Tag: Water Weight

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Is a Measuring Tape Better Than A Scale?


The need to lose weight is something that many of us have. The truth is, however, that we should be seeking to lose fat specifically. Muscle weight is fine, but weight from fat is not.

The problem is that it can be hard to measure your progress when you’re making effort to lose weight. This is especially true if you work out regularly as part of your weight loss process. If you incorporate strength training three to four times a week, you may gain muscle, which will add to your weight. This is not a gain in fat, but in muscle.

The Problem With Scales

If you use a scale to measure your progress, you can never tell the difference if the weight you lost or gained is water weight, fat, or muscle. This is why a measuring tape is more appropriate to track your weight loss progress. By using a measuring tape, you can see if you are losing inches off your body. When you lose inches, chances are you are losing fat. And ultimately, that’s the whole point of losing weight.

Does this mean that you should throw away your scales and rely completely on a measuring tape? Not necessarily. Use both to measure how far you’ve come with your weight loss efforts. Use the number of the scale to see if you are heading in the right direction, and reconfirm whether it is fat that you are losing with a measuring tape. This way, you get a way better picture of how things are with your weight loss. Weight varies from day to day, but fat loss is less variable.

Go Beyond The Measurements

Besides the scale and the measuring tape, what else can you use to measure your weight loss? Well, you can judge by whether your clothes are becoming looser, and whether you feel lighter and fitter. These may be more subjective, but sometimes all you need to confirm that you are losing weight is the fact that you can fit into your old jeans.

Many people also report feeling more energetic, and generally happier and more confident in themselves. So, even if the scale shows slow progress, don’t discount this kind of evidence when it comes to motivating yourself by knowing that your efforts are paying off!

If you want the most accurate measurements possible then there are more ways to measure body fat – calipers, for example. Just know that, by tracking your progress every day or every week, you’ll help keep yourself motivated to continue.


Comments

comments

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Fitness
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

2 Huge Factors That Can Cause Weight To Fluctuate On The Scale


If you often weigh yourself when trying to lose weight, you may have noticed that your weight fluctuates on a daily basis. In fact, your weight in the morning may be completely different from your weight at night. However, it’s usually when there is a gain between one day and another that often makes us sad and frustrated. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your weight loss efforts are wasted. There are several factors that cause weight to fluctuate on the scale.

Water Weight

bathroom-scaleIf you go on a fad diet that involves lots of liquids and a very low calorie diet, you may see very good results initially where you lose many pounds within a single day. This is because what you have lost is not fat, but water. When you eat a regular diet again, water weight is usually gained back.

Several other factors cause one to retain water including dehydration, increased consumption of sodium, as well as menstruation (for women). You can prevent water retention by drinking lots of water and restricting your intake of salt.

Muscle Weight

Often exercise is a big part of a weight loss program, and if it is a big part of yours, chances you will sometimes see a gain in weight displayed on the scale. This is especially true if you frequently incorporate weight training as part of your exercise program. This gain in weight is not because you’ve been slacking off on your diet and putting on fat; instead, it’s possible that you have been putting on muscle.

Muscle is denser than fat, so even if you gain a bit of muscle you will probably see a bigger number on the scale. Don’t worry if this is the case. If you are concerned, use a measuring tape as a supplementary way to track your weight loss progress. If you are losing inches, even though your scale says you’ve gained weight, then it’s probably muscle that you’ve gained!

There may be other factors that lead to weight fluctuations, but these are the main two. So the next time your scale seems to be yo-yoing back and forth, don’t stress about it. If you can’t help stressing about it, then instead of weighing yourself every day, weigh yourself every week to get a more stable picture of how you are doing with your weight loss. In the end, your weekly weight is what matters, and not your daily weight.


Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

How To Create Weight Loss Goals You Can Really Stick To


How many of us have created a weight loss or fitness goal that we gave up on just a few weeks, or even days, later? Most of us create weight loss goals that are not realistic, and give up when we don’t see the results we want.

Here are some things you should know when you are trying to lose weight:

First of all, it’s important to know healthy weight loss means losing up to two pounds a week, give or take. This is likely the amount that your body will be losing on a weekly basis.

There are diets that may promise you a loss of ten pounds a week or something along those lines, but those are diets that will mostly rid you of water weight, and sometimes muscle. Why muscle? When your calorie count is too low, your body will feed on muscle first before it will feed on fat. So, don’t ever go on a very low-calorie diet unless supervised by a doctor.

There are many ways you can lose weight, but the best would probably be by combining a low-calorie diet with exercise. This way, you don’t have to eat too little, and at the same time you will be getting fitter.

How To Set Healthy Goals

Setting healthy goals is simple. Before you start, think about your lifestyle now. What is it that you can cut out that will reduce your calorie count? Are there foods that you are not yet willing to stop eating? Also, can you incorporate exercise into your daily routine? How much are you willing to reduce when it comes to your calorie count? These are some of the things you should consider.

If you are taking things slow, which you should, then you should aim for a loss of about one pound a week. If you are working out heavily though, you can aim higher, for about two to four pounds a week. If you see a bigger loss than that on the scale, then that’s a bonus!

Setting realistic weight loss goals is important so that you don’t end up disappointed and give up altogether. Indeed, weight loss is a slow process, but in the end, it’s definitely worth the effort. So eat healthy, exercise regularly, and change your lifestyle to a healthier one, so that the weight slips off, and stays off, in the long run. Start your journey, keep at it, and don’t give up!