Why The Scale Lies
Why The Scale Lies
By Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA - LifeScript Director of Nutrition
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Although many experts advise against daily weighing, many can not resist peeking at that number every morning. But does the scale lie? Many factors can influence your weight, so learn what they are and then heed most health experts suggestions to weigh yourself once a week to free yourself from battling with the bathroom scale...
If you battle with the readings on the scale, perhaps hiding the scale to limit daily weigh-ins and replacing the daily habit with weekly or monthly weigh-ins may improve your mood this month. When there an unfavorable number on the scale, many struggle with answers as to why the healthy eating and caloric restrictions are not yielding the results that are desired.
There are reasons why daily weight fluctuations are normal. Many factors influence the reading on the scale, such as water retention and changes in lean body mass. Scale watchers are often dismayed when there is no apparent reason for a fluctuation in body weight. Since water makes up about 60% of total body mass an increase in sodium (salt intake) or drinking more fluids can influence body weight.
This does not mean you should reduce calorie free beverages, like water, since the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. Many processed foods have more sodium than is needed by the human body. A food that is high in sodium does not always taste salty like nuts and crackers. As many have learned when dining out or on vacation, too much salt (sodium) can affect water retention.
Influences on Body Weight
There are many physiological reasons why the numbers on the bathroom scale can vary. As many women will tell you, prior to menstruation women may retain several pounds of water. As quickly as this water weight comes, it will go away in a few days. To minimize premenstrual water weight gain drink plenty of water, limit high sodium processed foods and maintain your current exercise program. Another culprit in weight fluctuations is your glycogen stores. Glycogen is your fuel tank of stored carbohydrate.
The liver and the muscles are where glycogen is stored. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it is packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when stored. Many chronic dieters breathe a sigh of relief when they learn that it is perfectly normal to experience glycogen and water weight changes of up to two pounds per day even with no changes in calorie intake or activity level.
The scale measures the weight of your body, which includes your muscle, bone, water and internal organs, not just your body fat. When many diet gimmicks suggest that you can you lose 10 pounds in secen days, it will be primarily water, glycogen, and muscle. And, losing muscle mass is nothing to celebrate. That is because muscle is a metabolically active tissue and the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns. This explains why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.
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06-17-05 Lap-ROUX-EN-Y
BMI 41.1 / 21.9 /24
224/219/120 /131 -104 lbs ...... 11 lb Below Goal.... Made Goal on April 21. 10 Months and 4 Days post-op!
consultation/pre-op/current/goal
COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, MEN...SOME THINGS ARE JUST BETTER RICH!
Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me."
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