When trying to lose weight, it can be very tempting to get fixated on weighing yourself regularly. Some people feel compelled to weigh themselves daily to make sure they are losing weight.
But weighing yourself so regularly is really not a good idea.
First of all, weight fluctuates a lot from day to day. This can be due to a number of reasons. For instance, if you weigh yourself just after eating (before the food has been digested) then the weight of the food and drink and you have consumed will affect the scales reading.
Your hydration levels can also affect your weight. On hot days if you sweat a lot, the loss of water, will make you weigh less.
Hormone changes can affect weight as well. Women will tend to retain water before their period.
And let's not forget that the weighing scales that we use are not the most accurate, often depending on the surface they are placed on, as well as other factors.
So, weight can vary a lot day to day and that has nothing to do with whether you are losing weight. The danger then, with weighing yourself so often is that you mistake minor fluctuations for something significant.
As an example, someone who weighs themselves and notices that they have "gained" weight (even though it was just a normal fluctuation) could feel upset and think that their weight loss efforts are wasted. In an extreme case, it might cause someone to give up their weight loss programme.
The other danger of seeing a high reading is that people might respond by drastically limiting their intake.
Making sudden extreme changes in your eating in response to a weight reading is not consistent with making long term sustainable changes in your eating habits.
The solution: Weigh yourself once at the beginning of trying to lose weight, and then after that, as little as possible. Some people are able to limit weighing to once a month, others to twice a month.
I should mention here, that once people have achieved their target weight, then regular weighing (once a week) is actually desirable, because then you can make sure you are maintaining your weight. But during the weight loss phase, it's important to not let regular weighing put you off course.
As I like to tell my clients, while losing weight, "the less you weigh yourself, the less you'll weigh."
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This contains information that Dr. Khandee Ahnaimugan (Dr. K) has perfected to help his exclusive clients at his London clinic to lose weight. Visit his website at: The Weight Loss Doctor
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