Weighing in on the Scale

Do you ever feel like the scale has too great a hold on your mind and emotions? You're not alone. Pat Fiducia has seen countless examples of people caught in its clutches.

"Once I was at the gym when a woman went to weigh herself. Before she jumped on the scale she was in a cheerful, upbeat mood, but when she read the number on the scale her mood changed dramatically; she was devastated." says Pat.

"But she hadn't noticed that her purse was leaning on the scale, making the reading about two pounds heavier than it should have been. That almost ruined her day - until someone politely pointed out the trespassing purse. When she removed the guilty party from the scale and saw the number dip by two pounds, she was ecstatic."

This reaction may not be unusual, but Pat explains that whether it's a purse, water retention, or menstrual bloating, daily fluctuations on the scale should never be taken too seriously. She also admits it can be hard for people to see things this way. She describes one client who had high blood-pressure and was on medication, and as a side effect experienced extreme water-weight fluctuations; up six pounds one day, down six pounds the next.

"Try as I might to tell her that the changes were not a measurement of success or failure, but a result of the medication, she couldn't see it that way," explains Pat. "Her perceptions had little to do with the fact that she was making excellent progress in changing her eating and exercise habits, and losing weight gradually; everything revolved around the scale."

Pat advises that if small changes on the scale affect you in a similar way,  you should try to remember that they reflect many things, not just the loss of fat or the increase of lean muscle mass, which are the two indicators of true weight loss.

Let's take a look at some of the factors that can change the reading on the scale and whether or not you should pay attention to them.

Sixty to seventy percent of your body is made up of water, so it's not surprising that daily weigh-ins reflect water-weight fluctuations; water-weight is a major component of what the scale measures, and the numbers can go up or down, depending on whether your body is losing or retaining water.

• Excess sodium/salt. The normal recommended daily maximum intake of sodium is 1500 mg. But just one teaspoon of salt supplies 2358 mg of sodium, and we often consume far more sodium than we need. This causes water retention and adds water-weight.

• Not drinking enough water. Although it sounds back-to-front, you need to drink a sufficient amount of water to flush out the water already in your body.

• Menstruation, constipation, and certain diseases such as heart and kidney disease may also cause water retention.

• Excessive calorie restriction causes the body to use up stores of carbohydrates and to break down protein in the muscles. Since both carbohydrates and protein hold water in the cells, a loss of these also results in a net loss of water. As a result, rapid weight loss can often be made up of 75 percent water loss.

• High-protein or low-carb diets also cause water loss in the early stages. A high level of protein, especially from meat and dairy products, raises the levels of two toxic by-products - uric acid and urea. To flush these out, the body pumps lots of water through the kidneys and urinary tract.

• Diuretics can also cause water loss.

Weighing yourself immediately after a meal can also produce false scale readings. An average-sized meal can easily weigh a couple of pounds, which is what you'll seem to have gained if you jump on the scale right after your meal. That's because the scale registers the weight of the food, not the weight you will have gained from the meal - plus any water-weight gain from excess sodium.

Of course, after the food is digested it will stockpile some extra calories, but keep in mind that it takes 3500 calories more than your body needs to gain one pound of weight. So, if you've eaten a heavy meal and the scale registers a four-pound weight gain, for that to be accurate, the meal would have had to equal at least 14,000 calories. That's like eating 8 to 12 whole pizzas or 21 Whoppers or 56 bowls of pasta marinara!

Exercise rarely contributes to an increased weight on the scale. Although the argument that muscle weighs more than fat is often used to explain weight gain when you increase physical activity, in truth the effects of weight training on your overall weight are marginal - about one pound a month is the maximum increase. So don't be fooled into thinking that weight gain is a by-product of exercise. More likely, it is true weight gain or a by-product of water retention.

Although small, day-to-day fluctuations are not a reliable reflection of weight loss or gain, the scale can be an effective long-term indicator of weight loss, especially when used in conjunction with other methods of assessing weight. 

Pat Fiducia suggests these tips to help you use your scale effectively:

• Understand the scale's limitations. Keep in mind what the scale can and can't do. Remember that normal and significant fluctuations can occur through water retention, water loss, glycogen storage, changes in body mass, and the normal ebb and flow of fluids.
  
  
• Focus on what you want to accomplish. Losing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass is your primary weight-loss goal. Remember, it is impossible to change body fat significantly in a day or two, or even a week, so don't allow your moods to be contingent on the scale.
  
  
•  Don't weigh in daily. The scale should be used to monitor weight trends, not day-to-day weight fluctuations. Weigh in once a week or less and chart your progress over time. It's also best not to weigh yourself for several hours after eating. For more accurate weigh-ins, weigh yourself first thing in the morning before eating.
  
  
• Think outside the scale. Think about how you look and feel, how your clothes fit, your frame of mind, your energy levels. These things should be as important as the number on the scale.
  
  
• Monitor other indicators of success such as your blood pressure, your cholesterol levels, and your glucose levels. Measure success by the positive changes you are making. Noting skin-folds or body measurements can also provide some more accurate numerical charting of fat loss.
  
  
• Pay attention over time. While small daily fluctuations should not influence you significantly, pay attention to larger losses or gains over time (weeks and months). The scale is still a reliable way to gauge fluctuations over longer periods of time.