Putting these weight fluctuations into perspective can help you avoid freaking out the next time you step on the scale after eating dinner, only to find you’ve gained three pounds. Food and beverages obviously weigh something, so don’t be surprised when the scale shows it.

You won’t gain three pounds from eating three pounds of food and drink; many foods are partially indigestible, especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which will be excreted from the body.

Water from the beverages you drink will also be either used to maintain fluid balance within the body or excreted as urine. The calories from the foods you do digest will either be burned for energy or put away in storage.

Weight gain comes into play when food or calorie-laden beverages are eaten in excess, and the extra calories are stored in the body as fat. So what really counts are the number of calories you eat and not the number on the scale after you eat.

Weigh yourself in the morning before you have anything to eat or drink and after you empty your bladder and bowels. This is your true weight, and the one you should be comparing your weight-loss goals to.