Do you need to track your weight?
Probably not.
More often than not, tracking your own weight causes more harm than it does good.
It's important to remember that weight is an arbitrary measurement of body composition. Weight is influenced by so many factors, including muscle mass, fat mass, body structure, and genetics, meaning it is incredibly variable.
On top of this, what you have eaten, how much you have eaten, what you have drunk, how much you have drunk, the time of day, whether you've gone to the toilet, and how much you've moved, are all factors that can influence the number on the scales on any given day. All of these factors combined mean that your weight can fluctuate by a significant amount, and is not a representative number of how much fat you have - the thing we (probably) want to know.
If you happen to weigh yourself on a day and at a time when the number happens to be high... then along comes the frustration and away goes the motivation.
This happens all too frequently. And this can actually lead to some very unhealthy habits and an unhealthy relationship with weight.
So, it's vital that we remember that because weight is an arbitrary representation of body composition, it may not be representative of the amount of fat you have. More importantly - remember weight itself is not necessarily representative of health!
All this being said, tracking weight can be a useful tool to measure progress, when done so smartly.
1 - You mustn't look at absolute values, look at trends.
If you're going to track weight, then track it properly by writing the numbers down. You can use apps, pen and paper, print out a graph, there are many of ways of doing this. This allows you to look at the trend over time, which is much more representative of progress.
2 - Be patient.
Genuine, sustainable weight loss takes time. Don't be disheartened if it takes a while to see a drop. Also, if you do see a steady drop straight away that stubbornly plateaus - keep going! Most weight loss seen straight away is actually just water-loss. Just keep driving forward and you will soon see further progress.
3 - Ignore the extremes.
Since weight is so variable, there will be times when the number jumps up and down. Try not to get excited when this number suddenly drops. This may sound counterintuitive since the drop is what we're after... but stick with me. When the number drops dramatically low it is not representative of your actual weight - just as the number isn't representative when it jumps really high. Reminding yourself of this fact when the number is low will help you feel less demotivated when it's high.
4 - Muscle weighs twice as much as fat.
If your goal is fat loss, then a drop in the number on the scales may not always be what you want. Resistance training is a great tool to improve fitness and should be part of any weight-loss plan. As well as improving cognition, sleep, and increasing utilisation of fat, resistance training helps you build and strengthen your muscles. Since muscle ways twice as much as fat, small increases in muscle mass may slow the decline seen on the scales... but this isn't a bad thing! So, don't be disheartened.
5 - Don't only track weight.
Since weight can be an unreliable measure of progress within fitness, don't only use weight as your measure of success. Strength, mobility, speed, and general mood, are all measurable/trackable variables that can act as a useful metric of progress. Don't tie your achievements only to the number on the scales.
6 - Weight is not the most important thing!
Finally, even if weight loss is your primary goal, don't lose sight of the importance of other aspects of health. Striving for weight loss should never come before mental health, mood, relationships, and other important contributors to a healthy life.
Please get in touch if you want to learn more, or if you have any comments you want to add. I'm only an email away...
I give aimless weight tracking a 2/10
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