This water is sent back out with the waste products our body doesn't need, making its way out of our bodies through our bowels. Poop is around 75 percent water, which is why it appears as though you have gained weight after going to the bathroom.
But for those of you who aren't squeamish, we'll explain. When you have a bowel movement, you're emptying your colon. Depending how much you go, that visit to the ladies' room can add up to half a pound a day—hence the reason you feel so much lighter after you poop.
Technically speaking, your total body weight will change when you poop. But will you “lose weight” (aka body fat) by pooping more, or more often? Nope. You might feel lighter and more comfortable after going.
Why does my weight fluctuate so much? “Everyone's weight fluctuates throughout the day, and especially from morning to night,” says dietitian Anne Danahy, MS, RDN. “The average change is 2 to 5 pounds, and it's due to fluid shifts throughout the day.” If you see fluctuations of less than 5 pounds, you needn't worry.
Strict diets, skipping meals and restricting fluids can lead to constipation which can add 2 to 6 pounds to the scale. Ease constipation by increasing fiber-rich foods, water and exercise.
In the short-term, you will probably weigh a few hundred grams more if you are constipated because your bowel is full of digested food. Just remember that this is rather insignificant because it hardly impacts your overall body weight.
Bloating may occasionally add a pound or two, but it doesn't actually signify weight gain. A simple way to tell the difference between bloating and weight gain or fat is how your stomach looks and feels. If your stomach is tight and hard, then bloating is the cause. If your stomach is soft and thick, then that's fat.
It is normal to lose weight overnight, meaning that your weight in the morning will often be lower than your weight in the evening. The amount of weight you lose overnight will depend on how much you sweat at night and how dehydrated you are in the morning.
This energy reserve is pack with 1.5 to 2 kg of water. So when your glycogen stores shrink when you do not consume carbohydrates, so does your water, and thus it's normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 1 kg per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level.
Transitioning from a very low calorie and low carbohydrate diet to a low calorie and moderate carbohydrate diet often leads to a weight gain of 1-2 kgs in a matter of one day. This is mainly because of a sudden increase in the carbohydrate content which is stored along with water in the body.
“On a day you don't eat for 24 hours, you're guaranteed to be losing a third or half a pound of non-water weight that's mostly from body fat,” Pilon told Global News.
As your body metabolizes fat, fatty acid molecules are released into the bloodstream and travel to the heart, lungs, and muscles, which break them apart and use the energy stored in their chemical bonds. The pounds you shed are essentially the byproducts of that process.
You should step on the scale first thing in the morning. That's when you'll get your most accurate weight because your body has had the overnight hours to digest and process whatever you ate and drank the day before.
You're Constipated
Being "backed up" can cause you to weigh more until your body releases the waste it's hanging onto.
First things first: It's totally normal for your weight to fluctuate 1-2kg in a day. Ever so often, patients come to me, saying: “I've tried several strict diet programmes and yet things go wrong. After all the hard work and effort I put in with diet and exercise, my weight doesn't budge.
The good news is that you can't just gain 3kg of fat in 3 days. There are plenty of ways that your weight can fluctuate that aren't to do with your fat mass. Here are a few of the most common causes of sudden weight gain.
In order to lose 5kg in a week, you would need to create a calorie deficit of approximately 35,000 calories. This would require burning an additional 5,000 calories per day or cutting 5,000 calories from your diet each day.
Most people need significantly more than 1,200 calories a day. Therefore, individuals who cut their daily intake to 1,200 calories can expect to lose some weight.
Bloating Is Localized While Belly Fat Is Widespread
One easy way to tell the difference between bloating and belly fat is that, with bloating, only the stomach expands due to the excess gas accumulation. You will likely notice other bulges with excess fat, particularly on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and back.
This may be due to menstruation, heart or kidney failure, preeclampsia, or medicines you take. A rapid weight gain may be a sign of dangerous fluid retention. If you quit smoking, you might gain weight. Most people who quit smoking gain 4 to 10 pounds (2 to 4.5 kilograms) in the first 6 months after quitting.
Gently press your stomach specifically around the swollen area. If your abdomen feels hard and tight, it means you are bloated. Generally, our stomach is soft and spongy and it remains the same even after gaining weight. If you can easily gasp an inch of your stomach, it can be due to excess of fat.