So... I was at work yesterday and talking with one of my co-workers about weight changes. I told him that mid-day, after eating and drinking, you can gain 2-5 pounds. I know it's true, because when I weigh myself in the morning, I'm 162-163, but after food, water, and such (unless I haven't eaten in awhile), I'm 165-168. Of course, after a few hours, I'm back down to 163 again.
I was telling my co-worker about that and he said, "Sorry, but I don't buy it. If you're not putting that much weight INTO your body, how is your body producing it? That's scientifically impossible. Matter cannot be created out of thin air, don't you remember middle school science?"
Is he right? I wasn't lying to him... I swear to God this happens... does anyone scientically know why we gain after eating and drinking? Is it really just the weight of the food, or is the weight of the food plus the chemicals our body produces to digest it?
Remember a pint is a pound. Sixteen ounces of liquids = 1 pound so when you're drinking lots of liquids during the day your weight goes up accordingly. Also your body stores calories in the form of glycogen in the liver until it needs it and this adds to weight during the day. In the morning your weight is less because you haven't eaten all night and haven't had recent water intake.
My evening weight is always 2 to 4 lbs higher than my morning weight. The fact is that you probably are consuming 2 to 5 lbs of food and beverage (or more) during the day. One can of diet soda is a pound right there. Your co-worker is probably underestimating the amount of food and beverage he consumes.
I pretty much weigh everything that goes into my mouth, so as an experiment, I added up the quantity of food and beverage I consumed yesterday. In food alone, I consumed 3.5 pounds. And that was less than 1200 calories; if you are eating at a higher calorie level than me, you're probably eating more food. Since I don't drink beverages with calories, I don't track my beverages, but I can guestimate that I consumed at least another 3 lbs in beverages and possibly up to 5 lbs. So that's a total consumption of anywhere from 6.5 to 8.5 lbs in both food and beverage. Wow! Good thing I'm exercising and no wonder my weight is 3 lbs higher (on average) at night.
Also, there are water fluctuations based on the humidity in the air, as you breathe you can gain or lose water through breath.
Other than that, no, you dont create matter--its just the weight of the food, but you can EASILY take in 2-5 lbs over the course of a day. Morning coffee alone is 1 lb for me (16 oz). Oatmeal lets see.... well thats about another 1/2 lb. (cooked) My omelet has about another 1/2 lb --mostly in salsa Heck thats 2 lbs and I just had BREAKFAST. Plus I usually have a huge glass of H2O with breakfast and another about 10 am....so there is another 2 lbs ...except that I never quite make it that long without peeing...
I am a chemical engineer - mass balance is EVERYTHING! Tell him the proper formula is this:
Weight of food & drink ingested(t2-t1) + Net Water vapor absorbed(t2-t1) + ((calories injested - calories burned to live)/3500)(t2-t1) - pee(t2-t1) - poop(t2-t1) = Weight change(t2-t1)
if that doesnt shut em up, well, then they just like to argue
Ennay, thank you! I am going to show him that. I also had no idea that we really did take in that much food during the day... NO WONDER I'm 3-5 pounds heavier (and more, if I've eaten a lot/drank a lot of water without using the bathroom yet) in the evening! You girls rock.
The guy I was talking about is actually a pretty cool guy - we get along well and talk all the time, but very set in his principles and has that alpha male "I'm always right" mentality. I can't wait to show him that little formula
Last edited by NightengaleShane; 07-01-2007 at 08:46 AM.
Reason: I made a typo and I'm anal retentive :)
Murphmitch mentioned glycogen. It seems to me that I read that glucose has to be combined with a lot of water in order to make glycogen for storage in the liver. That water adds weight.
I suspect that the daily weight fluctuation is greater in women than in men. Maybe your friend would like to do an experiment on himself, but things being the way they are, he would probably prove himself correct. LOL.
Also, part of the equation might be that when you weigh at different times of the day you are wearing different clothing?? That might contribute a little...
Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it’s packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it’s stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it’s associated water. It’s normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you’re prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.
Strangely enough, the max I ever weigh at any given point in the day is 3 lbs.. but more often then not, it's only 1 lb-1.5 lbs. Weird, huh? I do notice that it's more when I drink a lot of water though.. something I haven't been doing lately!
Weight fluctuations- frustration and insight
Good thing I'm exercising and no wonder my weight is 3 lbs higher (on average) at night.
Heck thats 2 lbs and I just had BREAKFAST. Plus I usually have a huge glass of H2O with breakfast and another about 10 am....so there is another 2 lbs ...except that I never quite make it that long without peeing...
