Bathroom Scale: Weight-loss friend or foe?

The rate at which you lose weight depends on a number of things, which naturally means that not everyone loses weight at the same rate. It’s also usual for weight to drop off more quickly at the start of a weight-loss program, due to the loss of retained fluid. As a general guide, a safe level of weight loss after the initial weeks of a weight-loss program is between one and two pounds per week.

If you are following the CalorieKing program, but find that you aren’t losing weight at this safe level, consider these tips:

• Are you reaching the Daily Calorie Target recommended by CalorieKing in your Personal Profile? Exceeding this target will likely lead to weight gain. Remember, your Calorie Target includes food calories minus exercise calories.

• If you appear to be reaching, but not exceeding, your Daily Calorie Target yet still are not losing weight, you may be unintentionally under-reporting in your Food and Exercise Diary the amount of food you are eating. Many people underestimate how much they eat. It can help to weigh and measure your food for a while, to ensure the amount of food you record is the amount of food you are actually eating.

• Falling short of your Daily Calorie Target can also slow down your weight loss, as your body stores fat when it senses a "calorie drought". If you exercise you should "eat back" the calories burned in order to reach your Calorie Target.

• Are you exercising? Remember, even just a little exercise each day is better than none! Every time you move your body, you help to burn calories. So the next time you run out of milk, walk to the store instead of taking the car. Every little bit of exercise helps your weight and your health.  Read the CalorieKing forums and Success Stories to hear stories of everyday people who used to be “allergic” to exercise who, over time, made exercise a part of their successful lifestyle change.

• For women, hormonal changes can make you retain fluid and may make it seem like you have gained weight.

• Are you drinking enough fluid? It might sound odd, but drinking sufficient fluids actually helps lower fluid retention, as caused by excess sodium (salt) intake.

Recent research has indicated that some people benefit from daily weighing. However, others find this day-to-day weighing frustrating. If so (or for those with eating disorders), it is recommended that you only weigh in once a week or less, and chart your progress over time. Weighing yourself every day will just show normal day-to-day fluctuations, as a result of fluid retention, hormonal changes and sodium intake.  Instead of worrying about these minor and temporary changes, keep in mind that the goal of weight loss is to lose fat and increase lean muscle mass, so weigh yourself only once per week and track your progress over the longer term by using the charts on CalorieKing.com. 

The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning before eating. Wear light clothing, make sure your scale is on an even surface and 'zero' it before stepping on.

Jumping on the scale is one way to measure how well you are controlling your weight. But it’s not the only way. And if you let yourself become discouraged because the scale’s reading has not moved downward for a week or two, you may be missing out on seeing what has changed.

The next time you feel discouraged or deflated by the scale’s reading, ask yourself if things the scale doesn’t measure have changed for the better. For example, compared to two months ago, do you:

• Feel more fit?

• Have more energy?

• Like the way your clothes are fitting now?

• Feel like you’ve made some positive changes to your life of which you can be proud?

• Feel that you’ve committed to a new lifestyle and won’t let any temporary setback stop you from continuing with it?

• Have an improvement in your blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose levels?

• See a decrease in your body’s measurements, such as from your chest, waist, hips and thighs?

If so, these are all positive things of which you can be proud. Remember that the amount you weigh is important, but it’s not the only indicator of your success. Remind yourself that you are, overall, making progress and heading in the right direction.

The bathroom scale is but one tool in your tool box. By understanding the bigger picture, you can make it your weight-loss friend and not your foe.