What Most People Don't Realise Impacts the Number on the Scale
Stepping on the scales. It really is a source of anxiety and confusion for many of us. And, it’s easy to become fixated on the number staring back at you. But did you know that there are many factors that can make this number fluctuate up and down, beyond just your body mass? Knowing these uncontrollable variables can be the difference between having a healthy relationship with your body and a poor, challenging relationship with weight, food and exercise.
So here are just 15 (of many more) factors that can affect the number on the scale:
Water retention
Changes in how much fluid you consume and retain causes temporary weight changes. High salt intake, dehydration, and hormonal shifts can all lead to water retention.
Food intake
The weight of the food and liquids you eat before weighing yourself temporarily increases your scale number.
Digestive contents
The contents sitting in your digestive tract add weight. If you haven’t had a bowel movement recently, this affects the scale weight number.
Carbohydrate intake
Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver, and each gram of glycogen is stored with about three grams of water, which can add to the scale number. This is why low carb diets cause rapid “weight loss” initially.
Menstrual cycle
Hormonal fluctuations during your menstrual cycle cause water retention and an increase in the number on the scale (by up to two kilograms!).
Clothing
Weighing yourself with clothes on adds to the scale number, and different types of clothing and accessories contribute differently to this number.
Time of day
Your weight can vary throughout the day and we tend to see a normal increase in scale number towards the end of the day.
Exercise
Intense workouts can lead to temporary water retention in the muscles, causing the scale number to go up.
Sleep
Lack of sleep can influence hormones that control hunger and water retention, potentially leading to increases in the scale number.
Stress
High-stress levels can lead to hormonal changes that cause water retention and increase the volume of food you consume.
Bladder movements
Increased or decreased urine production can affect the scale weight due to the varying amounts of fluid in your body.
Medications
Some medications can cause weight gain or water retention as a side effect.
Health conditions
Certain health conditions, such as thyroid issues or kidney disease, can affect the scale weight.
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol can lead to dehydration initially, followed by water retention, which can impact the scale reading.
Scales used
Different scales will vary in the number shown despite your weight not changing.
Why is understanding these factors even important?
The number on the scales won’t always accurately reflect the progress you are making with diet and lifestyle changes. There are too many uncontrollable variables. If it’s your main (or only) way of measuring progress, it leaves you feeling pretty crappy when the number doesn’t change despite making amazing diet and lifestyle changes.
Understanding these factors is key for maintaining a healthy relationship with your weight. It helps you realize that daily fluctuations are normal and not necessarily indicative of your body mass or self-worth. This awareness can taper down the stress and anxiety and prevent unhelpful dietary restrictions or over-exercising based on misleading scale readings.
What to do instead?
Focus on setting non-weight measures of progress to help you track your health journey in a positive way. It is also important to explore your relationship with the scales. Because for some, letting go of weighing too frequently is important. And for others, complete fear, panic and avoidance of the scales is important to face and overcome (with regular, gentle and expert support from a Dietitian that is!). Everyone is different and working closely with your healthcare team is key.
Don't let the number on the scale dictate your self-worth or health decisions. There are too many uncontrollable variables when it comes to the scales! If you need support with navigating your health goal and relationship with the scales and body weight, book an appointment with our team today.
