In order to weigh properly and to keep a faithful follow-up of the weight evolution, care must be taken as if you always weigh at the same time and with the same clothes, and preferably on the same day of the week, always trying to maintain a standard at the time of weighing.
Weight may vary according to the time of day, previous day's meals, and changes in the body linked to food and hormone production, such as fluid retention and bloating during the menstrual period. So, see below all the necessary care at the time of regret.
1. Always use the same scale
Always use the same scale will bring a reliable variation of the weight throughout the days, regardless of the brand or model of the balance used. The best option is to have a balance at home, preferably digital, and avoid storing it in the bathroom due to humidity, which may cause changes in the proper functioning of the appliance.
When weighing, always place the scale on a level and fixed surface, with no rugs underneath. Another tip is to always be aware of the battery or balance cells, and weigh 1 or 2 kg of rice or other object of known weight to verify the calibration of the appliance.
2. If you weigh in fast
The best time to weigh yourself is soon after waking up, as it is easy to maintain the pattern of a good fast, avoiding the changes in the body caused by the digestion process. Also, before you weigh yourself early you should go to the bathroom to empty the bladder and bowel, and so return with nothing in the belly to have a faithful balance.
3. Peeling is the best option
If peeled weighing is the best option because it is so easy to discount the weight changes of the clothes, so also having a simple balance at home makes the process easier. However, if you need to weigh in pharmacies in the gym, you should always wear the same clothes, so that the weight variation is only that of the body itself.
4. Avoiding excesses the day before
Avoiding overeating, especially those rich in salt and sugar, and alcoholic beverages on the day before weighing is important to avoid fluid retention, which can greatly alter the weighing result.
Thus, it is important to avoid consuming foods such as sushi, pizza, fast food and sweets the day before weighing, as well as avoid going without food or taking lots of diuretic teas to influence weight the next day. Keep your normal pace, as doing this kind of practice will not show your true evolution.
5. Do not weigh yourself in the menstrual period
For women, it is important to avoid weighing in the 5 days before the menstrual period and during the days of menstruation, since the hormonal changes that occur during this period usually cause swelling and fluid retention, not allowing a faithful balance of the balance.
So during this period the recommendation is to have patience and to maintain the care with food and physical activity, leaving to check the weight when everything has passed.
What is the ideal frequency to weigh
The ideal is to weigh only once a week, always choosing the same day of the week to do the weighing, following the recommendations quoted above. In addition, one should avoid weighing on Monday, as it reflects the excesses that usually occur over the weekend, not bringing a faithful result of weight variation.
Having patience and avoiding weighing yourself every day is important to avoid excessive anxiety and incentives to make abrupt changes in food to have a better result the next day, such as taking many diuretic teas or being totally without eating. From one day to the next, and even on the same day, it is normal for the weight to vary by about 1 kg, so maintaining a weekly weighing pattern is the best choice.
The weight of the scale does not say it all.
Finally, it is important to remember that the weight of the scale does not say everything, especially when doing a diet oriented by a nutritionist and when practicing physical activity regularly. This is because throughout the process there may be gains in muscle mass and body hydration, which causes the weight to rise or fall less than desired, but there is still fat loss.
Therefore, a good option is to perform at least once a month a follow-up with a nutritionist or a weighing with bio-impedance scales, which give the body composition with data on the amount of muscle mass and total fat. Learn how bio-impedance works in our video:
