By Pete Cataldo
Your scale doesn’t tell you the entire story of your weight loss journey. So what’s the best way to track weight loss progress? Let me explain.
+++
In a perfect world full of unlimited coffee, toddlers that nap, and emails that answer themselves, you’d lose 1-2 pounds every single week along your fat loss journey.
But, that ain’t how it happens.
Instead, the coffee pot ends, the toddler throws a fit and your inbox is flooded daily.
And the weight loss goes in fits and starts.
The scale is the ultimate troll of your body transformation journey. It loves to mess with you by spitting out random numbers that have you questioning your sanity.
Let me know if this sounds familiar:
- You make a commitment to lose some weight and get in shape.
- As a result, you lace up the running shoes, eat less “bad” food and grab more salads.
- The scale rewards you for your efforts by showing consistent downward progress. You’re winning!
- But then a random spike in scale weight happens. And another. Suddenly, you weigh as much as you did two weeks ago. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
- You declare all hope is lost and give up the diet and exercise plan.
- And your cycle of yo-yo dieting continues.
Instead of giving into the series of on-again/off-again struggles and quitting because you can’t seem to lose those extra pounds, let’s flip the script and take back control.
You see, there are dozens of reasons why (despite your caloric deficit and consistency) that the scale will read back some bullshit that gets you down in the dumps.
That number staring back at you in laughter is just one part of the entire process:
- Stress factors (who doesn’t have those with kids around the house).
- Crazy hormonal factors (like your monthly cycle).
- Random excess poop that you need to flush out.
- Perhaps a little too much salt in last night’s dinner.
All of these things will lead to those frustrating little spikes in weight loss and perhaps even a brief stall.
It’s time you developed a better relationship with that hunk of evil plastic, better known as your scale. And I’m here to help.
In this article, I’ll explain:
- The reason why your scale weight went up overnight
- Why it is not just fat that was gained overnight
- How to properly track weight loss progress
- Utilizing non-scale victories to track weight loss progress
Let’s get to work.
+++
The reason why your scale weight went up overnight
When you’ve set out to lose weight in the past, what you’ve likely meant is that you want to burn off some extra fat.
You see, weight loss is not the same as fat loss. And as I’ve explained before, the formula for losing weight is simple:
As long as you are managing the balance of calories in (how much you eat) versus your calories out (how much you burn), you will be able to manipulate your weight up or down accordingly.
Burning fat is the key to looking awesome and feeling great. It’s what you’ve really meant when you set a goal to tone or lean down.
This is a key distinction.
Because that evil number that the devil box spits back at you in the morning is not an accurate look at the entire fat loss picture.
The scale weight that you see is simply a measure of how much gravity is pulling on your body at that particular moment. It does not accurately portray your level of leanness nor does it properly display the current level of fat loss progress.
And unless you are an athlete in a weight-controlled sport, you should not let that number be the sole data point in your effort to actually track weight loss progress. Especially since the major goal is to lose fat. Not weight.
And that scale weight number can vary quite drastically for a whole host of crazy reasons that are simply not in your control.
The Many Reasons Behind Sudden Weight Fluctuations
Depending on the time of day and certain hydration levels, the human body is composed of upwards of 60-70 percent water. Which means that many of the reasons for weight fluctuations are a direct result of water changes in your body. Not fat.
So let’s be really clear here: gaining a pound or two (or even five) does not mean it is all fat.
Remember that as a general guideline, one pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories. That’s 35-hundred calories OVER your maintenance.
In other words, if you need 2,000 calories to stay the same weight and body fat levels, you’d need to eat over 5,500 calories in one day to add one pure pound of body fat.
So rest assured, the weight you gained after that pizza last night is not fat. It’s likely just some extra food, water and poop that’s in your system.
And it’s totally normal.
In fact, there are a whole host of reasons why your scale is shooting back some draw-dropping, stress-inducing, rage-inciting reading:
More sodium in the diet
This is a major result of eating meals away from home. Restaurant meals tend to carry tons of excess sodium and salt retains water which leads to a higher than normal reading on your scale.
But, at the end of the day, as long as you do not have a medical issue with sodium (chat with your doctor on this one), salty foods are totally fine in moderation.
However, just understand that even though you opted for chicken and veggies at your favorite restaurant last night, you could still see a false reading bump up in scale weight due to the extra salt.
Monthly cycle
Bloating and water retention are common when going through the menstrual cycle and can actually lead to crazy fluctuations as many as 14 days before and after that cycle begins/ends.
It’s a major reason why all of the ladies in my one on one coaching programs are encouraged to compare weight in a month-to-month timeline as opposed to the more traditional week to week set up.
Big workout
When you break down muscle tissue during a strength training workout, your body needs extra glycogen to repair those muscles. The lean tissue hangs on to extra water and fuel as part of the process.
In other words, there’s more water retention than usual after that massive leg day and the scale may go up slightly because you hit a PR on your deadlifts. This also doesn’t mean you gained massive muscle over night, it simply means your muscles are holding on to some excess fluids.
Ate later than usual
Our body’s natural circadian rhythm isn’t exactly a fan of being messed with on a regular basis. When you disrupt that cycle by eating later than usual, the body is thrown off of it’s natural pattern of waste removal.
All this is to say that you have more food in your system than usual. That’s it.
Need to poop
Are you backed up? Or perhaps you just need a little bit of that morning coffee to hit the system so you can flush out some of Tuesday’s taco night?
If you’ve got some extra dookie in the belly, that shit can weigh you down and force the scale to go up. Take a poop, weigh yourself again … instant weight loss.
Water levels are wonky
If you’ve hydrated more than usual, you might need to pee out some excess fluid. On the flipside, if you are dehydrated, you can actually be retaining more water (sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true).
Stressing out more than normal
Let’s be clear here: contrary to the pseudoscience out there, stress does not make you fat.
But, when you are under the gun more than usual, the hormone cortisol kicks in. As it does, it can lead to (you guessed it) more water retention.
Now, one of the big triggers to be mindful of when under high stress is that cortisol can lower your willpower to avoid excess calories. It’s not a direct association with fat gain, yet a symptom of stress eating that can lead to more weight gain.
Ate more carbs than usual
Approach this one with extreme caution, because the weight gain is not fat, it’s simply more water.
You see when carbs are consumed in the body, they tend to suck up some more water with them. This is totally normal and expected and will lead to weight gain, not added fat.
This last point about carbs and weight gain is a big reason why low carb dieters see immediate results when they start a program. They’ve removed the carbs and the water is flushed out. Weight loss!
So do not take this reason as an excuse to do some drastic low carb eating in an attempt to manipulate the scale and trick your body into losing more fat.
The key to long-term and sustainable fat loss (not weight loss and certainly not water weight loss) is to stay in a total calorie deficit. I lay that out in this post here.
You can absolutely eat a metric fuck ton of carbs and still lose weight as long as you manage the calories.
How to properly track weight loss progress
View your weight loss journey like a science project. And the best science projects need tons of data. That includes your scale weight (in addition to several additional data points that I’ll lay out shortly).
Starting today, you should weigh yourself every day. Every. Single. Day.
Doing so allows you to notice the trends of your weight loss and identify how your body responds to different stimuli. And it gives you more data.
My goal is to break the stigma associated with scale weight and prevent the anxiety of tying the number back to your self worth. View the number on the scale as data. That’s it. It’s just a number.
As you continually step on that scale daily, you’ll start to notice the little patterns that develop and the factors that influence the data (like the eight points we highlighted in the last section).
Your job is to track this number daily, then take the average over the course of a week. From there, you’ll compare the weekly numbers to start checking the trend lines.
As fat loss continues, the scale should see some movement and the weekly patterns will help underscore that progress.
The weekly averages are important. I used to be a huge proponent of a one-time weekly scale check. But, due to the number of reasons laid out before as to why the scale shifts, that one time measurement is not enough data to make a true informed opinion.
It was also anxiety-inducing for clients and would lead to mini-panic attacks or extreme measures in which they’d try and manipulate the scale weight check-ins by purposely skipping meals or dehydrating themselves. This leads to false readings and more stress than necessary.
The simple solution: weigh yourself every single day. Track the week over week averages. Women should also track the month to month numbers since water fluctuation patterns are much bigger mitigating factor due to the monthly cycle.
Weigh yourself everyday after taking a pee or poop, totally naked and before eating or drinking.
But, as you now know, simply weighing yourself isn’t enough. You see, actual fat loss progress comes in many different forms. Which is why you’ll need to employ several different data collection methods to get the full picture.
Full Body Measurements
If you’re literally getting smaller, you can guarantee that the fat is burning and progress is being made.
You’ll want to break out the measuring tape and keep a weekly tab of your waist and hips (at minimum).
If you are really into embracing the full science project approach, you could perform what I call the nine-point measurement plan:
- Chest
- Right arm
- Left arm
- 2” Above your navel (or belly button)
- Navel
- 2” Below your navel
- Hips
- Right thigh
- Left thigh
Toss in measurements every single week and add them to a spreadsheet or at least a handy notebook.
Add some progress photos
Every single month, you’ll want to get a full body picture of yourself in minimal and/or tight fitting clothing. No selfies. Employ a loved one to get a decent snapshot of you in good lighting so you can get some comparable photos.
Do this every single month and compare the results to see the difference in body composition over time.
Track how your clothes feel
Sometimes the scale weight doesn’t budge much and the measurements are coming up a tad stagnant. That’s where the clothes come into play.
If you are dropping pants sizes or that shirt that’s been collecting a moth ball stench in your closet suddenly buttons for the first time in a long time, then that means something positive is happening. That’s progress. Appreciate and celebrate that.
Add up all of this data to show a more accurate picture of your journey. So instead of smashing your scale, you can flip the script on it, take back control of your weigh-ins and understand that the devil box is just one small piece of the total puzzle.
Utilizing non-scale victories to track weight loss progress
Data collection is a great way to stay on top of your personal little fat loss science project, but it’s still not telling the entire story of your journey.
Enter the role of the NSV or non-scale victory. These are the small wins outside of your weight that help shed more light on your ability to see meaningful and sustainable progress.
Many of these victories are immeasurable, but they are definitely something to make note of and track in your journal on a consistent basis.
Awesome non-scale victories:
Getting stronger in the gym –– If you are making progress in your workout program and lifting heavier weights, or performing movements with better form, or feeling more energetic in your routines, those are major wins that don’t show up on the scale or in your measurements.
But this should be celebrated as a major victory nonetheless.
Sleeping better –– Getting quality rest is a major player in the game of fat loss. You need to prioritize sleep in order to see consistent results.
Yet, lack of sleep is a major concern for folks that are out of shape. As you become more active, you may notice improvement in the quality of your sleep. Another huge win.
Be sure to take note of how much sleep you average on a regular basis and the quality of that sleep (like on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being “slept like the dead”).
Developing healthier relationship with food –– Sometimes a win is just acknowledging that instead of picking up that second donut during your conference call you opted to stay satisfied with one.
Or maybe instead of beating yourself up over having pizza last night, you understand that it’s just one meal and you are never more than one bite away from getting right back on track with your diet.
Small wins lead to major victories down the road and the mental framework around your relationship with food is part of that process.
And actually FEELING better every day –– Are you feeling better?
Maybe the small back pain is going away.
Perhaps you no longer need that afternoon cup of coffee to stay awake in the middle of the day.
Or it could be that you can finally keep up with your kids on the playground.
All of these are NSVs that lead to a better quality of life and none of them show up on that dreaded hunk of plastic every morning.
Make note of the small wins. Finding several NSVs along your journey will open up your appreciation for the whole picture and process of your fat loss adventure.
The scale is just part of the equation.
The number your scale tosses back at you is just one small data point of the science project that is your fat loss journey.
Your weight is not the absolute definition of pass or fail.
As Obi Wan wisely said, only a Sith deals in absolutes. Instead, a good Jedi will use all of the tools available to make an informed opinion on how she is progressing.
Here are the tools that should be in your arsenal:
- Find a good calorie tracking app, like MyFitnessPal
- Weigh your portions with a food scale
- Track your steps with a pedometer (or even your smartphone)
- Snap regular pictures
- Take measurements of your waist and hips (at minimum)
- Log your workouts with the purpose of getting stronger every day
And THEN … yes, you can still weigh yourself daily to track the trends.
Don’t get fooled by the Dark Side of The Force that is narrow-minded with only one view of success. It’s a trap that will lead to frustration, anger and hate.
Trust your instincts … and then measure, track, log and record everything to get a clearer picture of your journey.
Once you free yourself from that fucked up, emotional rollercoaster of judging your journey solely off of that daily number, it unlocks the cheat code to real life-changing awesomeness.
Featured Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Let me help you learn how to accurately measure and track your weight loss progress …
I’m here to help you out.
If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “Track Weight Loss Progress” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.
Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
If you enjoyed this post, maybe you’d like more knowledge bombs from me. I’d be honored if you join my mailing list to get regular updates every time I post something pretty dope.