Jumping on the scale
I was just speaking with my mentor and we were discussing blogs and content and ideas. He told me of a few ideas that can be used to blog about and the one that we really ended up having a discussion about is weighing in.
How often should you be weighing in? Ultimately, that depends on the type of person you are and how much you read into things. I’ll give you a heads up right now. I’m going to analyze here. I’m also going to steal some ideas that Dave Ward gave me during that conversation, but I think when you’re done reading, you’ll see that you now have the ability to make a pretty informed decision on what will work best for you.
Don’t weigh in at all!
That’s right! Get rid of the scale, throw it away, put it in the attic. Whatever you would like to do – do it! So many people trust the scale as the “authority” for physical fitness. Notice I didn’t say weight loss here. I don’t know what can measure weight loss much better than a scale, BUT a scale canNOT measure the true measurements for your physical fitness. Is your goal simply to shed some pounds and a few inches? Find a certain outfit, pair of jeans, a dress (for you ladies), just something that you can’t fit in right now, but you’d like to. Don’t try to put that clothing on every day, not even once a week. The MOST you should attempt to try it on is every two weeks, but I suggest a month. If it’s a pair of pants, it doesn’t count if you have to lie down on your back to fasten or button them! If you’re getting that close, though, keep pushing yourself a little bit harder. It’s not going to take much more to be able to fit into them!
Weigh in every other week!
For those of you who already like to stick to the “tried and true” weekly weigh-in, STOP!!! Add a week in between! If you’re anything like me, two consecutive weeks of the numbers going up on that scale and you’re ready to hang it up and say that what you’ve been doing isn’t working. The problem is, that simply isn’t true. If you’re following a steady workout program, and monitoring your nutritional intake closely, you ARE becoming more physically fit. Again, the scale is NOT the authority on this. This is why you should also be taking measurements as well. I know it’s hard to keep track of that little piece of paper every other week, and that’s why Beachbody has their free goal tracker! If you haven’t taken advantage of this, you need to do it! You can sign up for a free account here and take advantage of this and other free tools available on their website!
Do it daily!!
What?!?! Am I crazy?!?! Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. How many factors can affect your weight? There are MANY different things that can contribute to weight loss and weight gain. Have you ever eaten something and it felt like it just sat there in your stomach? Then you drink something and it feels like it’s just sloshing around with every step you take. Water weight can certainly contribute, never mind the water retention you can experience if your sodium intake is high, or if you haven’t been hydrating enough.
The best time of day to weigh in is first thing in the morning. Your body has had the opportunity to expel some excess fluids and distribute the nutrients to their appropriate destinations in your body. This is when you will get the most accurate reading on your true body weight.
Without getting TOO technical on the reasons for weighing in daily, I’ll simply explain that this is the method I choose myself. My scale is a little more “upscale” (pun intended). It measures body fat%, hydration level, bone density, weight loss/gain and BMI (Body Mass Index). I know that water weight, what I eat, and the muscle:fat ratio are going to contribute to changes in those numbers. It’s purely mind over matter. Just like looking in the mirror each day. You won’t see 3 inches gone from your waist the morning after your first workout. At the same time, you won’t see 5 lbs. disappear overnight on the scale.
Muscle vs. fat is going to have an effect on what you see on your scale display as well. I have been doing Shaun T.’s Insanity workout. Whether you’re doing this, or P90X, Asylum, TurboFire, Chalean Extreme, another Beachbody workout program, or even doing a strength training regimen at a gym, you’re bound to have fat loss and muscle gain. These are going to contribute to changes in the numbers that the scale shows you. It’s true, muscle weighs more than fat by volume. So, when you’re burning fat and gaining muscle, there will be times when that scale goes up.
Decide!
You have three great arguments for three totally different methods here. Which one you choose is completely up to you! Regardless of your choice, I’d love to help you along your fitness journey, and my services are free! You can sign up for your free account and email me anytime with any questions!
