by Holly Ridgeway

Created on: November 03, 2009

Lose More Weight By Weighing In Less: Why Not to Step on the Scale Every Day

It's often said that if you want to lose weight that you should weigh yourself every day. Logical, right? But is it effective? Not so much.

The scale doesn't lie, of course, but it doesn't tell the whole story either. Body weight can fluctuate from day to day and even from hour to hour for reasons other than energy balance (calories in versus calories out). A woman's monthly cycle can affect her weight dramatically. And anyone's weight can go up and down depending on their level of water retention, their stage in the digestive cycle, and their metabolic rate at a given time. This can account for as much as five pounds of body weight. Five pounds!

The scale does not provide context when it comes to body fat percentage either. Someone just starting a resistance training program might gain weight and still be losing inches due to a net loss of fat and a net gain of muscle. Will the scale tell you this? Unlikely. Even scales which gauge body fat percentage can be so widely off the mark as to be barely useful.

So why does all this matter? No device is perfect, right? Well, the problem with the scale is not the number it spits out. It's the reaction that people have to that number. Someone who stepped on the scale in the early morning the day previous might step on it again in the late afternoon and find several phantom pounds gained. Then, the inevitable, How can this be? I worked my butt off at the gym! I starved myself! And then, discouragement. And possibly, surrender.

Since so many individuals view weight loss as an all or nothing game, they give up at the first sign that they might have gained pounds, not realizing that it is likely only temporary. This is why weighing in less will likely lead to more weight lost: it will eliminate the greatest spirit-crusher in the battle to shed pounds. It will also make one less likely to wave the white flag of defeat.

Well then, how do you know that you're losing weight if you don't weigh yourself? Or rather, how do you know that you're losing fat? First, take regular measurements (at least monthly) of your problem areas using a tape measure, or preferably, MyoTape. You can get MyoTape and instructions on how to use it at http://www.accufitness.com/. Second, think about how you feel. Do your jeans feel looser or tighter? Do you feel skinnier or fatter? You know your body best. And oftentimes, it offers you more information than any gadget you can hook it up to.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know when you're losing weight. And it might not even take a scale.

Learn more about this author, Holly Ridgeway.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.