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When it comes to health, there is rarely a topic more discussed than weight. Some experts advocate measuring our weight every day to promote accountability for weight management, especially when we are following a diet and exercise program to lose weight. Others suggest avoiding the habit of tracking our weight altogether, arguing that it can lead to negative psychological reactions and unhealthy behaviors, especially when we don't like the number we see on the weighing machine.
1. Weekly weighing helps you control your weight
According to Professor Nick Fuller of the University of Sydney, research suggests that regular weight checking is an effective strategy for weight loss and management, mainly because it helps increase awareness of our current weight and any changes. A systematic review of 12 studies found that participants who measured their weight weekly or daily for several months lost 1-3 BMI (body mass index) units more and gained less weight than participants who did not measure their weight frequently. The weight loss benefit from weekly weight measurement was clear; daily weight measurement provided no additional benefit.
Measuring your weight is important for weight management as you age. Adults tend to gain weight gradually by midlife. While average weight gain is typically between 0.5-1 kg per year, this slight accumulation of weight can lead to obesity over time. Measuring your weight weekly and tracking the results helps avoid unnecessary weight gain.
Keeping track of your weight can also help identify medical problems early. Sudden changes in weight can be an early sign of certain conditions, including thyroid, digestive, and diabetes problems.
2. There are normal fluctuations in weekly weight
Our body weight can fluctuate throughout a day and even between days of the week. Studies show that body weight fluctuates by 0.35% during the week and is typically higher after the weekend. There are many reasons for daily and day-to-day body weight fluctuations, many of which are linked to the amount of water in our bodies. The more common causes include:
A. The type of food we have eaten
When we eat more carbohydrates at dinner, we will weigh more the next day. This change is the result of our bodies temporarily retaining more water. To store the energy we get from carbohydrates, we retain 3-4 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate.
When we eat salt-rich foods, the amount of water in our body also increases. Our body tries to maintain a balance of sodium and water. When the concentration of salt in our bloodstream increases, a mechanism starts working to restore the balance by retaining water to dilute the excess salt.
B. Our food intake
Whether it's 30 grams of nuts or 65 grams of lean meat, everything we eat and drink has a weight, which temporarily increases our body weight while we digest and metabolize the food we eat. We weigh less first thing in the morning after restricting food intake overnight and more in the evening after consuming our daily food and drinks.
C. Exercise
If we measure our weight in the gym after a workout, there is a good chance that we will lose weight due to fluid loss through sweat. The amount of water lost depends on things like the intensity and duration of our workout, the temperature and humidity, as well as our sweat rate and hydration levels. On average, we lose 1 liter of sweat during an hour of moderate-intensity exercise.
D. hormonal changes
Hormone fluctuations during your menstrual cycle can also affect fluid balance. Women may experience fluid retention at this time and temporarily gain 0.5-2 kg of weight. In particular, the luteal phase, which represents the second half of a woman's cycle, results in fluid moving from your blood plasma into your cells and causing swelling.
E. Bowel movement
Going to the toilet can cause a small but immediate weight loss due to the elimination of waste material from the body. Although the amount of weight lost will vary, we generally lose around 100 grams of weight through our daily bowel movements.
All these fluctuations are normal, and they do not indicate any significant change in our body fat or muscle mass. However, observing these fluctuations can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety about our weight.
3. Avoid stress and anxiety
Weighing weekly helps avoid the stress of measuring daily and the panic of losing weight. Frequent weighing can lead to an obsession with weight gain and can do more harm than good. Often, when we see that the needle on our scales is not moving in the direction we want or expect, our reaction is to further reduce our food intake or start a fad diet. Besides not being fun or sustainable, these diets ultimately increase our weight rather than reverse it.