Is The Scale Ruining Your Weight Loss?

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before in an article somewhere on the web but perhaps you didn’t read it. To be fair, it’s a bit of a misleading statement, as the scales themselves are obviously not causing you to gain weight or even prevent you from losing weight directly, however, they absolutely can play a role in reducing the efficiency of your weight loss.

The scales are by no means your enemy but they can certainly be a hindrance.

But first, let's look at why the scale can be a good tool to use when implemented appropriately.

What do the scales tell us?

• They give direct feedback on the absolute weight of the client
• They give direct feedback on the effects of potential daily hydration change
• They give direct feedback on potential changes to expect during a female's monthly cycle
• They give direct feedback on the percentage of weight loss relative to the clients absolute weight
• They give us indirect feedback on potential fat loss - It is indirect as the change on the scale is only a direct indicator of weight loss, not fat loss.

So as you can see, using the scales to measure weight on a regular basis can, in fact, provide a lot of useful information to both the client and their coach/trainer. However, while the feedback above can be useful, it is important to recognise that the data taken from a scale is somewhat unidirectional in its feedback and not all that comprehensive when compared to some other measurement systems, such as a DEXA.

Scale weight feedback should merely be used as a tool to reference trends in weight, not necessarily specific results.

Let me put it this way…

For my clients, my preference is for them to weigh in on 3 consecutive days a week leading into their feedback day and I do this for 3 main reasons:

1. 3 consecutive days gives me a better average weigh in reference - It also shows me daily variability, which is a great reference for when a diet is not adhered to.
2. It gives me direct feedback on their metabolic health in response to higher calorie or carb days - Traditionally what I find are clients who are in a true caloric deficit either gain very little weight or in some cases lose weight in the days after a refeed (eating more calories).
3. It allows me to cross-reference their absolute weight change against their photo check-ins, skinfolds and DEXA scan data - The more feedback I have the more accurate my changes can be.

Personally, I am a fan of using the scale as a point of data checking for my online clients and I find the feedback it provides me extremely insightful.

Despite all of this, however, I do in some instances remove the scale completely from clients check-ins and instead rely more on photos, the feeling of how their clothes fit, their opinion on how they look in the mirror and skinfolds on a less regular basis as well. 

And the reason why is this -

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If you do not have the ability to recognise the scales are just a tool and associate them with being a piece of equipment for feedback on an arbitrary number, but instead let them manipulate your mindset, emotions and psychology, they will not be a good tool for you use.

The goal of fat loss, in my opinion, should always be 3-fold in its approach.

1. Ensure you are eating in a caloric deficit with the correct macronutrients - Choose the foods you love so you can adhere to the program
2. Train to be stronger, fitter or faster each week - Eating less food is not an excuse to perform worse
3. Stress less - The more you stress the harder it is to achieve results

And therein lies the sole problem with scales and the use of them during a fat loss phase…

Mindset!

If the scales make you nervous, cause a cascade of negative emotion and have you micromanaging your journey by constantly jumping on and off the scale again, get rid of them.

Losing body fat, albeit a tough thing to do, should be about enhancing your lifestyle, not punishing yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.

So while the scales themselves are not a detriment to your weight loss, they can certainly create a negative environment that is.

Focus more on how you feel, how well you train and less about the number and I am sure your success will come to you a lot faster.