What Are Some Of The Factors That Cause Changes On The Scale?
When pursuing a Fitness journey, it is extremely common that individuals will be aiming for numerical targets that can be easily assessed through anthropometric measures such as weighing themselves on a set of scales.
Whilst being a useful assessment tool, weighing yourself can often become a daunting, frustrating, and disheartening task for many that can negatively impact an individual’s Fitness experience.
The amount that you weigh should never be the ultimate progress marker, and methods such as measuring your body fat percentage; taking progress pictures; noticing how you fit into clothes; observing your strength/fitness gains; and assessing how you feel within yourself should often be utilised as more meaningful markers instead.
However, the numbers that pop up on scales are always emphasised by us all!
So, what factors influence weight fluctuations?
When the numbers are elevated, have you actually ‘gained weight’, or, are there other influences that are contributing towards that total number?
In this blog, we help to explain some of these factors that you should consider when next stepping onto the scales, especially when you see a figure you might not have been expecting!
The Scales
Always aim to measure yourself on the same set of scales! Switching between different scales at home, at the gym, or at other locations can often disrupt the precision of your readings due to differences in calibration, quality of the scale, the surface on which the scale is placed, and so on.
Carbohydrates
A higher intake of Carbs the day of, or the day before a weigh-in can cause a significant increase in your muscle glycogen stores. This may result in an increase in water gain (1g of Carbs can lead up to a 2-4g retention of water).Muscles can store around 500g of glycogen, meaning you could see a fluctuation of up to 4 lbs depending on how full your stores are. Remember, this is intramuscular water, not body fat!
Salt
Salt (Sodium) plays an important role in regulating water in the body. The shifts that occur in sodium balance can significantly influence the fluid balance of our bodies. This can have water-gaining effects and acutely add ‘weight’ to the scales.
Stress
Elevated levels of cortisol in our body cause an increase in aldosterone, which is a major hormone involved in fluid regulation. This means that high levels of stress can draw in more water and acutely add weight to the scale.
Menstrual Cycle
For women, the menstrual cycle will also influence the reading that appears on the scale during different stages of the month. During week one of the cycle (the follicular phase), weight is often at its lowest. At week two of the cycle (the late follicular phase) weight begins to increase. Heading into week three (the early luteal phase), weight begins to drop slightly, and then finally in week four (the late luteal phase), weight is likely to peak at its highest!
This is completely normal, so always consider why there may be fluctuations in your weight even if you have recently made significant changes to your training and nutrition. For women, it is better to focus on comparing the monthly changes in weight as opposed to the weekly changes.
Age
As we age, our metabolism can slow down, and we may begin to lose muscle mass. This can influence how much you are weighing on the scales.
Genetics
Your genetic makeup can affect your body composition and metabolism which can influence your weight.
Medication
Certain medications can cause weight gain, or weight loss, as a side effect.
Hormones
Hormonal imbalances, such as those caused by thyroid disorders, can affect your weight.
Illness/Disease
Certain medical conditions can cause weight gain, while others can cause weight loss.
Diet & Training
The most important thing to remember is to remember that fat loss or size gain takes time! Being in a consistent deficit or surplus will ensure you reach your goal of losing weight, or, putting on weight. It is common to see spikes and fluctuations in weight, even when you have been consistently hitting your training and nutrition targets!
It’s important to remember that fluctuations in weight are very common and can be caused by a variety of different factors that occur in our lives. Ensure that you stay patient, stay consistent, and stick to good habits to provide yourself with the best possible chance of achieving your goals!
