Why the Scales Lie

Why the Scales Lie by Renee Cloe (I got this article from another site back in 2004, just found it again,,thought I would pass it on..) We've been told over and over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us cant resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just cant bring yourself to toss the scale, familiarize yourself with the factors that influence its readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are NOT indications of your success or failure. water makes up 60 percent of total body mass. Two factors influenceing water retention are water consumption and sodium intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto its supplies with a vengeance, causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink LOTS of water. Excess salt can also play a big role in water retention. A teaspoon of salt contains over 2000 mg of sodium. Generally we should consume only 1-2000 mg per day. Sodium is sneaky. You expect it to be most highly concentrated in chips nuts and crackers, However, a food doesnt have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains four times as much salt as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding compared to 123 mg in the nuts. The more processed a food is, the more likely it is to contain high levels of sodium. Thats why its best to stick to the basics, fruits, vegetables,lean meats, beans and whole grains. Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of it as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some is stored in the liver and some in the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound, and packs 3-4 pounds of water when it is stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in carbohydrates, and as it does you will feel a small increase in appetite, and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with its water weight. Its normal to experience up to 2-3 pounds weight shifts per day even with no change in your caloric intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss. We also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food we eat. Swallowing a bunch of food before you weigh is no different than stuffing your pockets with rocks, and then stepping on the scale. The five pounds you gain after a huge dinner, is not fat, but the actual weight of the food and liquid you consumed. It will be gone several hours later after you have digested it. Experts tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, we need to eat 3500 calories more than our body is able to burn. In other words, to store the above mentioned dinner as five pounds of fat, it would have to contain 17,500 calories! That is not humanly possible. So, when the scale goes up 3-4 pounds overnight, rest easy, its likely to be water, glycogen stores and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3500 calories more than you take in. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes! How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser, are your ankles thinner or puffy? You know if you have been following the rules of weightloss,,drinking the water, working out, eating less carbs. Dont depend on, or be afraid of that scale. It doesnt differentiate between muscle weigh****er weight , fat weight and food weight, not to mention waste weight. Its just a machine, after all. Hope this helps with some of that scale anxiety! Blessings Betsy

Great Post!! Lots of great info there!!! I have to admit that I am a daily weigher and I log the weights on my calendar so I can track them, but I don't stress over it and I am generally right around the same weight from day to day with small fluxes here and there. I know if I've been "bad" and the scale will reflect it in the next day or two~that's just being honest with myself, LOL or if that time of the month is rolling around I know to expect a jump in weight. I guess I used daily weighing to keep myself honest and so I know exactly where I am from day to day. I think its ok as long as the scale doesn't rule your life, your happiness or ruin your day. Tracy B 328/150 5'9"

Yep, Im a daily weigher too, it keeps me honest, if ya know what I mean. And also aware of whats going on so nuthin sneaks up and surprises me. But I noticed a lot of the newer post ops were panicking about their fluctuations, so I posted this on a couple other boards hoping it would ease their minds a bit. I agree with you totally! Have a great weekend! betsy

I, too, am a daily weigher and write it down. Not everybody can do that and keep their sanity, but it helps me keep things in line. It helps me stay commited. Weight gain does not slip on me. If the scales go up, I do not freak out, I just deal with it.

I really needed to read your post! Just this morning I decided that it was much healthier for me to throw away the scale then to weigh myself 3-4 times a day and get depressed about the numbers! Thank you, Patti

I only weigh when I go to the Dr or after I have dropped another size in clothes... I appreciate your post .. Thanks for sharing .. Tami

Betsy, Great post! I'm a daily weigher and have been for years. Doing so, I'm really intune with the normal fluctuations of my body and have been able to separate what my body does on it's own from my own success in the weight loss game. Wasn't always easy but I managed. I've found that my body is sensitive to certain foods and if I eat 'em I can see more than a 2-3 lb weight gain in a day. Logic tells me that I do not eat enough calories to realize a multiple pound gain overnight so I just deal with the bounces. I've also found is that I workout and get sore (not my intention) by doing something new that my weight jumped. Sore muscles often mean little tears in the muscle. Well... how does the body handle any injury? By flooding the area with flood yielding swelling. I guarantee when we overdo the exercise... our bodies carry extra weight in the affected muscles so that's probably why folks start working out and do not lose or even go up a couple of pounds. One cannot gain muscle weight overnight. It must be water! Thanks for the reminder to everyone! Kathy

I'm a daily weigher as well, or at least try to be. Too many years of avoiding the scales while I gained. I recognize when I've go****er weight, and I've got a "bad girl" gain. Thanks for the article. Cheers, Torrey (281/178/160)

Thanks, Betsy!!! I totally needed that info today!!!!! I beat myself up all too often over what numbers are on the scale every morning. At least now I have some extra lee-way on my side when an arguement ensues between me and that stupid scale! Thanks! Hugs! Kristi