Factors affecting scale weight

Why the number on the scale might not make sense

You have done everything right. You ate your vegetables. You drank you water. You are putting in the hours at training. But the number on the scale just does not seem to make sense.

Does that scenario sound familiar?

Here is the truth: when you are pursuing a weight-related goal, fluctuations are a normal part of the process. Yet so many people get upset when the number on the scale does not reflect the work that they have put in. I know I have been there, especially before I learnt during my Dietetics studies about how our complex body systems function and what affects the number you see when you step onto the scale.

Weighing a kilo or two more (or less) today than you did yesterday, does not mean that you gained or lost body weight overnight. It is important on your health journey to realise and be aware of the factors that cause weight fluctuations – that has NOTHING to do with fat.

• Hormones
  Estrogen and progesterone play a role in how body regulates fluid. When these hormones fluctuate, the tissues in your body accumulate more water, causing water retention.
• Medications
  Medications, for example oestrogen containing drugs, NSAIDS (non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen) and beta-blockers may cause water retention.
• Time of day
  The best time to weigh yourself is in the morning after you went to the bathroom. Daily fluctuations due to meal composition, hydration and activity level. Keep the times during which you weigh yourself consistent in order to make accurate comparisons.
• What you ate the night before
  Meal composition can affect the number you see on the scale. If you ate more carbohydrate than usual, it is possible that you might weigh more the next day. That does not mean you gained fat overnight – for each 1 gram of carbohydrate, the body retains approximately 2-3 grams of water. This will normalise as you go about your day and exercise, using the stored carbohydrates as energy.
  Likewise, many fad diets leads to a lot of weight loss in the first few days or weeks due to this same reason – less carbohydrate is consumed, therefore less water is retained and the number on the scale goes down. However, after the water weight is lost, weight loss plataus.
  It has been shown that a more moderate approach to weight loss – 500 – 1kg per week or 1% of body weight per week – leads to higher long-term success rates, which means you are more likely to keep the weight off that you lost over the long term.
• How late you ate the night before
  If you ate later than usual, you might weigh a little more the next day because there is still food that needs to be digested in the stomach.
• Eating a lot of salt
  High salt intake causes the kidneys to retain water, which may lead to a higher number on the scale.
• Stress
  Stress increases the production of the hormone cortisol, which affects water retention and water weight.
• Training intensity and inflammation
  During times of high intensity training, you might have a temporary increase in weight due to inflammation.
• Clothing
  This may seem obvious, but clothing and jewelry also affects scale numbers. Make sure you wear the same amount of clothing from one weigh-in to the next.
• Hydration status
  Hydration plays a massive role in weight. Hopping on the scale after training may give you an inaccurate idea of how much you weigh! Water losses of between 500g – 3kg has been documented, depending on time and intensity of training. Likewise, for every 500ml of water you drink, the scale will increase with 500g.

The takeaway

The scale is one of the easiest and most convenient measures of progress when it comes to weight loss, but because there are so many factors that affect the number that appears on the scale, you need to have other measures of progress as well. After all, the goal is to achieve body composition changes – i.e. fat loss or gain and muscle gain, and not only weight loss or gain.

Here are some examples of non-scale measurements:

• Clothing size.
• Progress photos – we overestimate how much we can do in a week and underestimate how much we can do in a couple of months. It is amazing to look back on photos of a couple of months ago and see the progress you have made.
• Energy levels and performance (after all, the goal of nutrition is to have a better quality of life, more energy and increased performance. If that is your main goal, the best body composition your body needs to be at to perform optimally will follow)
• Sleep – sleep affects your nutritional status, and likewise, how you eat affects your sleep.
• Mood – a good nutritional strategy should support a good mood. If you are feeling cranky, it may be a good idea to look at your nutrition.

Always remember: Success in nutrition goes way beyond the number on the scale!