What parameters would constitute normal weight fluctuation, especially in women?

[aliciaking]

Hello,

I am a physio and have recently had a couple of female clients and friends trying to lose weight (or at least not put it on) ask what 'normal' weight fluctuations are?

As this is not my area of specialty, I told them I had no idea. Any understanding I have of nutrition comes from your content.

But it did get me thinking, particularly for menstruating women, within what range would you expect weight to fluctuate? I imagine there would be individual variation?

If for e.g. 1kg was gained over a week, is this indicative of 'weight gain' or ?potential fluid retention at various stages of a woman's cycle?

Cheers,

Alicia

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Fluid-related fluctuations are typically in the 1-2% BW range (up or down), though yes, this certainly varies. Averaging weight from multiple AM weigh-ins over the week helps to clarify the signal from the noise. I wouldn't expect that someone gaining 1kg over a week is necessarily gaining "real" weight, but they're certainly not losing it either. Look for longer trends over 2-3 week epochs and go from there.