Why The Scales Don’t Matter
by Karen Woods | 28th Jul 2022
We’ve all been there. Monday morning, we begin a new healthy routine and are so proud of ourselves for sticking to it throughout the week. We confidently hop on the scale on Sunday expecting to see a huge drop in weight but to our dismay – no change. Or worse, our weight is up!
DO NOT BE ALARMED
This does not mean that your efforts are going to waste or that you have put on fat. As human beings, it is normal for our weight to fluctuate. Your weight at any given moment depends on a lot of factors such as:
- Your digestion
- Hormonal Changes e.g., Menstruation
- If you had a rich, heavy meal the night before
- Having too much added salt in meals
- Water intake
- Certain medications that can cause water retention
- If you’ve had an intense training session
The best time to weigh yourself is the same time each week, in the morning before food and after going to the bathroom and without heavy clothes on. However, if the scales are really causing you frustration, stress, and loss of motivation – ditch them!
How to Measure Your Progress
There are other markers that will show you if you are going in the right direction such as taking measurements (e.g. waist, hips and chest circumference), how your clothes fit, strength and fitness levels going up and seeing an overall increase in energy and mood! This is particularly true if you do any kind of strength training.
If you find you are seeing minimal changes on the scales while consistently training hard, yet are seeing an improvement in other areas such as your measurements and fitness levels - it is very likely that you are building muscle at the same time as losing fat.
Remember - The scales cannot distinguish between muscle and fat. There are professional athletes with 6 packs who are considered ‘obese’ based on their BMI (Body Mass Index)!
How We Can Help
So, don’t worry too much about the scales, once you stick with your healthy routine consistently over time you will get the results you want! Here at GourmetFuel we are passionate about helping our clients achieve their goals, so do not hesitate to schedule a call with one of our expert nutritionists and get started today!