Weight Fluctuation: Why The Scales Don't Tell The Full Story

In this article I want to provide some hope and help you understand why the scales won't always go in the direction you want them to. It might be because you ate later than usual, you had a salty meal the day before or maybe you haven't been to the bathroom yet. I look at why relying solely on the scales can be problematic and offer some alternative ways to measure your progress so whether you use scales or not you can still succeed.

Ever got on the scales expecting to see your weight drop a few kilos only to see it go in the opposite direction? You feel outraged, you start blinking to check you read it right, maybe you even get off and try again...that CAN'T be right!

When you're trying to lose weight the scales often end up as part of a love/hate kind of relationship. If the numbers are going down then great news, you love them. If the numbers are not going down then the scales are no good. However, what usually happens is that people read that last sentence as "if the numbers aren't going down then I AM NO GOOD."

It effects your thought process and your subsequent actions. You might feel the need to restrict what you eat that day or you feel obliged to go the gym, all because of a number. And it's not just in weight loss, I see it in people trying to gain muscle as well. If the scale isn't going up then you suddenly become a failure.

If you can relate to this situation then the last thing you need is MORE self loathing. So, if you take away one thing from this blog, I hope it's this...

The scale doesn't show how fast you run, how much weight you can lift, how much joy you bring to others. The scale is no measure of strength, happiness or worth. The scale is just a number, it does not define you.

Key to getting over this emotional attachment is understanding the scales a little better. Understanding that IT'S ONLY DATA and that it fluctuates for so many reasons. Here's a few...

1. You ate a salty meal the night before - eating salty foods causes water to be retained in the body. It's the body trying to make sure it's always in a nice balance.

2. You ate more carbs the day before - carbs get stored with water so if you have a particularly high carb intake one day the scales will naturally go up. It doesn't mean you've gained fat and it's definitely not a reason to cut out carbs. It's simply an explanation for why the scales may have gone up.

3. You need a poo - might be common sense but once your body has taken all that nourishment from your food it expels the rest as waste. That waste has weight.

4. Medications you're taking - some medications can cause the body to retain water or increase your appetite.

5. You're on your period - women on their menstrual cycle will often gain weight in the first few days. This is completely normal and will return to usual within a few days of your period beginning.

6. You drank a lot of alcohol the night before - alcohol slows the digestion of other foods and substances which can cause water retention. It also contains a lot of calories so you may have just had a good night out with a few too many beers.

7. You are ill - this can cause all sorts of fluctuations - don't worry about the scale, worry about getting better.

8. Meal timing - if you eat later than usual and then weigh yourself at the same time in the morning the scales can often be higher. The body simply hasn't had the same time to digest what you consumed as it usually does.

9. You ate food or drank water (a.k.a living and fulfilling your basic human needs!!) - food and water both have weight. So by consuming them you will naturally gain weight. Weight that will inevitably disappear when you sweat through exercise or go to the toilet.

Here is a graph of one of my clients. Left hand side is their weight in kilos, below is the date they weighed in.

Now this client has been absolutely spot on. I couldn't ask any more of them. But does their scale weight constantly go down? No, it fluctuates because they're human.

They eat well and exercises regularly. They work full time and have a family with kids. They have been on holidays and regularly enjoy a takeaway. Does that mean they're not making progress? No, absolutely not. In fact, they are more motivated and consistent simply because they can lose weight whilst also being able to enjoy life at the same time. This is the key to losing weight and keeping it off.

This client weighs in every day when they wake up and after going to the toilet (this is referred to as your dry weight). They don't freak out when the scale goes up, because they know that it's only data and that if they stay consistent....it'll eventually drop. Despite some pretty large fluctuations the trend is downward and heading in the direction they want it to.

Another important point is that they don't rely solely on the scale. Your body can see drastic changes even if the number on the scale doesn't move. Having several ways of measuring progress is essential if you're going to keep focused on the bigger picture and not get freaked out by little fluctuations.

A few tips if you do decide to use the scales....

1. Weigh in the morning before you eat or drink

It's important to try and weigh in around the same time each day and the morning is normally an ideal time because your weight fluctuates less before you've had anything to eat or drink.

2. Weigh daily

This means you can take an average for the week and helps you avoid getting caught up in the fluctuations. For example, if you only weigh yourself once a week you might be doing it on a day after eating loads of salt or the start of your period. It's just not giving you the whole picture.

What if you don't want to use the scales?

You may find weighing yourself daily or at all really triggering. Especially if you have had issues with dieting or restriction before. If you find yourself struggling with this, get rid of the scales. There are a million and one ways to measure your progress without them.

Here's just a few...

1. Measure Body Fat - This might be something you're interested in but most measures are pretty unreliable. The most accurate measures are Dexa scans (which can cost £££'s). So if you're willing to spend the money, great. If not, keep reading.

2. Take progress pictures - progress pictures reveal changes that we can't see on the scale. For example the change in body composition where you may have lost fat and put on muscle. You may still weigh the same but your build will be completely different.

3. Take measurements - these can often be inaccurate as well but you can use it in conjunction with other methods to give you more of an overall picture. Using common measurement sites like waist, upper arm, thigh and calf circumference can be a good progress checker.

4. Note how clothes feel - A more subjective measure but still really useful. Take an item of clothing you would like to fit into better and commit to trying it on every month or so. You'll be surprised how helpful this can be.

5. Measure your energy levels - Struggle to climb the stairs at work without getting out of breath? Use scales like RPE (rate of perceived exertion) to rate your energy levels in simple tasks you do repeatedly e.g. climbing the stairs, playing with kids, carrying the shopping.

6. Keep a consistency diary - we know consistency is key so measuring this can be a great way to focus on the process and let the outcome take care of itself. Want to drink more water? Keep a diary and see how many days of the week you can drink 2-3L a day. Want to go the gym more? See how many weeks in a row you can hit the gym twice or more. Try and keep the streak going as long as possible.

These are all just ideas and learning what is going to fit best in your life is vital. Try something and see if it works, if it doesn't then try something else. The important thing is you tried it and hopefully learnt something about yourself along the way.

If you're struggling, step off the scale, take a deep breath and put it into perspective. In 6 months time, you will not care what you weighed on September 12th. So allowing it to ruin your day, isn't worth it. Attaching your personal worth to a number on the scale is incredibly common and often a subconscious thought. You don't even realise you do it. But that doesn't take away from the fact it's not a helpful or healthy headspace to be in.

As always, if you need a helping hand or just some friendly advice then I'm here to answer any questions you may have. You can find me on Facebook (Nourish Nutrition UK), Instagram (@nourish_nutritionuk) or email me at nourishnutritionuk@gmail.com