re slowly getting stronger, you’re moving in the right direction. If your average scale weight doesn’t change for 3-4 weeks, add a small amount of cals, like an additional 10%, and keep it going.

Are you tracking your cals and macros daily? Weighing your food on the scale? If not, those habits are extremely important if you want to “lean bulk” (gosh I hate that term.)

#11

I used to weigh myself daily, first thing in the morning after peeing, and if I was lucky, taking a dump. I also measured my BF with an Omron handheld. Then I entered those numbers into a spread sheet. My weight could fluctuate as much as five pounds from day to day.

I would calculate the weekly average after weighing in on Sunday and that was the number I looked at, not the daily swings.

I have about four years of daily weights in that spreadsheet. But I quit tracking it about six months ago. I still get on the scale everyday, but quit tracking it. I also quit counting calories. Since I stopped tracking weight and calories, I’ve been pretty steady at a much lower weight than when I was tracking - about 180 versus 190-195.

Now I eat when I’m hungry, and I eat for vitality rather than worrying about macros. Most of the time I eat what is good for me rather than what my macros tell me I need.I call it intuitive eating, but you could also call it auto regulation.

I’ve tried to shift my view of food to seeing it as medicine rather than sustenance. It’s actually pretty hard to over eat when you do this. Of course, eating half of a pepperoni pizza is out now, although I did scarf down a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder the other day - hey, it tasted good.

TL;DR - Don’t sweat the daily fluctuations.

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