Why the Scales Lie
Why the Scales Lie by Renee Cloe
(I got this article from another site,,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
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