Why We Use Exponential Moving Averages

Understanding the science behind MA Weight's smoothing algorithm

Written by Guzzo•

Weight fluctuates naturally from day to day. Water retention, food timing, and other factors can cause your weight to swing by several pounds, even when your true body composition hasn't changed. This can make it hard to see your actual progress and can be demotivating. That's why we built MA Weight to help you focus on trends, not fluctuations.

The Problem with Daily Weigh-ins

When you weigh yourself daily, you'll notice that your weight bounces up and down:

  • Eating a salty meal can cause water retention
  • Carbohydrate intake affects water weight
  • Different meal timing can impact morning weigh-ins
  • Sleep quality affects water balance
  • And many other factors

These daily fluctuations can mask the real trends in your weight, making it hard to know if your diet and exercise plans are working. Try our weight tracker to see the difference for yourself.

How Moving Averages Help

A moving average smooths out these daily fluctuations by considering multiple days of data. Instead of focusing on any single day's weight, you look at the trend over time. This gives you a much clearer picture of your true weight trajectory. Our weight tracking app makes this process automatic and intuitive.

Why Exponential Moving Averages?

At MA Weight, we specifically use exponential moving averages (EMAs) because they provide the best balance of smoothing and responsiveness. Here's why:

  1. Recent Data Matters More

    • EMAs give more weight to your recent measurements
    • Older measurements gradually fade in importance
    • This means your average responds faster to real changes

  2. Better Trend Detection

    • EMAs are more sensitive to new trends than simple moving averages
    • You can spot real changes in your weight sooner
    • Less lag time in seeing the effects of your efforts

  3. Natural Behavior

    • EMAs mimic how we naturally think about trends
    • Recent events matter more than distant ones
    • This makes the numbers more intuitive and actionable

The Math (Simply Explained)

While the math behind EMAs can be complex, the concept is simple: each day's weight is factored into a running average, with recent weights counting more than older ones. The exact formula adjusts how quickly old data fades in importance, allowing us to find the sweet spot between smoothing out noise and detecting real changes. You can even customize the sensitivity to match your preferences.

Why This Matters for You

Using exponential moving averages helps you:

  1. See your true weight trend without daily noise
  2. Stay motivated even when the scale jumps around
  3. Make better decisions about your health journey
  4. Track long-term progress more accurately

Instead of getting discouraged by daily fluctuations, you can focus on the trend line that really matters. This is why we built MA Weight around exponential moving averages – to give you the clearest, most useful picture of your weight journey.

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