Scale Weight Fluctuations

Day to day changes in weight, what do they mean?

The scale, some days we love it and others we hate it, if it doesn’t go in the right direction it can really screw us up. However, what do these daily fluctuations really mean for our body composition, should we get so emotionally attached to the scale? I am here to tell you why our bodyweight can vary so much day to day, and whether or not it’s important and how to accurately know whether you’re on track.

The biggest culprit for scale fluctuation is water. Everyone holds onto it differently, and it can also be impacted by our stress levels, hormones & foods we have eaten.

Someone who is in a harsh deficit and training intensely will hold onto more water, also if you consume foods high in sodium the water you retain will go up. In addition women have the added difficulty of their menstrual cycle, and even between females this variable can be very different in terms of its impact on water.

Furthermore, foods high in fibre can cause your weight to go up, because you’ll have more waste moving through your colon. If you have a higher carb day your weight will go up, because you will hold onto a lot more water. However, if you perform a glycogen depleting workout your weight will plummet because you will drop a load of stored water.

Finally a note needs to be made regarding body fat levels, because the leaner you are, the less important scale weight changes mean. Why? Because, you have less fat to lose and therefore the scale will not be an important predictor in body composition changes. So the leaner you are the less focus you want to give to the scale.

The Solution

• Keep your diet variables to a minimum– do not have large day to day changes in the amount of fibre or sodium consumed.
• Recognise when your diet variables change– if you have a high carb day, understand the impact on the scale.
• Have a long term view– take weekly or for women monthly averages.
• Use other measurements– remember the scale is only one way of tracking progress, you have the way clothes fit, how you are looking in the mirror and you can even take circumference measurements of your waist and other areas.
• Have a realistic weight loss target and make small adjustments, but account for performance– For the average person a 1% loss of weight per week is a realistic, if it is much above or below this then a 10% increase or reduction in calories is sensible. However, if performance is low then a reduction in calories should not be made.
• Get a good coach- a coach can prevent you being your own worst enemy, they can take an objective view that is unbiased and stop you stressing the small stuff.

Adjusting your diet based on daily changes in scale weight is never a good idea. It will lead to no progression towards your goals because you will adjust calories up and down pointlessly, based on a meaningless change in scale weight.

Please if you think anyone else can benefit from the above share via social media 😀 Thanks. If you want someone else to take the hard work out of assessing your weight and progress then check out my online coaching services, might be just what you need, just click HERE.