Understanding Weight Loss Fluctuations: Why the Scale isn’t the best measure for fat loss…
One thing I hear a lot as a personal trainer, is clients getting upset after stepping on to the scales and them seeing a weight increase or the scales won’t budge. Which if your target is to try and lose weight then this can be so demoralising, especially if you have been working hard and stuck to your plan all week and what’s worse is often this causes people to give up!
Well not today ladies! Because I am here to talk to you about the common misconceptions that daily weight fluctuations are directly linked to fat loss or gain and show you why we the scales are not an accurate measure for fat loss.
Daily Weight Fluctuation is normal! Did you know the average adult’s weight can vary up to 5-6 pounds each day… yes, half a stone! And it all comes down to what you eat and drink, how much you exercise and even how much sleep you get! Let’s start with water…
Water Retention: This is usually the number one cause of weight fluctuations day to day as so many factors can affect how much water we hold. Sodium intake, hydration levels, hormonal functions and glycogen storage can influence how much water our bodies retain. For example, eating foods that are high in sodium can lead to temporary water retention as our body will work to maintain our fluid balance and then we weigh more. Equally hormonal changes, like our menstrual cycle will affect water retention. And it is so important to understand that this is normal and not necessarily indicative of fat loss or gain!
Food and Digestion: The weight of food itself as well as waste in our digestive system has an impact on our weight day to day. Meals that are high in carbs or sodium can temporarily increase water retention, which makes the scales go up. Additionally, the transit time for food through the digestive system varies from person to person and this affects how much waste is present in the body. This again will make the scales fluctuate! Which is also why it is important to focus on long-term trends rather than day-to-day weight.
Muscle Gain: Now if you are exercising, particularly if you are lifting weights, you will experience changes in your body composition, which will include both fat loss and muscle gain. But muscle is denser than fat, which means that a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat does. Which can mean that you may be gaining muscle mass (which is what we want!) and losing fat but the scales themselves may not move or there is no significant change. This highlights the limitations of using the scales as a sole measure of our progress!
Time of day: Yup our weight varies throughout the day due to our food intake, hydration levels and activity levels. It is recommended that when you are weighing yourself you weigh at the same time each day for consistency. Most people find it helpful to weigh themselves first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything! This can help minimise the impact of fluctuations through food and water intake throughout the day.
Mindset: Weight fluctuations can have a huge impact on our mindset which leads to frustration, disappointment, and discouragement. But not anymore! Now you’ve read this blog you know that weight fluctuation is completely normal and are not necessarily an indication of lack of progress. Instead of focusing on the number on the scale I want you to look at your non-scale victories using other measures of progress. This can be looking at how much stronger you are, how much fitter you feel, your energy levels, whether your clothes fit better. Shifting our focus away from the scale and moving towards looking at our overall wellness is a game changer and will help you to create a more positive mindset keeping you more motivated on your wellness journey.
So, let’s start tracking our overall wellness and shift our focus away from those pesky scales! The important thing to recognise with fat loss is that there is no quick fix AND there doesn’t need to be. At Pink Fox Fitness we are all about creating sustainable programs for people which create long-lasting results. If you would like some personalised help to kickstart your journey, get in touch today.