Weighing yourself is something most people avoid. You're often disappointed by the number that appears, you weigh more than you expected, and that irritating figure just won't come down. Or it simply isn't coming down fast enough. The good news is that the number often gives a distorted picture. The other good news is that it can also help you lose weight, if you use the scales properly.
Why should I weigh myself?
Your weight is a very good indication of whether you're genuinely losing weight. Otherwise you're simply guessing, aren't you? A mirror – something used far more often than the scales – can be deceptive. Think of the "right light", something you've no doubt noticed yourself in clothes shops.
Studies also show that weighing yourself has another advantage: it makes you think twice about your diet, so you learn to approach it more consciously. Awareness is the key. Only once you're engaging with something consciously, rather than following a ready-made plan, will the results come – and stay.
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What's the best way to weigh myself?
You hear it often enough. You step on the scales now and then, notice a difference of -1.8 kg one week, and the week after that -1.8 kg has become -1.1 kg. It's enough to make anyone despair. Or the opposite: you weigh yourself every day and find the number jumping around. Plenty of people give up after a few weeks here too.
It's easily solved, though, simply by taking a weekly average. Here's what to do. Weigh yourself 3 to 7 times a week, preferably in the morning after getting up and before breakfast. Write the number down and take a weekly average. Then compare those averages week by week.
Why does your weight vary so much from day to day?
Did you know that…
- For every extra hour you sleep, you weigh 1% less? That's down to your breathing.
- Your glycogen stores after a day of hard work and lighter eating leave you weighing less? Put simply, your glycogen stores can be thought of as energy reserves that are used during movement and then topped back up when you eat. More on that in a future article.
- Eating salt makes your body retain water more easily, which can make your weight fluctuate considerably?
- Eating healthily often means you weigh more, because the food itself has more volume? A McDonald's Big Mac, for instance, averages 509 kcal. To make an extreme comparison: think how many green vegetables you'd have to eat to take in that many calories. A good deal more in weight than that calorie-dense Big Mac.
As long as your weekly average keeps going down, you're doing well.
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