The Scales Don't Always Tell The Truth
Many people become obsessed with weighing themselves and use it as the only way to track progress. This is especially common with female clients.
It's easy to see why. Schools now weigh kids and send letters home if they consider them overweight. The media often discusses the weight of celebrities. They have often seen members of their family being obsessed with weight throughout their childhood.
I've had clients worry because they had gained 300g before! Your body weight will naturally fluctuate during the day. I often weigh 3-4kgs towards the end of the day than I do at the start of the day, and my weight will change every day by -2/+2 kilos. A woman's weight can fluctuate a lot throughout the month.
You might also be gaining muscle, so while the scale isn't showing that you're losing as much weight as you want, you might still be making good progress.
In most cases, you should weigh yourself regularly. Just don't consider the scales the be-all and end-all in measuring your progress. There are expectations with this. If you're obese, the results on the scales are important.
How else can you measure progress if you're trying to get slimmer?
One client I had trained didn't lose the weight she had hoped, but can now fit in clothes she hadn't worn in over ten years. She hadn't lost much weight; however, she has lost 7.5cm from her waist, gained 5cm around her bum, and her legs have become much bigger.
The before and after pictures also showed she had completely changed her body shape, despite the scales not changing much. This was a great result, but if she just went by the scales, she would have thought she had failed.
If your goal is to lose weight, you should weigh yourself regularly, but use other ways that I mentioned here as well, and remember your weight will naturally fluctuate day to day, and even during the same day.
It's easy to see why. Schools now weigh kids and send letters home if they consider them overweight. The media often discusses the weight of celebrities. They have often seen members of their family being obsessed with weight throughout their childhood.
I've had clients worry because they had gained 300g before! Your body weight will naturally fluctuate during the day. I often weigh 3-4kgs towards the end of the day than I do at the start of the day, and my weight will change every day by -2/+2 kilos. A woman's weight can fluctuate a lot throughout the month.
You might also be gaining muscle, so while the scale isn't showing that you're losing as much weight as you want, you might still be making good progress.
In most cases, you should weigh yourself regularly. Just don't consider the scales the be-all and end-all in measuring your progress. There are expectations with this. If you're obese, the results on the scales are important.
How else can you measure progress if you're trying to get slimmer?
- Measurements
- How clothes fit
- Before and after pictures
- Performance in the gym
- Do you feel better (more energy, etc)
One client I had trained didn't lose the weight she had hoped, but can now fit in clothes she hadn't worn in over ten years. She hadn't lost much weight; however, she has lost 7.5cm from her waist, gained 5cm around her bum, and her legs have become much bigger.
The before and after pictures also showed she had completely changed her body shape, despite the scales not changing much. This was a great result, but if she just went by the scales, she would have thought she had failed.
If your goal is to lose weight, you should weigh yourself regularly, but use other ways that I mentioned here as well, and remember your weight will naturally fluctuate day to day, and even during the same day.