Things to remember when you’re weighing yourself

When we lose weight we try to make the number on the scale fit our liking. We have a set goal which we want to achieve. Maybe your goal is losing a small 2 kilos or maybe it’s 20 kilos, maybe it’s even gaining kilos instead of losing them. Whatever your weight goals is, there is one thing we all have in common and that is the will to make the number on the scale go down.

Weighing yourself is a big part of losing or gaining weight but the consequences can be fatal for your journey. The numbers on the scale could either keep you motivated or completely steer you off your path. However, it is important to weigh yourself periodically so that you can keep track of your progress. It would be a shame if you didn’t weigh yourself and stepped on the scale one day only to wonder where those extra 5 kilos came from.

A big consequence of stepping on the scale is the level of motivation we have. It could stay the same or even go up if we’ve lost weight but it could also drop drastically if we’ve gained weight. It’s important not to get too emotionally attached to what you see on the scale. It’s purely a representation of you at that very moment, it could be completely different the next day. Setting an achievable goal is important to make sure your motivation stays at a decent level and doesn’t downgrade.
So how do you set an achievable goal?

1. Weigh yourself to establish your current weight
2. Establish your final goal (A weight consultant can help you with this)
3. Take a look at your daily routines (eating, exercise, work etc)
4. Pinpoint a number on the scale which you think you’d be able to reach within a month if you monitored your diet. Don’t overestimate this number. Don’t choose a big number if you’re not going to make big changes.
5. Next you’re going to want to think about when it is you’re going to weigh yourself. A good and general amount would be once a week but if you weigh yourself everyday it’s not a problem either.
   There are some points you have to remember both when you weigh yourself every day and when you weigh yourself less often.

• You won’t see change immediately
• Your weight will fluctuate due to water weight, days where you’ve eaten more, where you are in your cycle, when your last bowel movement was etc.
• The best time to weigh yourself is after you’ve woken up and gone to the toilet without eating or drinking and without any clothes on
• What you’re seeing on the weighing scale only reflects your body at that very moment, anything can happen after that point. A disappointment on the scale is no reason to give up
• The scale is less important than you think. How your body looks is a much more specific way of seeing if you’ve lost weight
• Muscle weighs more than fat so if you’ve been working out a lot and seem to be gaining weight instead of losing it, this could be the reason
• If you’ve been working out and have sore muscles you’re likely to see an increase on the scale due to water retention in your body to repair the muscle