There are a lot of th
ings that make up one’s weight. Off the top of my head I can think of a few structures that make up one’s weight; bones, muscles, blood, the food in the digestive tract, and the fluid in the bladder are some of the components of one’s weight. From this list, it is easy to see that the weight of many of these fluctuates up and down, and therefore so does one’s body weight. Let’s talk about a couple of them and how their weight changes.
Bones: Ok, maybe the weight of bones does not change very much, but if you have been doing some bone loading exercises such as jumping jacks or jogging, their strength and density will increase. This can result in an increased weight from healthy bone tissue.
Food in the digestive tract: This is where we are going to start to see some potentially huge fluctuations in weight. It can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours for the entire process of digestion. If you ate a larger meal a couple of days ago, your weight may reflect this increase. If you weigh yourself daily, this change can have a frustrating impact. Especially, if you feel like you really monitored your calorie intake yesterday.
Fluid in the bladder: You have probably heard it is best to weigh-in at the same time of day, in the same clothes (or lack thereof), and after you have emptied your bladder. These suggestions are an attempt to reduce some of the variables that are inherent in measuring weight. Your bladder can hold up to 600 mL of fluid. This is 10 ounces or a little over one-half of a pound. On the scale, when you are counting every decimal, a .5 difference is enough to frustrate. The same is true for weighing yourself before or after a workout. Weight loss as a result of sweating is often visible on the scale. For many endurance athletes, they are told to weigh-in before their workout and after to see how much water they lost in sweat. This is then their guide to replacing water and staying hydrated. The common recommendation is to drink 16 ounces of water for every pound lost to stay hydrated. This recommendation may not be true for everybody.
Bottom line, when you are trying to lose weight, using the scale as your sole source of feedback on progress is a flawed and frustrating method. Consider adding a couple of other ways to monitor your progress in addition to the scale. Consider having your body fat measured with the calipers or bioelectrical impedance, consider fitness testing to see if your endurance and strength have increased, and consider measuring your waist circumference every 30 days (use your belly button as a landmark so you’ll be able to compare each time).
