To weigh or not to weigh?

That is the question ...

Let’s take a closer look at this and explore the pros and cons of weight measurement, when to do it and how often to do it, if weight change is how you want to check your progress with adopting a healthier lifestyle.
 
Measuring weight is very easy to do and it can tell us something about health risk, which is why GPs, practice nurses, dietitians and other healthcare professionals routinely ask their patient to step on the scales.  This itself can be an uncomfortable experience for those who would prefer to not see or hear what they know already … that their body is heavier than it was the last time this was checked.  
 
Weight measurements can leave us feeling ashamed ...

A feeling of shame is not what we really want to be taking away from any visit to a healthcare professional.  Still, the weight has been officially logged in medical records and that bar of chocolate, bought on the way home, goes some way in making us feel better – only temporarily, though, because after that last mouthful, guilt or self-loathing surfaces.  There seems to be no end to that cycle of pleasure and pain.
 
Having been told our weight by the healthcare professional, we can then at least choose to not face the hard truth of our own bathroom scales.  But is it helpful to ignore this measurement if we have set out on a journey to change to a healthier lifestyle?
 
Good health and wellbeing is not just about weight ...

Aplos Health & Wellbeing Programme is about doing things for looking after our health and wellbeing.  Body weight is just one factor, albeit an important one, that can affect our physical health and mental wellbeing. The quality of diet (vitamins, minerals, fibre phytonutrients and the rest), physical activity habits, sleep habits, alcohol drinking habits, management of stress can all have an impact on how we feel today and to our future health risk.  It’s not just about how much our body weighs.
 
There are participants on the programme who are choosing not to measure weight at this point on their journey. They are waiting until the end of the 12-week weight loss phase of the programme before they next step on the scales.  “My clothes are feeling looser, I feel better and that’s all I need to know”.  Absolutely.  How we feel is what’s important, even if at the end of the 12 weeks, the 5% weight loss target has not quite been achieved.  

Your health and wellbeing journey is for life ...

The journey doesn’t end 12 weeks after you started it – this is just the beginning of a life-long journey. It doesn’t end at any point in the future.  The remarkable story of a lady (Louise Muirhead) who lost 12st over 11 years, is testament to this. Having achieved her healthy weight in July 2021, Louise tells me, “I’m still on my journey”, to maintain what has been achieved.
 
Back to the question: “To weigh or not to weigh?” It’s a personal choice. To choose not to weigh works for some, whereas others want to know the tale of the scales all the way through their journey.  If weight check-ins are what you do, there are a few things to consider. It’s a good idea to measure weight when not wearing clothes, first thing in the morning, after having a pee and before eating or drinking anything.

The scales don't always tell the whole truth ...

Weight can fluctuate by 3 or more pounds in a couple of days at certain points in the menstrual cycle. This is down to changes in water retained by the body, as opposed to changes in stores of body fat, so find your weight at the same point in your menstrual cycle in the previous month and compare with your current weight to get a more accurate measure of change in the weight of your body fat.
 
If you have been following an eating plan and physical activity routine to live a negative energy balance lifestyle, then having a “weekend off” could see an increase of 4 pounds (2kg) as your glycogen stores are refilled with 3 pounds (1.5kg) of water.  Your glycogen stores and that 3lb of water will disappear as quickly as they appeared, once you get back to that negative energy balance lifestyle.

When to weigh ...
And how often should you weigh yourself? Some say daily weight checks are helpful, but I don't agree with this (remember I'm someone who hasn't actually "walked the walk"). I usually recommend checking weight about once a week. Before stepping on the scales, think how you have generally been feeling (physically, mentally and emotionally) up to that point is more important than is the number staring back at you from the floor. 

If the number on the floor is not what you were hoping for, reflect on how you've been getting on with your SMART behaviour (habit) goals. Feeling that you're making progress? Do you feel you have more energy? Sleeping better? There are so many aspects of wellbeing to value other than body weight. Keep doing the healthy habits and living a negative energy balance lifestyle and your weight will eventually go down.

​Tony Hirving
Dietitian