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Q: Why do I weigh less after shower? ( No Answer,   7 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Why do I weigh less after shower?
Category: Health
Asked by: mailtobecky-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 04 Nov 2005 14:30 PST
Expires: 04 Dec 2005 14:30 PST
Question ID: 589165
I am a 28 year old woman, 5' 6", weighing about 140 lbs.  I have a
digital scale in my bathroom that measures weight in increments of
half pounds.  I usually weigh myself in the mornings just before
entering the shower and occasionally just after exiting the shower. 
In either case, no clothing or towel is present on the scale to add to
my weight.  Almost every time I weigh myself afterwards, my weight is
1/2 to 1 pound LESS after a shower than my pre-shower weight.  This
has puzzled me for years and I have yet to find the answer.  Surely I
am not washing away that much dirt (I shower at least once daily) and
by my logic I should weigh MORE afterwards due to wet hair, etc.  What
would cause my post-shower weight to be less?

Clarification of Question by mailtobecky-ga on 04 Nov 2005 14:39 PST
pinkfreud's comment below is a possibility, though I don't think my
showers are that hot.  If this is the cause, how hot would the
temperture need to be?

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 04 Nov 2005 20:02 PST
One possibility is that the shower-induced changes to the termperature
and humidity of the room is changing not your weight, but the
sensitivity and accuracy of the scale itself.

Have you ever tried weighing a large, fixed weight before and after a
shower?  A big old 20-pound jar full of pennies, or something of that
sort?  I'd be curious to learn what happens.

paf

Clarification of Question by mailtobecky-ga on 07 Nov 2005 15:25 PST
I have not tried weighing fixed weight object to test the accuracy of
the scale.  I'll try and get back to you.

In response to another users comments below...  Humidity remaining the
same, I believe the scale is accurate, meaning multiple weigh-ins
bring the same result without the variable of the shower, but I will
test this as well.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: pinkfreud-ga on 04 Nov 2005 14:36 PST
 
A remarkable amount of weight can be lost temporarily by sweating. If
your showers are quite warm, you may be losing water weight. Of
course, you'll put it right back on later in the day when you
rehydrate yourself by drinking fluids.
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: pafalafa-ga on 04 Nov 2005 14:50 PST
 
Ummm...there's more than one way to eliminate body water during a
shower, and a good 'elimination' can be a pound of fluid, no problem.
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: mailtobecky-ga on 04 Nov 2005 15:05 PST
 
pafalafa:  Not in this case.  Though that type of elimination usually
occurs in the proper place just before the pre-shower weigh in.
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: markvmd-ga on 04 Nov 2005 17:26 PST
 
Everybody knows that warm objects are lighter than cool objects...
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: jpariag-ga on 07 Nov 2005 08:28 PST
 
The problem may lie in the precision of the scale... the ability to
reproduce the same measurement while weighing the same object multiple
times. I find that my digital scale at home is not very precise. If I
weigh myself twice, only a minute apart, without changing anything in
that time, the value often varies by as much as 3 pounds. Try weighing
yourself twice in a row and see what happens.
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: scissorhand-ga on 11 Nov 2005 00:04 PST
 
A movie called 22 grams explored the notion that at the time of death
ones weight decreases by 22 grams, being the spirit leaving the body.
Some tantric friends once mentioned micro-vita, mosquito buzzing super
tiny thingys that buzz around living beings. After ejaculation weight
loss is supposedly more than just emission fluids. Feeling 'weighted
down' or 'enlightened' may be more literal than what one might
imagine... Showers do perk most people up.
Subject: Re: Why do I weigh less after shower?
From: bhanee-ga on 03 Dec 2005 23:41 PST
 
This one is really a puzzling one and after discarding the humidity
factor as suggested by a few and also ascertaining that fixed weights
remain as they were, I mean when you weigh them with your machine and
also accuracy of the machine is not to be doubted what else it could
be. Now something comes to my mind that human body (or any animal body
to that extent) when alive depicts its weight through various reaction
mechanisms through our muscles and joints etc. as is rightly said a
dead persons weight is different from what it was when he was alive.
During a bath a lot of movements take in the body in muscles and
joints and some energy cunsumed in the process. It is a temporary
phenomenon that apparent weight after the shower is reduced a bit
(should be in fact less than a half pond!)and after awhile when body
relax back the weight comes back to normal.
If it so this should happen after exercices also. To be checked.

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