Things that impact the scales...

Though body weight via scales has become one of the most commonly used methods to track progress in the fitness industry, it is just one of many methods we use to ensure our clients are on track. Why? The weight on the scale can be impacted by so many different things and does not necessarily reflect accuracy when it comes to your body composition (your muscle mass vs fat mass).

So, what factors can impact the weight on the scale and how do we overcome this with our clients?

Water: Your water intake on a particular day may influence your water retention. If your body is dehydrated, whether this is due to the weather, an intense training session or just not drinking enough water throughout the day, your body will ‘hold on’ to more fluid in response. Think of this like a camel in the dessert, water is stored as water sources are scarce. Your body will maintain the water it has if it feels it is not getting enough. We recommend an average 3-4L (or just under 1 gallon) of water per day.

Salt: Your salt intake can also lead to additional water retention. This may come from high-sodium foods, packaged and highly processed foods or too much additional salt on meals. We recommend pink Himalayan salt (for the additional minerals and health benefits) on meals – but, ensure you use in moderation. Fibre: your fibre intake will play a huge role in your digestion! If you are getting too much, or not enough fibre, this can cause a disruption in the digestive process, leading to bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and, ultimately, will impact the weight on the scale. We recommend our clients weigh in first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, naked or in underwear, for consistency. HOWEVER, if you have been ‘unable’ to go to the bathroom prior to weighing in due to discrepancies in your fibre intake, this may lead to an increase on the scale. We recommend aiming for 25g-30g on average per day from sources such as leafy greens, green veg, berries and fruits, whole-grains etc.

Food (in general): the food you consume in general, will impact your weight on the scale. For every extra 1g of carbs we consume above our ‘normal’ intake, we will hold on to 2-3g of water. So, consume an extra 100g of carbs and you may hold on to an additional 200g of water! Carbs are often stored as glycogen in the muscles and can contribute to your ‘lean mass’ measurements. We often encourage clients to use skinfold measurements when possible, as this allows us to track their lean mass vs mass composition, along with scale weight, to see how additional or a decrease in carb intake may be impacting their results. Foods can also impact the scales simply based on food volume – if you eat a 1kg burrito…your scale weight is very likely going to be UP the next day! If you eat what is known as ‘inflammatory foods’ or foods which cause inflammation in the body (eg: someone with dairy intolerances consuming cheese) your body will respond with inflammation and water retention. Common inflammatory foods include: dairy, eggs, nuts, protein powders and seafood. The ‘time of the month’: where we are at in our cycle, ladies, will greatly impact our weight on the scale. It is very common for women to hold an extra 1-2kg (2-4 pounds approx) leading into their period. This may be due to the hormonal changes occurring during this time. Many women will also experience increases in hunger and cravings, leading to consumption of highly calorific foods such as chocolate and ice-cream, which can cause gut and digestive distress and lead to further disruptions in weight. This additional ‘period’ weight drops right back down post period. Sleep and stress: unfortunately, a poor night sleep or stressful day at work will do more than just leave you feeling awful. the next day it may lead to an increase on the scale! Poor sleep can have a notable impact on body composition results in general, effecting the drop in lean mass vs fat mass while dieting. The goal, should be lean mass increase/maintenance while fat mass drops, if wanting to ‘lose weight’ or ‘tone up.’ We encourage a sleep ritual to help wind-down and prioritise a good night sleep (aim for 7-8 hours actual sleep time) and stress management protocols to help manage stress.

To mitigate the daily fluctuations that can occur on the scale, we encourage our clients to weigh in DAILY. They will then take their weekly average weight and we compare this to the previous week. This will mean, come check in day, they are not basing their results and progress off the SINGLE number from that SINGLE day (which could be way UP due to poor sleep, stress, period etc). Rather, we see a more accurate measure of their changes as these ups and downs balance out over the week with this average number.

Ultimately, the number on the scale does not and should not define YOU! Take progress photos, tape measurements, skinfolds, track your biofeedback markers (health markers) AND track you weight…ALL of these factors will give you far more accurate data to work with and will show you just how much progress you are making, not just physically, but holistically! Health, both physical and mental, is an important part of the journey. - Lauren x