Four Weight Loss Facts You Need to Know

Someone who is planning weight loss, maintaining a normal body weight, or increasing muscle mass, often weighs using a scale as the main benchmark. In fact, the actual scale alone is not necessarily a reliable guide. Scales are good for measuring the movement of body weight. However, the use of scales that are not right can actually make users mistaken in understanding the changes in the numbers shown.

These Facts Weigh Weight

The following facts are not necessarily known by many people who make the scales as the only benchmark in maintaining weight. Check out the following weight loss guidelines:

• No need to weigh weight every day

Weight actually is a reflection of what happens in the body over a long period of time. Therefore, reducing food or eating too much in one day will not be immediately monitored on the scales. So, there is no point in weighing continuously every day. Because, weighing each day can actually make someone obsessed with the increase or decrease in the numbers shown on the scales. Therefore, once a week is enough to monitor changes in body weight. Please note that the increase or decrease in body weight can be caused by many factors, such as:
- weather conditions.
- Changes in hormones that trigger fluid buildup.
- Consumption of salty foods or those containing flour.


• Weigh at the same time

Try to weight at the same time, that is, on the same day and hour each week, use the same scale, and try to wear similar clothes. Shoes and clothes with thick and heavy materials can cause weight gain calculation. Morning is usually the recommended time to weigh. At this time, body weight is relatively unaffected by variations in consumption of fluids and solid foods throughout the day. Digital scales can show numbers that are easier to read. While mechanical scales tend not to be as accurate as digital scales and are more prone to damage. If you have doubts about the accuracy of your scales, most fitness centers, hospitals and doctor's offices provide scales that are more accurate than home scales.

• Pay attention to the position of the scales

Pay attention to the position of the scales. Make sure the scale you use is on a completely flat surface. Thick, soft carpets or uneven floors at the bottom risk causing inaccuracies in the figures shown.

• Use other methods to measure changes in body weight

Weight measurement needs to be combined with calculation of body mass index (BMI). Through calculating BMI, you can find out whether your weight is normal, excessive, or including obesity criteria. Although it cannot be used to determine the percentage of muscle or body fat, this measure can be used to detect health risks associated with being overweight. In addition to the scales, several fitness centers provide bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) that is able to measure body fat levels. Another way that is easy and often used by people to measure body weight is to see whether certain clothes do not fit or are more loose compared to the previous two-three months.

In the end, weight change is not the main goal of exercise or dietary regulation. Instead of constantly weighing and obsessing over a change in body weight, it's better to focus on living a healthy lifestyle. By itself, the ideal body weight can be achieved.