Why scales alone is such a stupid metric
Foamroller
Posts: 1,041 Member
In the weekend I did a 30 mins strength class before the usual spinning class. My body is NOT used to any strength training, I think it's at least a year or more since I did that. Overnight I «gained» 1.8 kg (3.96 lbs) in water weight. So guys, there's NO NEED to get stressed out over scale fluctuations as long as you also double check other metrics as measurements and skinny clothes. Common sense really goes a long way!
Since then my scale weight has slowly fallen back 1 kg. But since I'm crazy about potato chips (with peanut oil) and pork rinds lately, it will take a bit more time to get down to lowest low
The point is: I think when people only use the scales as a way to "measure" their dieting results, it drives them crazy. Cause the scales will naturally flow and ebb according to exercise, carbohydrate intake, BM, TOM and whatnot. This is why I think weighing in daily is a good thing, as long as you don't take the scales personally. Watching your trends is far more useful concerning results. Edit in: By watching your trends, you give yourself the opportunity to adjust up or down much faster than if you weigh in monthly. However, if you can't separate scale weight from feelings, it's maybe better to weigh in on a weekly/bi-monthly/monthly basis.
The last months I've loosely been doing "maintenance" on a full diet break. My scales have stayed within a range of 2 kg. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in myself, even though I knew the reasons why I wasn't able to diet with the focus I had before xmas. Anyway, the scales not moving would indicate that there is no change. Not true. Thanks to lots of brisk, hilly walks. My hips have not magically shrunk, but the BUTT has. Leaving the only conclusion that I've noobgained muscles in butt. Not only that, the bulge over my skinny jeans is visibly smaller. Clothes I bought a month ago feels bigger. I can now fit into size XS in bikini bottom, which is an unprecedented low size. Even when I used to be skinny size S was my default.
So by accident it seems I've stumbled on my holy grail of recomp: A slow build of muscle gain, paired with an even slower fat loss.
TL;DR When scale stalls. Take measurements AND try on lots of different tight clothes. The scales may lie to you, skinny jeans never lie.
Since then my scale weight has slowly fallen back 1 kg. But since I'm crazy about potato chips (with peanut oil) and pork rinds lately, it will take a bit more time to get down to lowest low
The point is: I think when people only use the scales as a way to "measure" their dieting results, it drives them crazy. Cause the scales will naturally flow and ebb according to exercise, carbohydrate intake, BM, TOM and whatnot. This is why I think weighing in daily is a good thing, as long as you don't take the scales personally. Watching your trends is far more useful concerning results. Edit in: By watching your trends, you give yourself the opportunity to adjust up or down much faster than if you weigh in monthly. However, if you can't separate scale weight from feelings, it's maybe better to weigh in on a weekly/bi-monthly/monthly basis.
The last months I've loosely been doing "maintenance" on a full diet break. My scales have stayed within a range of 2 kg. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in myself, even though I knew the reasons why I wasn't able to diet with the focus I had before xmas. Anyway, the scales not moving would indicate that there is no change. Not true. Thanks to lots of brisk, hilly walks. My hips have not magically shrunk, but the BUTT has. Leaving the only conclusion that I've noobgained muscles in butt. Not only that, the bulge over my skinny jeans is visibly smaller. Clothes I bought a month ago feels bigger. I can now fit into size XS in bikini bottom, which is an unprecedented low size. Even when I used to be skinny size S was my default.
So by accident it seems I've stumbled on my holy grail of recomp: A slow build of muscle gain, paired with an even slower fat loss.
TL;DR When scale stalls. Take measurements AND try on lots of different tight clothes. The scales may lie to you, skinny jeans never lie.
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Thanks for that! Makes sense!0
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I have also noted this, My wife is saying I look toned and I have come to the last hole on my belt and I'm primed and ready to punch a new one, but the scale has been bumping against the same number for a few weeks.0
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Yep totally agree. I've lost craploads of cms over the last 8 weeks but only (pfft only) lost 6kgs... I have lost an entire 7cms (17 inches) off my thighs!!! my stomach is waaaaayyyyy flatter, my boobs actually poke out further than my belly for the first time in years. Ooooh and I have gone from a 16 to a 12!!!!!!!!!! In shirts, 14 in pants...
I hate the scales. They only tell us a teeny little smidge of our awesomeness0 -
Great loss scale and inch wise Karen. Just a short correction (sorry, I'm a chemist, can't help it) 7cm / 2.54 = 2.76 inches ;-) Which btw is STILL awesome!0
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Lol thank you. Maths is definitely not my strong point0
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Where the hell did i get 17 inches from?0
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No worries, karen. And please remember that if the scales are not moving, but cm lost or clothes feel bigger....it's possibly a higher ratio of fat than LBM. Which is a far better result than big scale loss and lost skeletal muscle, IMO.0
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karen_fitzgibbon wrote: »Where the hell did i get 17 inches from?
You had the right numbers, Karen. You just multipied them instead of dividing them. But no worries. I am a master of conversion
My apprentices hate me for my talent for unit conversion sometimes.... 0 -
karen_fitzgibbon wrote: »Where the hell did i get 17 inches from?
You had the right numbers, Karen. You just multipied them instead of dividing them. But no worries. I am a master of conversion My apprentices hate me for my talent for unit conversion sometimes....
Bahahahahaha. Thank you0
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