Something I hear everyday at the moment is, I got on the scales this morning and…..
Suddenly your day is ruined, your good mood you got up with has disappeared, your angry, frustrated and disappointed. All because you let a silly pair of scales get the better of you.
Did you know your weight fluctuates from day to day? It all depends on what and when you eat, when you exercise, what you drink and even your sleep pattern. Weight can fluctuate quite a bit throughout the day too. Water retention is a big factor. High Sodium intake can cause this. You may think you are eating a low calorie tin of soup but have you checked the sodium content?
Carbs can also make your weight fluctuate and not because of increased fat intake, this is also due to water retention. For every gram of carbs you eat, your body will retain about 3grams of water in order to store the fuel source. Refined Carb foods contain high amounts of sodium too which as we’ve just learnt is key in water retention.
Bowel movements can make the scales fluctuate too, although bear in mind there are usually more digestible materials in transit, even after you’ve just been.
Exercise causes a fluctuation because you sweat, therefore losing water, however this shouldn’t make a difference because any fluids lost during exercise should be replaced.
So how often should I weigh myself?
Well there’s no reason to weigh yourself more than once a week, weighing yourself once a week at the same time will give you a far more accurate idea of your actual body weight. That said I try to encourage my clients to steer clear of the scales, I can always tell when they arrive for a session when they have been on them! They are a complete mood hoover, soul destroyer, motivation wrecker and progression staller.
I prefer to use measurements as a guideline for body composition. Regardless of what size or weight you are, you can see far more progression in measurements than in scales. It’s a much better way to track what’s actually going on with your body. This is important as we all lose fat in different areas and in a different order. If you are losing inches rather than weight its actually a sign you are losing fat and gaining muscle! #winning
One of my clients said to me she was disappointed that she hadn’t lost any weight, however in the next breath she promptly told me she’d lost 2 inches across her waist!
Don’t forget either that weight loss and weight gain can also fluctuate due to outside factors such as stress, environment, emotional factors and sleep. Changing just one thing in each of these elements can have an impact on your life. Weight loss or weight gain is just a by-product of these changes and once you have control of your mind, the weight change will follow.
Motivation is what gets you started and habit is what keeps you going! The key is to keep going, to be successful at something you have to be what most people aren’t – Consistent!
To start your fitness journey today contact me and let’s get through this together.
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