Six Reasons the Scale is Stuck.
THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE DISCOURAGING THAN STEPPING ON THE SCALE AND NOT SEEING THE NUMBER OR TREND YOU HAD HOPED FOR. IN FACT, I WOULD GO SO FAR AS TO SAY THAT IF YOU HAD TO PICK THE SINGLE MOMENT WHERE MOST WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEYS ARE ABANDONED, IT WOULD BE AFTER A DISAPPOINTING WEIGH-IN.
I SEE THESE FRUSTRATIONS WITH CLIENTS. I HEAR PEOPLE EXPRESS THESE FRUSTRATIONS IN PASSING. I GET DM'S ABOUT IT, E-MAIL'S ABOUT IT. I DO NOT LIKE TO THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE LETTING SOMETHING AS SMALL AS A BAD WEIGH-IN DERAIL THEIR PROGRESS.
SO, BEFORE I DIVE INTO THIS LIST, ALLOW ME TO FIRST SAY THIS: THE SCALE IS NOT THE ONLY METRIC YOU SHOULD USE TO MEASURE FAT LOSS PROGRESS. A SCALE IS A TOOL IN YOUR FAT LOSS TOOLBOX, BUT IT’S NO MORE VALUABLE THAN ANY OTHER TOOL. IF LOSING WEIGHT IS A PRIORITY, GATHERING DATA USING THE SCALE IS A FANTASTIC TOOL, BUT IT’S ONE YOU SHOULD USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME OF THE FOLLOWING:
PROGRESS PICTURES.
CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS.
THE SUBJECTIVE FEELING OF HOW YOUR CLOTHES ARE FITTING.
THE SUBJECTIVE FEEDBACK YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR.
THE SUBJECTIVE FEEDBACK OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY (THINGS LIKE, “YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR LOSING WEIGHT” ABSOLUTELY COUNT).
YOUR GYM PROGRESS.
YOUR DIETARY ADHERENCE.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT GIVE THE SCALE TOO MUCH POWER. IT IS DATA AND DATA ALONE.
THAT BEING SAID, IT IS DATA WORTH RESPECTING, AND IT’S OFTEN CONFUSING/DEMOTIVATING DELIVERY CAN LEAVE MANY OF THOSE ON A WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WONDERING “HOW AM I NOT LOSING WEIGHT?”
SO, ALLOW ME TO SHARE WITH YOU THE 6 REASONS YOU'RE NOT LOSING WEIGHT
REASON ONE: IMPATIENCE: THAT’S RIGHT. THE NUMBER ONE REASON YOU ARE NOT LOSING WEIGHT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CALORIES OR EXERCISE. IT HAS TO DO WITH PATIENCE. GAINING WEIGHT TAKES TIME, LOSING WEIGHT TAKES EVEN LONGER. AND EVEN IF YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT, YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WILL NOT BE LINEAR. I CUT DOWN 10 LBS FROM JANUARY 1ST, 2020 TO MARCH 1ST, 2020. INTERESTINGLY, I ONLY HAD A DAYS WITH CONSECUTIVE BACK TO BACK LOW WEIGH-INS 8 TIMES ACROSS THE 60 DAYS I WAS DIETING. I HAD BACK TO BACK DAYS WITH THE SAME WEIGHT 10 TIMES. THERE WERE A LOT OF DAYS WITH THE SAME WEIGH-IN OR EVEN A HEAVIER WEIGH-IN- DISCOURAGING? IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, THAT MEANS I SAW A NUMBER I LIKED 8/60 TIMES, THE SAME WEIGHT 10 TIMES, AND A BUNCH OF STUFF ALL OVER THE BOARD THE REST OF THE TIME. BUT AFTER 60 DAYS, THE TRENDS LINED UP TO LOSING 10 LBS. THE KEY IS TO BE PATIENT AND TRUST THE PROCESS.
PRO-TIP: WHEN YOU ARE GETTING IMPATIENT, REMEMBER HOW LONG IT TOOK YOU TO PUT THE WEIGHT YOU GAINED ON. RESPECT THAT IT WILL LIKELY TAKE SOME TIME TO GET THAT WEIGHT OFF.
REASON TWO: YOU ARE NOT TRACKING CALORIES ACCURATELY. THIS IS SINGLY BIGGEST TECHNICAL ERROR PEOPLE MAKE WHEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT. WHILE THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT TRACKING PERFECTLY WILL LEAD TO 100% LINEAR WEIGHT-LOSS, IT'S YOUR BEST BET. IF YOU ARE NOT IN A CALORIE DEFICIT, YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT, AND GUESSING IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH IN MOST INSTANCES. IN FACT, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN PEOPLE TEND TO UNDERESTIMATE CALORIE INTAKE AND OVERESTIMATE CALORIE EXPENDITURE. PLAYING THE GUESSING GAME AND EYEBALLING YOUR CALORIE INTAKE IS NOT A RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY. WHILE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TRACK EVERY DAY, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND TRACKING CALORIE INTAKE ACCURATELY MOST OF THE TIME IF LOSING WEIGHT IS A PRIORITY. KNOWING YOU ARE TAKING EVERYTHING INTO ACCOUNT CAN CREATE A POWERFUL SENSE OF CONTROL AND MOTIVATION - TWO THINGS THAT WILL ASSUREDLY HELP KEEP YOU ON TRACK.
PRO-TIP: TRACK YOUR CALORIES AS YOU GO USING AN APP LIKE MYFITNESSPAL. DOING THIS CAN HELP ENSURE YOU ARE ON TOP AND HAVE A DYNAMIC REPRESENTATION OF YOUR CALORIE INTAKE AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
REASON THREE: YOU ARE AIMING AT THE WRONG TARGET. ALL THE ACCURATE TRACKING, GREAT WORKOUTS, AND WEIGH-INS WILL DO LITTLE GOOD IF YOU CALCULATED THE WRONG TARGET CALORIES. DOING THIS CAN BE TOUGH. I RECOMMEND DOWNLOADING MY NUTRITION FUNDAMENTALS GUIDE AND USING THE CALORIE CALCULATOR FROM MY GOOD FRIENDS OVER AT LEGION ATHLETICS. THESE TOOLS WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY SET YOUR SIGHTS ON THE PROPER TARGET CALORIE INTAKE TOTAL.
PRO TIP: MANY INDIVIDUALS LOOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SELECTING THE WRONG ACTIVITY MULTIPLIERS WHEN USING ONLINE CALORIE CALCULATORS. ACTIVITY MULTIPLIERS ARE MASSIVELY IMPORTANT FOR GENERATING TARGET CALORIES. THE MISTAKE MOST PEOPLE MAKE IS IN OVER-REPRESENTING THEIR ACTIVITY AND SELECTING A BIGGER MULTIPLIER THAN THEY SHOULD. WHEN CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO MULTIPLIERS, I RECOMMEND SELECTING THE SMALLER OF THE TWO.
REASON FOUR: YOU ARE NOT WEIGHING IN UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WHEN YOU WEIGH MAKES A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE. WHAT YOU WEIGH BEFORE BED WITH A FULL DAY WORTH OF FOOD, WATER, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU WEIGH IN THE MORNING UPON WAKING. WEIGHING UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS EACH DAY IS BEST FOR ACCURACY. AND WHEN I SAY THE SAME CONDITIONS, I MEAN THE SAME CONDITIONS. TAKING YOUR WEIGHT IN THE MORNING IS GREAT, BUT EVEN SOMETHING AS SMALL AS WEIGHING IN PRE/POST MORNING PEE CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT YOU WEIGH. I MAKE A POINT TO WEIGH FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AFTER I PEE, BUT BEFORE I EAT. I ALSO WRITE THAT NUMBER ON A CHART I KEEP TACKED TO THE WALL ABOVE MY SCALE. MANY SCALES NOW WILL RECORD YOUR WEIGHT AND UPLOAD THEM ONTO APPS ON YOUR PHONE, BUT I STILL PREFER OLD SCHOOL.
PRO-TIP: HANG A SPREADSHEET ON THE WALL TO TRACK AND MONITOR YOUR DAILY WEIGH-INS. AND REMEMBER, IT IS JUST DATA - DON’T PUT TOO MUCH STOCK INTO ANY ONE WEIGH-IN.
REASON FIVE: SODIUM AND CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE. IT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO HEAR “_____ FOOD MAKES ME SO BLOATED.” MOST OF THOSE FOODS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON. SODIUM. WHEN SODIUM INTAKES RISE, WATER RETENTION TENDS TO RISE ALONGSIDE IT. THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE TWO MOLECULES’ AFFINITY FOR EACH OTHER AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL. WHILE I’M PRETTY SURE YOU ARE NOT HERE FOR A CHEMISTRY LESSON, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT CARBOHYDRATES ALSO HAVE A SIMILAR AFFINITY FOR WATER. IT IS FOR THIS REASON LOW-CARB DIETS OFTEN LEAD TO MORE RAPID WEIGHT LOSS THAN OTHER DIETS. ONE STUDY HAS EVEN SHOWN THAT WATER LOSS ACTUALLY ACCOUNTS FOR THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS IN SHORT TERM LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIETERS.
SMALL FLUCTUATIONS IN SODIUM AND CARBOHYDRATE CAN LEAD TO “SCALE-TRICKING” LEVELS IN WATER RETENTION THAT CAN MAKE MOST NOVICE DIETERS DUMBFOUNDED. THE GOOD THING IS, MOST SCALES DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR MASS LOSS FROM WATER OR FAT -JUST TOTAL WEIGHT. IT IS COMPLETELY POSSIBLE TO EAT IN A CALORIE DEFICIT WHILE STILL HAVING A HIGHER SODIUM AND CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WAKE UP HEAVIER. BUT ANY WEIGHT GAINED IS ALMOST CERTAINLY FROM WATER AND FOOD MASS - NOT FAT.
PRO-TIP: REMEMBER THAT SPREADSHEET I TOLD YOU TO MAKE? MAKE A NOTES SECTION SO YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT THINGS THAT MAY AFFECT A WEIGH-IN LIKE SODIUM INTAKE, CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE, AND EATING BIGGER MEALS LATER AT NIGHT (BEFORE A MORNING WEIGH-IN).
REASON SIX: STRESS. THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF EVIDENCE LINKING STRESS TO OBESITY. STRESS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES HAVE EVEN BEEN LINKED TO HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES. STRESS CAN ELEVATE THE HORMONE CORTISOL, WHICH HAS BEEN LINKED TO INCREASED WEIGHT GAIN IN ITS OWN RIGHT.
BEYOND THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HOW VARIOUS HORMONES THAT COINCIDE WITH STRESS AFFECT OUR BODY MASS, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW STRESS CAN AFFECT OUR BEHAVIOR. MANY OF US OUT THERE MAKE OUR WORST FOOD CHOICES WHEN WE ARE STRESSED. NOW, WHILE ONE BAD MEAL CANNOT MAKE OR BREAK AN ENTIRE DIET, IT CAN LEAD TO A JUMP ON THE SCALE DEPENDING ON THE TYPE AND CALORIC DENSITY OF THE FOOD. THESE SMALL DIETARY DEVIATIONS PAIRED WITH ELEVATED CORTISOL MIGHT CAUSE A DIETER TO SEE UNWANTED SCALE WEIGHT GAIN. BUT, SO LONG AS YOU REMAIN IN A CALORIE DEFICIT - NO NEED TO PANIC. IT IS WORTH NOTING, MAINTAINING A CALORIE DEFICIT DURING PERIODS OF EXTREME PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS MAY NOT BE THE BEST COMBINATION FOR ENJOYING LIFE - SO PICKING AND CHOOSING WHEN TO DIET, OR IMPLEMENTING DIET BREAKS CAN BE A HUGE TOOL.
PRO-TIP: IF YOUR LIFE IS STRESSFUL, THE LAST THING YOU NEED TO BE STRESSING ON IS WHAT THE SCALE SAYS.
ALL THE FACTORS LISTED ABOVE, AND MORE (LACK OF SLEEP, PHYSICALLY DEMANDING WORKOUTS, MENSTRUATION) CAN ALL LEAD TO SCALE WEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS AND DIETER FRUSTRATION. THAT BEING SAID, SO LONG AS YOU ARE DOING THE FOLLOWING YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT YOU WILL LOSE THE WEIGHT YOU WANT:
EATING IN A CALORIE DEFICIT
GETTING ADEQUATE PROTEIN
GETTING ADEQUATE SLEEP
DOING SOME TYPE OF RESISTANCE TRAINING
THE SCALE IS DATA, IT’S NOT THE GATEKEEPER FOR WEIGHT LOSS. IT ACTS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DIETERS TO GENERATE DATA THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY TRENDS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CLIENT LOSE WEIGHT INCREMENTALLY EACH DAY, IN A LINEAR FASHION AND REACH THEIR GOAL. IT’S NEVER THAT STRAIGHT FORWARD OR EASY, LARGELY FOR THE REASONS LISTED ABOVE.
STAY PATIENT, FOLLOW THE COURSE, AND WEATHER THE STORM. WEIGHT LOSS CAN CERTAINLY BE YOURS WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE.
Written By: Daniel Matranga, CSCS