Understanding scale fluctuations
We’ve all been there - you wake up in the morning, use the restroom, strip off every article of clothing or anything that has any weight to it, and then step on the scale while holding your breath and waiting for that number to show up.
The number flashes and it shows 3 pounds more than you were yesterday…that can’t be right, can it? So you step off and step back on again waiting for a different number. What? Still the same number as 2 seconds ago?! The scale must be broken.
Why does the scale sometimes go up (or down) in such short periods of time?
Before you decide that you are the problem or that your program isn’t working, take a second to think through it logically and arm yourself with some scientific data to reason with.
Remember: It takes a SURPLUS of 3,500 calories to equal 1 pound of fat tissue. This means you would have to eat that many calories above and beyond your normal daily calories to gain 1 pound of fat in a day. So logically, we can reason that chances are you did not gain 3 pounds of fat in one day (that would be 10,500 surplus calories - which probably isn’t even possible unless you are a professional eater).
So if it isn’t 3 pounds of fat…why is the scale up so much?
Chances are it’s one (or more) of the following factors:
How much water you drank in the last 24 hours
If you drink 8 ounces of water, it will immediately add weight to your body because the water itself has weight.
How much sodium you had in the last 24 hours
Sodium makes you retain water because your body uses the extra fluid consumed to dilute the excess sodium until it can excrete it.
How stressed you are - physically and mentally
When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol, which causes water retention. Too little or poor-quality sleep can increase cortisol and fluid retention as well!
Where you are in your menstrual cycle
For women, during certain times of the month, your hormone levels fluctuate and can cause your body to retain more water. You may notice your base weight is a little higher than normal on the first day of your period (and maybe the day before also), but your weight should go back to average within a few days of your cycle beginning.
How many carbohydrates you ate in the last 24 hours
Your body stores carbohydrates as glycogen in your liver and muscles. Most adults can store up to 500 grams of glycogen in their muscles and another 100 grams of glycogen in their liver for a total of 600 grams total. With every 1 gram of glycogen stored, your body has at least 3- 4 grams of water stored with it also. That could add up to 2,400 grams of water with 600 grams of carbohydrates.
So as you can see, there is SO much that goes into that number you see on the scale. Other factors can even play a role as well - such as if you are sick, drank alcohol, or are on certain medications. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle to understand before letting your negative thoughts spiral and letting you feel like a failure.
So what is the best way to gauge progress if the scale doesn’t show the whole picture?
Well there’s a couple of ways I recommend tracking progress:
Weigh yourself every day and look at averages and trends.
Is it trending up or trending down over the course of a week? That probably is a better gauge than looking at a single day. I know when I first started doing this, it was a little stressful to see that number each morning; but the more I noticed how much it fluctuated and correlated that with some of the factors above, the less it actually made that specific number mean to me.
Take measurements around key body fat storage areas.
I like to measure around the widest point of my bicep, upper waist area (for women, at the bra line), belly button, hips (at the widest point), and thigh(at the widest point). These measurements should get smaller over time if body fat is decreasing.
Self-assess how you FEEL.
Ask yourself how you felt in your body the last few days. Did you move well? Did you sleep well? Did you fuel your body well? Were you hungry at all? Did you feel bloated or sick at all? Did your favorite pair of pants fit a little better? Did you stick to a new habit for the week? All of these are other ways - besides the scale - to track progress that can keep you motivated!
At the end of the day, as long as you are giving your best effort and doing something better than you have in the past, that is a win! So decide on at least one way (or multiple ways) to track progress, and then try to have some patience to allow time for changes to show up. If after a few weeks you aren’t seeing progress, then maybe it is time to change things up a little!
The bottom line: Don’t give up!
As Michael Jordan says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” So keep taking those shots and you’ll eventually hit your goals. :)
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