Blog #2 - Why the Scale ISN’T the Most Accurate & Reliable Tool to Measure Progress With
Have a love-hate relationship with the scale?
Here’s a little secret - MAJORITY OF WOMEN DO!
While the scale can be a great tool to use to help hold us accountable and to let us know whether or not we’re on the right track, it’s really NOT the BEST method to use to measure progress.
The truth is - the scale is NOT an accurate form of measurement that we should SOLELY rely on to determine whether or not we’re making progress throughout our journey due to contributing factors.
Instead, we should focus and rely on ALTERNATIVE methods to measure progress and get more of an accurate representation of our body composition.
Curious to know what contributing factors are affecting the scale’s measurements, as well as what alternative methods are better for tracking progress? Keep reading to get the full disclosure!
*Here’s the truth - the scale fluctuates A LOT, resulting in both mental and emotional turmoil (especially for women).
Let’s be honest, seeing the scale increase after spending SO much time working to break and replace old habits with new habits, making sacrifices and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations is TRULY frustrating and disheartening to say the least!
So WHY does that happen?
Believe it or not, there are MANY possible contributing factors that could affect the number on the scale, despite how much work and effort you’ve been putting into your journey. These factors also need to be considered when determining how accurate and reliable the scale is as form of progress measurement.
Let’s take a look at and consider some of the possible factors that cause sudden fluctuations in weight.Factor #1 - Time of Day
Timing is one of the BIGGEST factors that can easily produce a fluctuation with your weight due to WHEN and HOW you weigh yourself.
For instance, if you weigh yourself upon waking at 6:30 am, I can GUARANTEE you that the number on the scale will NOT be the same if you weighed yourself 12 hours later at 6:30 pm.
Why?
Because the best time to weigh yourself is FIRST thing in the morning, right AFTER using the bathroom but BEFORE eating or drinking anything, while the best way to weigh yourself is by being naked.
Think about it - if you weigh yourself at ANY OTHER time during the day, under ANY OTHER conditions, you’re more likely to see a higher number displayed on the scale than anticipated due to factors including (but not limited to):
❌ Having Undigested Food Still Lingering in the GI Tract
❌ The Weight of Your Clothes and/or Shoes
❌ Salt + Water Retention from Your Diet & Daily Activities/Stressors
❌ Spike in Cortisol
❌ Hormone Fluctuations
The timing of when you do a weigh-in is CRUCIAL and needs to be properly planned and considered in order to get as close to an accurate weight as possible.
Does that mean if you stick to weighing yourself first thing in the morning, the scale will always produce a weight with 100% accuracy?
Here’s more truth serum for you - no, it won’t.
Weighing yourself first thing in the morning just gives you the best chance of producing a precise and accurate weight in comparison to weighing yourself at any other point of the day. Unfortunately, you can still experience a weight fluctuation first thing in the morning due to other possible contributing factors.Factor #2 - Poor Sleep
Let’s say, for instance, you DO stick to the routine of weighing yourself at the same time under the same conditions every week, resulting in you obtaining the same consistent results, week after week.
But for some reason, this time when you weighed yourself, you were 5 pounds HEAVIER than you were the last time you weighed yourself. You didn’t change your diet or workout routine, so what could have possibly caused this increase?
Believe it or not, lack of sleep and poor quality sleep can affect your weight TREMENDOUSLY!
When we don’t get good quality sleep (i.e. not waking up constantly throughout the night) or get an adequate amount of sleep (i.e. 7-8 hours), the body will start to react negatively and experience things like:
❌ Water Retention + Inflammation
❌ Decrease in Resting Metabolism + Energy Being Burned
❌ Increase in Ghrelin (Hunger Hormone) + Decrease in Leptin (Satiety Hormone)
❌ Increase in Cortisol (Stress Hormone)
Unfortunately, ALL of these factors can lead to weight gain and cause major fluctuations.
Remember, the number on the scale DOESN’T solely represent muscle and fat - it represents your OVERALL body composition, including bones, fat, tissues, vessels, organs, muscle AND water.Factor #3 - Life Stressors
Stress is one of the MAIN causes of weight gain and fluctuations due to it SIGNIFICANTLY raising Cortisol levels, aka your stress hormone. Having high levels of Cortisol leads to MAJOR inflammation and water retention within the body, resulting in the weight fluctuations and possible weight gain.
So what factors cause the body to endure a lot of stress, resulting in an increase in Cortisol?
Some possible factors include:
❌ Underlying Illnesses or Health Conditions
❌ Finances
❌ Family + Relationships
❌ Work or School
❌ Extreme Dieting or Exercise
As you can see, there are MANY factors that can affect someone’s weight, making it EXTREMELY difficult to get a solid understanding and an ACCURATE representation of the number on the scale.
The truth is the scale DOESN’T know our body composition or what it encounters on a daily [or monthly] basis!
Let’s be honest - the scale CANNOT identify whether or not:
✔️ Your cycle started, leading to massive water retention and an increase in weight
✔️ Your cortisol increased due to financial & family stress, causing poor sleep, water retention and weight fluctuations
✔️ You’ve been working hard FOR MONTHS on building muscle and shedding fat, resulting in the number on the scale staying the same OR increasing due to an increase in muscle mass
Regardless of what your body may endure on a day-to-day basis, the scale CANNOT accurately measure or represent your weight loss or muscle building progress due to the fact that the scale CANNOT decipher between water, fat, muscle, organs or bone density; thus the reason why the scale is NOT the most accurate or reliable tool to use or rely on for progress measurement. 7 Alternative Methods to Accurately Measure Progress
So if the scale ISN’T the most accurate or reliable form of measurement, what is?
The MOST accurate tool to use to get a FULL breakdown, understanding and representation of your body composition and progress is a DEXA scan!
A DEXA Scan not only measures your body fat and lean muscle mass, but it also measures your bone density too via an x-ray. While there are other forms of body composition measurement, a DEXA scan will be your MOST accurate and precise form of measurement because it has the lowest margin of error (2.5-3.5%) while other forms (i.e. skinfold, bioelectrical impendance, etc) have higher margins of error at 3-6%.
So instead of placing all your energy and focus on the scale and relying on it to measure progress, look into getting a DEXA scan to get the MOST accurate and precise measurements and evaluation.
In addition to a DEXA scan, there are other methods you can use to [accurately] measure progress and determine whether or not you’re making overall changes, losing fat in the right areas and losing fat at an appropriate rate.
Some alternative methods to incorporate & utilize to help measure overall progress can include:👉🏽 Using a Tape Measure to Measure ALL Areas of the Body (i.e. hips, neck, arms, thighs, etc) to See If Inches Were Lost👉🏽 Evaluating How Your Clothes Fit - do they still feel tight, making it hard to move and breathe in OR do they fit looser and are more comfortable to maneuver in?👉🏽 Checking Your Mental + Emotional States - do you still feel angry, irritable, cranky and foggy OR do you feel calmer with better control of your emotions and the ability to concentrate better?👉🏽 Checking Your Energy Levels - do you still constantly feel fatigued throughout the day to the point of needing naps and multiple cups of coffee OR do you feel more energized and have the ability to stay awake and alert longer?👉🏽 Checking Your Stamina + Endurance - do you still get winded when going up the stairs and walking long distances OR are you able to move better and perform tasks effortlessly with little to no pain in your joints?👉🏽 Evaluating Cravings - do you still crave greasy, sugary and salty foods at night OR have your cravings subsided?
As you can see, there are SO many other alternatives that DON’T involve the scale that you can utilize to help measure progress and to get an accurate representation and breakdown of your body composition.
So the next time you weigh yourself and you see a number that you DON’T think fully reflects all the work you’ve been doing and putting in, use one or two of the alternative methods listed above to get a more accurate measurement.
If you’re STILL not convinced that enough progress has been made after utilizing those alternative methods, then maybe it’s time to reexamine the plan that you’ve been on and make some adjustments!Constantly Feeling Frustrated, Discouraged & Unmotivated?
If you constantly are finding yourself getting discouraged, frustrated or losing motivation due to not seeing enough progress being made, then I have the PERFECT tool to help you overcome those feelings & get motivated again!
…and that tool is the Sculpt Your Motivation ebook!
This ebook provides you with 20 of my FAVORITE and MOST USEFUL tips + strategies that I used during MY 50 pound weight loss journey to help get me out of those “funks”, get motivated again and get back on track with my goals!
It’s VERY common to lose motivation and to get into depressive funks while on a weight loss journey, so don’t feel bad if you’ve experienced this; HOWEVER, you have to make sure that you DON’T STAY in those funks for too long!
It’s important to have the proper tools and techniques in place to utilize when times get tough to help get you out of those dark places and back on track to finish the race, which is EXACTLY what Sculpt Your Motivation is meant for!
So click the link below NOW to get your copy of Sculpt Your Motivation and get 15% OFF when you use promo code: KICKSTART15 at checkout!👇🏽Link: https://www.sculptingbodies.com/shop/p/20-motivational-secrets
If you have any questions or concerns in regards to the scale, why your weight may still be increasing or if you need help coming up with additional alternative methods to measure progress, shoot me a DM on Instagram: @sculpting.bodies OR send me an email at: SculptingBodiesLLC@gmail.com so we can brainstorm together!
Let's Start Sculpting!
Xo,
Monique 💗