Dry weight and your weekly log
A short, practical guide to recording a weekly weight that means something when you are on dialysis — and what your clinician reads into the trend.
Written by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf
Medically reviewed by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf, Consultant Nephrologist · 1 August 2026
Overview
Dry weight is the weight your dialysis team aims for at the end of a session: the point where excess fluid has been removed but you are not depleted. Your real tissue weight sits underneath it, and weight loss treatment is aimed only at that underlying tissue.
How to log a weight we can use
- Haemodialysis: record your post-dialysis weight, from the same session each week (for example, always the last session of the week).
- Peritoneal dialysis: weigh yourself drained, at the same time of day, wearing similar clothing.
- Log it once a week, even in a week when nothing has changed. A missing week is a gap in the trend, and the platform will flag it.
- Use the same scales every time.
What the trend tells your clinician
- A gradual downward slope of roughly 0.5-1% of body weight a week is a good result.
- A sudden fall of several kilograms is almost always fluid, not fat — it prompts a check of your fluid status rather than congratulation.
- A flat trend with rising pre-dialysis weights can mean fluid is accumulating while tissue is being lost, which is the signal to review your dry weight.
- Any unintended rapid loss triggers a review of dose, protein intake and nutrition.
Tell your unit, not just us
Your dry weight is set and changed by your dialysis unit. If you are cramping, dropping your blood pressure at the end of sessions, feeling washed out for hours afterwards, or becoming breathless and swollen between sessions, contact your unit — those symptoms mean the target needs reassessing now, not at your next six-weekly review here.
When to contact your care team
Contact the clinic promptly if you have any of the following:
- Vomiting or diarrhoea lasting more than 24 hours, or you cannot keep fluids down
- Passing much less urine than usual, or new swelling of the legs or face
- Severe pain in the upper abdomen that spreads to your back, with or without vomiting
- A weight change of more than 2 kg in a week that is not explained by fluid
- A missed weekly weight, a missed dose, or any hospital admission
If you are seriously unwell, contact NHS 111 or your renal unit directly rather than waiting for your next review.
References
- NHS — Dialysis
- UK Kidney Association clinical practice guidelines (haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis)
- NICE NG203 — Chronic kidney disease: assessment and management
This page is general information, medically reviewed for accuracy. Your dry weight target is set by your dialysis unit.