Most of people who are trying to lose weight tend to stand on the scale several times a day to see whether they have made some progress or not. Some people may notice that they weigh a little less in the morning. If you are one of them, have you ever wondered why this happens?

Why Do I Weigh Less in the Morning?

The reason why you weigh less in the morning is that your body continues to work even when you are sleeping. The calories that you consume during the day is used by respiration and other essential bodily activities. Excretion through urination or defecation also reduces the weight of the body. If you work out during the day, the weight loss will be more obvious because workouts can increase short-wave sleep which can promote the burning of calories.

Other People's Answers to This Question

Even though we may not realize it but sleeping makes our body go without food and water for a considerable amount of time. Compare this with the frequent eating and drinking that we do while awake, and you will understand why this happens.

The amount of carbon we breathes out during the night can lead to weight loss. A lot of carbon is expelled when we are sleeping, which is enough for losing a few hundred grams of weight. If you measure your weight frequently, you will certainly notice the difference.

How to Weigh Yourself Properly

Why do I weigh less in the morning? Now you know the answer. Actually, if you want to lose weight, correct measurement is important. It will give you an accurate picture of your progress and help motivate you further.

1. Weigh Yourself at the Same Time Every day

The best time to weigh yourself is in the morning. This is the time when the previous day’s foods have been digested, meaning you will get the most accurate result of your weight. Weigh yourself everyday at the same time in the morning will help you get an accurate picture of how much weight you have lost, as your weight may fluctuate during the day. 

2. Weigh Yourself Naked, Before Eating and Preferably After a Bowel Movement

Why do I weigh less in the morning? Instead of thinking this question, you should focus more on how to weigh yourself correctly. To accurately weigh yourself every day, you need to remove as many variable factors as possible. Different clothes that you wear every day, different breakfast you have and whether you have had a bowel movement or not will all have influences on the result.

3. Do Not Weigh Yourself After Excessive Salt Consumption

Water retention caused by excessive salt will show you an inaccurately high result, and this result can demoralize you. It takes a couple of days for the excessive salt to be removed from your system, so wait that much time and then weigh yourself.

4. Wait for 3-5 Days After an Eating Binge

Sometimes, you may be craving for foods and consume lots of calories. In the short term, it will be reflected on your weighing scale and that is something not quite preferable. Give your body a minimum of 3-5 days to come back to the normal weight, or you may lose your motivation.

5. Use the Same Scale

Not all scales are created equal, and even those from the same manufacturer may not show the same result. Make sure that you are using one scale only to get a fair representation of your weight changes. A different scale may throw off the weight loss curve completely. 

6. Recalibrate Your Scale Often

Most people use weighing scales that are fairly inexpensive and quite prone to error. Depending on the type of scale that you are using, analog or digital, you may have to calibrate your scale before every use or every 3-4 uses.

• An analog scale requires to be set down on a flat surface and then examined. The pointer should be exactly at ‘0’, or else it should be adjusted.
• For a digital scale, remove and replace the batteries, and then take multiple measurements to calibrate it. The number that you see most often is likely to be the right one.

Scale Alternatives

Besides scales, there are other ways to track your weight loss process. They are less prone to temporary changes. When you do not want to deal with this question, "Why do I weigh less in the morning?" you can choose these two methods.

• Use a body fat assessment. Body fat assessment is available at many gyms and is easier to perform than caliper measurements.
• Track your body shape with a tape.