Let's stop the fixation!
Because let's be honest, it's real! We tend to rely on what an electronic piece of equipment says to determine our results. I've been there. When I'm dieting for a competition I weigh myself every morning hoping to see the scales has dropped and when it doesn't I get a bit frustrated, so I understand.
So, how do you stop fixating? Well, you have to understand why it fluctuates and that weight loss is not linear. I'm about to go into some details to help you understand now.
Food
Weekend warriors (those who love to eat out with friends every weekend) do you really expect the scales to say what it says on Friday morning the next morning too when you went out and enjoyed more food than normal? You're nuts! But let me explain something, just because the scales increased by 4lbs you did not put on 4lbs of fat over night just because you went a bit mad on food with your mates on Friday night. There is 3500 Kcals in 1 lb of fat. So, you would have to eat 14,000 Kcals above maintenance calories in one night to put on 4lbs of fat, thats like fouteen 12" pizzas. Understand this, the food is still in your stomach from the night before, and you're also retaining water. So don't stress! Don't give up, just go back to regular eating pattern and the water weight will drop in a couple of days.
Sodium
Increased sodium may lead to increased water retention (sodium helps keep water and electrolyte balance in the body). Does that mean sodium is bad? No, obviously not, but just remember, if you consume 2000mg of sodium Monday - Friday and then consume 6000mg of sodium on Saturday you may be heavier on the scales Sunday morning. Once you go back to your diet/lifestyle your body will automatically reduce your water retention, so stop going mad on cardio every Monday trying to lose weight.
Sleep
If you're not getting enough sleep at night (<6 hours) your body will raise your stress hormone (cortisol). When your body raises cortisol it then retains fluid leaving you with increased weight, not fat. So, if you can, please try and get around 7+ hours a night.
Stress/Anxiety
Like I said above about the stress hormone cortisol, stress leads to fluid retention. So, if you're a person who does suffer with stress/anxiety then please understand that if you are eating perfectly fine, and you are being honest about that, then the reason the scales may fluctate more than you would like it could be because of the stress. Also, stress doesn't make you fat. Increased cortisol leads to increased appetite and you may actually be stress eating without even knowing. Try and manage any stress/anxiety that you may have to start seeing more positive results.
Hormones
Okay! i'm not going to go on here and pretend like I know what i'm talking about when it comes to the female body, but, I have been doing some research to understand the female body a bit more. So, to make it brief. As we all know, women have their menstraul cycle and this leads to various amounts of hormonal fluctuations and these fluctutations lead to fluid retention. Women, during their cycle, can go through depressive symptoms also, and that can lead to water retention too. So ladies, if your freaking out about the scales shooting up during menstration, it's completely normal. Also, when you weigh at your lightest at some point during the month, only weigh yourself at that time each month, yes, once a month. This will help you be more consistent and knowing of your weight loss
Consistency
It's important when you are weighing yourself that it's consistent every week. Plan a day and time and stick to it. eg. if you eat out on the weekends, weighing yourself on friday morning as soon as you wake up and after you go to the toilet (you drop weight when you take a big dookey ;)) would be more beneficial as eating out, as mentioned above, will affect the scales. No matter who you are, you have to weigh yoursef first thing in the morning before you eat, after you've gone to the toilet and at the same time and day every week. Don't weigh yourself at night, there's too much food in your stomach!
Use other tools
Take progress photos, skinfold measurements and waist and hip measurements. These are brilliant tools to help you see progress when the scales isn't budging. Also, your clothes tell a great story when they start to become loose.
The scales will always jump up and down. Just stay focused building healthier habits, exercising frequently, being patient and consistent, adhere to a calorie deficit and you will see results.
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