Why Does My Weight Fluctuate So Much?
When we are actively trying to lose or gain weight, the common task we perform to measure our success or failure is by keeping track of our weight fluctuations from a digital scale. A digital scale is a great tool to use when measuring our weight, however, it's important to note that it is just that, a tool. It isn't the only tool to our disposal when trying to determine or progress when trying to achieve our body composition goals.
Even though a scale can be a great accountability partner, for many individuals, a scale can be a detriment to our mental health due to our body weight fluctuating anywhere from 1 to 6 pounds daily. Weight fluctuates for a variety of reasons - water retention, dehydration, digestion, menstrual cycles, and more. So when individuals, especially those that have a past of chronic dieting and experiencing eating disorders, see this constant fluctuation, it can cause serious depression and various mental health concerns.
If this is the case for you, we highly recommend limiting your exposure to the scale and focus on tracking your body composition progress via body measurements, before and after progress photos, biofeedback/physiological progress, and overall performance each day.
A crucial piece we teach all of our clients on that register for one of our programs is understanding the importance of tracking weekly averages. Similar to tracking our average caloric intakes each week, we should do the same for our weight.
As you'll notice from the diagram, this individual's weight fluctuates daily, as with all of us, and if they were simply judging their progress on a daily basis as many people do, this person might get incredibly frustrated since when they started their respected diet, they were at 160 pounds and went up to 172 pounds. This might cause them to get frustrated, think the diet wasn't working and quit.
Well, it could be highly possible that on Friday night, this person went out and had a FUN meal (we don't believe in cheat meals) with some drinks to celebrate the end of a hectic work week. Then woke up on Saturday morning to discover that those calories haven't properly been digested yet and thus, we see the rapid increase to 172 pounds. However, after just one day and getting back to our normal meal plans and daily activities, we see the drop in the scale once again. When it comes to the world of dieting and trying to lose body fat, we must pay attention to the weekly and monthly trend, not just the daily fluctuations.
Trying to pursue an aesthetic goal can become incredibly exhausting and frustrating as time goes on. That is why it's important to find a routine you can consistently stick to while getting plugged into a support group and/or getting an accountability partner. Our body's are not meant to be in a consistent caloric deficit so plan diet breaks accordingly and return to maintenance level calories to restore physiological health. Also, if you experience a plateau, remember that it is just part of the process. Stick to it and do not quit! Gather feedback and plan your diets and exercise routines with a certified professional to be sure you are following the proper protocols for you, specifically.
If you have any questions, leave a comment and be sure to join our Facebook group with fit parents striving to bounce back and regain their energy without chronic dieting.
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is the owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.
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