To weigh, or not to weigh...That is the question

NUMBERS, NUMBERS and more NUMBERS seems to be all we focus on when it comes to tracking our progress. Should we be weighing ourselves or not??

Contrary to what some believe, tracking a number on a scale can be really beneficial when it comes to monitoring your progress over time. The key words here are OVER TIME. If you are going to use your scales as a way to track your progress then you have to understand that day to day fluctuations are NORMAL. So no matter who you are, I would never advise just using scale weight as your sole progress tracker. If you do use scales and you feel you have a healthy relationship with them (be honest with yourself) then I would always advise using the same scales over time and weighing yourself first thing every morning. You might be thinking, everyday? Yes! It’s the best way to accurately track any changes as you can calculate a weekly average and compare that to the previous week. Please remember ladies, when you’re on your period you’re likely to be heavier so compare that week to your last period week!

Let’s say you’re the kind of person that steps on the scales and feels super disheartened when you don’t see your ideal number. What I want you to do is STOP. Stop weighing yourself all together and throw the damn things away. There are so many other ways you can track your progress so don’t put yourself through the torture because the scales DO NOT give you validation for self worth! It could well be that you don’t understand that fluctuations in scale weight is normal and that it doesn’t reflect and increase or decrease in body fat. Maybe, for you it could actually be beneficial to weigh yourself before a large meal and glass of water and then after the meal and realise that you’ve not just gained fat in 10 minutes. Then weigh yourself before and after you’ve been to the toilet and realise that you’ve not just lost fat in 5 minutes. Also, if you move your scales around the house you will weight different amounts depending on what surface they are on! This just shows that daily weight should be taken with a pinch of salt and that weekly averages are much better reflection of your progress! There are SO many factors that will cause your weight to fluctuate day to day, for example, what you ate today, the amount you ate, how much sodium you consumed in your food, how much water you drank, if you’ve been to the toilet, what time of day you weighed yourself, whether you worked out, what clothes you were wearing…

I feel as a woman it’s seen as a negative thing to GAIN weight and that smaller is better when it comes to numbers on the scale. However, it is widely known that muscle weighs more than fat which means, whilst losing fat you may still gain a few pounds due to all that hard work in the gym. So…Let’s talk about what your scale weight isn’t actually telling you:

1. Body composition- this is your percentage of lean body tissue and fat tissue. Two people weighing the same can have very different body compositions- you’ve probably heard of skinny-fat which is where someone is under or at normal weight but they are over-fat; an example of how your scales are not telling you the truth. You might be thinking, well actually I have scales that tell me my body fat %, water weight and lean muscle etc... These ‘smart’ scales are a step up from your average scales because, yes they can be used to track progress over time however they are still not ACCURATE if you don’t get a weekly average!

2. How fit and strong you are- you’re going to the gym consistently and nailing your workouts but you step on the scales and see that you’ve GAINED weight? Well… In this case you’ve probably gained lean muscle rather than fat. This is going to make you fitter, and stronger so don’t be put off! FACT, your body burns more calories maintaining muscle than it does fat. FACT, the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism. FACT, gaining muscle will likely cause you to gain weight!

3. Your health- your scale weight doesn’t define you nor does it define if you’re healthy. Stressing over a number is detrimental to your mental and physical health. It can cause your cortisol (stress hormone that regulates metabolism) levels to increase which, can result in an increase in appetite too! Plus, we might think oh I’ve put on weight today so I’ll just start over on my diet tomorrow!
   

So, what else can we use to track our progress?

Progress pictures- personally I’m a huge fan of taking progress pictures because I don’t feel like I’m comparing myself to anyone else and I’m not defined by a NUMBER. If you want to lose weight because you want to look ‘toned’ or ‘leaner’ then why are you measuring that variable with a number?

Body measurements- Taking circumference measurements at different locations on your body can be a great way to see that your body is in fact changing even if your scale weight hasn’t changed!

Performance improvements- I’m a huge believer that performance goals are more sustainable and build a healthier relationship with food compared to aesthetic goals. Plus, whilst achieving these goals you’re more likely to get fitter, stronger, and healthier both mentally and physically so it’s a win win!

Body fat analysis- if your goal is to gradually lose body fat and you don’t have access to a DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan then an at-home alternative would be to invest in body composition scales. However, these scales are NOT an accurate way to measure your body fat in isolation but they can be used to track fluctuations in your body fat over time.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Always remember happiness is key! If something isn’t making you happy, don’t do it. If the scale works for you and you’re seeing results whilst being healthy and happy then stick with it but DON’T BE A SLAVE TO YOUR SCALES!