I got on the scale at the gym on Tuesday morning and I was down two pounds. Two pounds! Psychologically it gave me the mental boost I needed to bang out a good workout. Thursday morning I returned to the gym, got on the scale, and I gained five pounds. Five pounds?? WTF.
I couldn't help but feel deflated. When women get their period (as I had that Thursday) their body doesn't cooperate in more ways than one. According to Weight Watchers, the biggest culprit of weight gain during a menstrual cycle is water retention. Read "Menstrual Cycle and Weight Gain." But they assure me that it's minor and temporary. I don't really consider five pounds minor when I'm knocking off a mere one to two pounds a week. Two things will help offset the water retention: lower your sodium intake and drink more fluids. I'll keep that in mind for next time.
This actually raises a bigger issue for me though. How often is too often to get on the scale? I struggle to resist the call of the scale when I walk into the gym. I want to know at any given time just how much weight I (hopefully) lost. But our bodies can fluctuate as much as three pounds a day. So, daily weigh-ins are a sure saboteur to any progress. I'm going to try to get on the scale once a week - the same day, the same time. And maybe next month at this time I avoid the scale altogether before it ends up mangled in the locker room trash.
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My mother-in-law, who is an avid weight watcher (not Weight Watchers but she is keenly aware of EVERYTHING she eats and weighs her food/keeps a daily log...so you get the gist)believes that going on the scale can actually be a detriment to a plan...lose weight and you think you can celebrate/eat more...gain weight and your resolve can take a hit aka your issue from this week. I'm not sure what the right amount of scale watching is best, but I suggest only getting on the scale once a week MAX!
ReplyDeleteMy GP has told me that it should always be the same scale, and the same time - similar to the way you would take your blood pressure. So if you typically get on the scale in the morning, before breakfast, sans workout - it will be consistent. PMS notwithstanding :)
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