Factors affecting weight loss
Understanding the ups and downs on the scales
This yellow 'blob' is a replica of 1/2kg of body fat
Weight loss ups and downs can be exciting, puzzling, frustrating! Many factors contribute to variations in the amount of body weight you lose each week, even when you seem to be doing everything right and following the same weekly routine. Identifying these factors can help you stay motivated and on track to achieving your goals. Here are six things that can affect your results on the scales:
1. Time of the day
Your body weight increases during the day. This is normal as the food you eat and drinks you consume add to the weight you see recorded on the scales. Your body will weigh the least in the morning, when your stomach and bladder are empty. Wearing heavy clothes and shoes means the scales will register you as heavier. To account for these variations weigh yourself at the same time of the day and with the same amount of light clothing, or no clothes at all.
2. Scales
Expect to be a different weight on different sets of scales. This is because scales can be calibrated differently.
For the most accurate and consistent results, weigh yourself regularly on the same set of scales – if you are losing weight, the reading on these scales will go down over time.
Keeping a record of your body measurements will give you extra information about where on your body the weight is coming off. This is especially helpful if you are going away for a while because you can still get an idea of your weight loss progress, even when you are not weighing yourself.
3. Glycogen stores
Glycogen is a form of complex carbohydrate that your body stores in muscles. It is the body’s main fuel for exercise and physical activity, just like petrol for a car.
Glycogen is packed into muscles with water – every gram of it is stored with about 4 grams of water. If you drastically cut your carbohydrate intake then you lose the stored muscle glycogen and the water as well. This can register as a big weight loss on the scales, even if you do not lose body fat. The problem is that without glycogen you won’t feel very energetic. Also, as soon as you start eating carbohydrate again, the glycogen and water levels in your muscles get topped up and the scales go up.
4. Time of the month
Prior to menstruation, some women retain fluid. While this registers as a weight gain on the scales, it is a fluid gain, not a fat gain. By weighing yourself weekly you will start to see a pattern with one week in each month registering a higher weight, compared to the other weeks. Aim to compare your weight loss over a whole month and check your progress for the same week of each month.
5. Muscle versus fat
If you are doing regular exercise and have never really done this before then the amount of muscle in your body will increase over time. This can lead to an increase in muscle weight. It will usually be balanced out by a loss of body fat so that overall the scales will register a weight loss. Occasionally it may show up on the scales as a weight loss plateau. The best way to distinguish between fat loss and muscle gain is to keep a regular check on your measurements. If your measurements are still going down, especially your waist, then you will still be losing body fat, and are still on track to a healthier weight and lifestyle. Some scales now have a body fat percentage feature and this is another way of checking on your fat loss progress.
6. Miscalculating calories in and calories out
Once you have been on a weight loss program for a while, it can be easy to underestimate your portion sizes and overestimate your physical activity and exercise. This means that, without realising it, your total calories from food creep up while the amount you burn up goes down. This slows down your progress so use the diary to help you get back to ‘energy balance’ and achieve the weight loss results you deserve.