Don’t Obsess About the Numbers on the Scale.

If you are one of those people that weigh themselves every morning, stop it.  I am speaking to you on behalf of every personal trainer, nutritionist, coach, you name it! There is no logical reason to weigh yourself daily unless under the orders of a physician for a medical condition.  Our weight can vary from one day to another,  anywhere from 2-5 pounds or more. The effects our food, our activity level and even how many times we use the bathroom, can influence the numbers on the scale. If you are weight training, your muscles can retain water for 2-3 days after an intense or intense to you, workout. Even the amount of carbohydrates you ingest on a given day, can affect the scale in terms of water weight retention.  Keeping a weekly log to track your weight fluctuations, if you are in a weight loss or gain protocol, makes sense.  But hop on the scale any more frequently and you are most likely setting yourself up for confusion.  

Enter the dreaded topic for all of us, body fat percentage! Are you someone that uses a body composition or body fat scale, as either a complement to tracking their weight or their sole means of tracking their measurements?  If this sounds like you, be aware that changing your body fat percentage, can take upwards of 30 days to achieve and can be varied in your daily results even more so than with your weight. Don’t stress if you don’t see changes right away!

If you have ever seen a drastic weight loss from an obese person, shortly after starting a diet and workout regime, take note of the length of time at which that reduction lasts. Most often, a significant reduction in weight loss or body fat percentage comes easier and faster to those already overweight, as the body begins the shedding or detoxifying process. This process will be a reaction to the sudden change in status quo and will not last forever.  Eventually a weight loss regime will stabilize and the body will level off at a stable weight and fat to muscle ratio. Maintaining that level or a healthy level for that matter is another topic entirely!

Just don’t stress about the numbers on the scale, any scale or any numbers. 

Keep a healthy distance from your bathroom scale outside of once per week at the same time, wearing the same amount of clothing every time.  Keep in perspective that if you are overweight, you are looking for consistent downward trend over time or anywhere from .5 to 2 pounds per week lost, if actively engaged in a healthy exercise and nutrition plan. The numbers on the scale should never define you. We all know this we just forget it too easily when staring down at those cold, heartless digits staring back at you.  Just don’t forget this tidbit of information everyday or you really will inhibit your weight management success and more importantly, you’ll lose your focus on a healthy weight and positive relationship with yourself!