Body weight scales, are a quick, easy and accessible way to measure your total body weight.
You move the scale from under your bathroom cabinet, turn it on, wait for it to zero, step on it and voila! You’ve got your measurement.
They are a great tool to let you know how much you weigh and give an idea of any changes in your body weight over time.
But the benefits of these scales stop here!
Body weight scales will give you an accurate measure of our total body weight, but this is all it will give you.
Body weight scales are not a good tracking tool to determine if you are losing or gaining fat!
There are many factors, besides fat gain or loss, that can alter the reading.
From certain foods causing you to retain more, or less, water in your body and muscle building exercises causing you to gain more muscle! (We all know that muscle weighs more than fat).
Let’s look at an example of how a body weight scale reading can misguide us:
Betty is unhappy with the extra fat that has slowly accumulated around her waist. She also hasn’t been very active over the past 6 months, which means her legs are getting weaker.
She finds herself having a little more difficulty moving around and has noticed carrying shopping bags is harder than what it used to be.
Betty dusts off her scales, steps on them and is mortified with what she sees.
She is 4 kgs heavier than she has ever been in her life. She knew she had gained some weight, but 4kgs heavier than she has ever been? Where did this increase in weight come from?
Unhappy Betty decides to do something about her situation.
Betty has made the decision that she wants to get stronger and lose fat.
She begins exercises and increases her activity level.
She cuts out all the junk food she is eating, starts eating a little less and has added some healthier foods into her day.
Betty feels she is doing everything right. (And she is!)
Betty stays consistent and is starting to actually like exercising and weeks have now passed.
Betty is now feeling better. She feels she is moving about much easier and the shopping bags seem lighter again. Betty also feels she looks better.
Betty is happy!
Happy Betty decides to jump on the scales just to confirm what she is thinking is correct!
Uh oh! Betty was thinking the scale numbers were going to be down, but Betty weighs exactly the same. 😟How quickly Betty's mood can change!
How can this be?? All that hard work that Betty has put in over the past weeks and no weight loss to show for it.
Believe it or not, this is not an uncommon scenario! And this is where our motivation may decrease if we don't know better.
Little does Betty know she has lost fat and has re-gained that muscle in her body she once had.
When we start exercising more and eating healthy we lose fat and get stronger. Our muscles grow. Our body composition changes.
Yet the scale can shown no difference. It can even show that we have put on weight, when our goal is to lose it and we are doing the right things.
I see over and over again people getting too caught up in the number.
The scales only show our TOTAL weight. They do not indicate if you are actually losing fat. They do not indicate if you are gaining muscle.
Which is why the scale should NOT be used as the only indicator of results when attempting to lose fat.
Getting your body fat percentage tested by a Health Professional (using body calipers or technology) is a better guide of progress when attempting to lose weight. Even a tape measure can be a better guide of fat lost.
When not having the guidance of a Health Professional to accurately measure our body composition, we can also use other indicators, that usually can't be quantified, to help determine the effectiveness of our fat loss plan.
Other Indicators to Use:
Determine how much better you feel.
Determine how much easier you move around.
Determine if your clothes aren’t hugging your body as much as they used to.
Determine if you look better in your own eyes.
Notice the comments you are getting from other people.
Use these indicators with confidence. Don't let yourself slip into a negative headspace.
Feel good and continue that good feeling. Take a light hearted approach!
Don’t think you have to work really, really hard, doing exercises you don’t like.
Find exercises and physical activity you enjoy doing. When we enjoy the exercises/activity it's never a chore.
Combine this with healthy eating and you’ll start noticing the differences.
You'll start getting all those indicators mentioned above and your weekly body weight measurements will eventually reflect this.
Don’t get caught up in the scale readings!
Be happy, keep active, do the activities you enjoy, stay consistent and eat well.
And the rest will take care of itself.