How To Weigh Yourself Correctly?

"Are there precise recommendations on how to weigh yourself so that you get the most accurate readings and keep your weight under control?"

Elena, 27

Expert answer:

For the most accurate weight determination, it is important to follow certain rules:

1. The surface on which the balance stands. It should be as flat as possible. Ideally, this is tile or laminate. Weigh yourself in the same place, do not move the scale around the house. If the floor is not very level, the weighing results may be affected.

2. Weighing time. Weigh yourself in the morning, after the toilet, and before breakfast.

3. Clothes. It only seems light, but in fact it can add up to 1.5-2 kg to the result. Ideally, weigh yourself in your underwear.

How often do you weigh yourself?

Here the opinions of doctors are divided, but most of them recommend doing this 1-2 times a week with an interval of 3-4 days. If you weigh yourself once a week, it's best to do it on Wednesday. Often on weekends, we allow ourselves gastronomic indulgences, so that by Monday-Tuesday they will definitely be reflected on the scales. You can also record the weighing results in a diary. This will help track the dynamics.

A number of doctors recommend weighing yourself every day and even twice - in the morning and in the evening. On the one hand, this will help to more accurately control weight, the amount eaten per day, and also optimize nutrition. On the other hand, such frequent weighing can be demoralizing. Why? When the calorie content of the diet is reduced, the body first begins to consume more readily available glycogen (its reserves are in the liver and muscles), and not fat. For fat reserves, he will start a little later - in a couple of weeks. Plus, at first, you will lose kilograms due to excretion of fluid, so at first the results will not be very encouraging.

In what cases the weighing results will not be very correct?

1. After a hard workout. In this case, the scales may show a greater minus due to dehydration or, on the contrary, plus due to slight inflammation in the muscles, as a result of which water is retained in the body, on the contrary.

2. After a hearty meal. In this case, you should wait 2-3 days.

3. After eating salty or smoked food. The gain in this case may be due to fluid retention.

4. A few days before the onset of menstruation. Many women know from their own experience that during this period water accumulates in the body. Latent puffiness on the eve of menstruation is due to hormonal changes and is considered the norm.

5. The presence of chronic diseases. For example, diabetes mellitus or a violation of the thyroid gland. These ailments are often associated with puffiness. Does this concern you? Press on the lower leg area, if a fossa remains in this place, then you have pasty, and excess weight may be associated with fluid retention.

6. Constipation. If you have not had a stool for more than 2-3 days, then the excess weight gain may be due to the contents of the intestines.

To what extent can normal weight fluctuate?

On average, this is plus or minus 1-1.5 kg. If these values are close to 2-3 kg, you need to understand the reason. You may need to adjust your diet or water balance.

What is the best weight loss?

WHO recommends losing no more than 4-6 kg per month. This is about 1 kg per week. If you are losing weight under the supervision of a doctor, higher weight loss rates are acceptable. But again, it's important not to overdo it. In addition, the skin does not always have time to quickly adapt to significant weight loss, so the result of weight loss may not meet your expectations.

It can go away both by losing muscle mass and by losing fat. Determine how you are losing weight, you can use "smart" scales that determine the composition of your body. Their principle of action is based on the fact that different tissues of our body have different physiological parameters. They can be measured using the calcaneal and hand electrodes built into the balance. To measure, you need to stand with bare feet on the surface of the balance, pick up hand electrodes. After a while, you will be given results on the percentage of muscle and fat in the body. Using home scales, these indicators can be calculated with a large error. More correct and complete results can be obtained by doing the bioempidance procedure. It is performed in weight loss clinics and all major fitness centers.

What if you don’t have smart scales at home, and you want to understand how you are losing weight?

For this, regular weighing must be supplemented by volume measurements. So, if we do a lot of sports, then we can actively burn fat and build muscle mass, while the weight will remain stable. But the volumes will decrease. And if you reduce weight correctly, that is, due to the loss of adipose tissue, and not muscle, then first of all it will be the girth of the body that will go away. Therefore, if you decide to control your weight by weighing, take your photos in different projections, as well as measure your waist, hips, right and left thighs, as well as your arms at a distance of 15 cm from the elbow. Repeat measurements every week and follow the dynamics.