If you are reading this post, then there’s a chance you, like many, could also be caught up in the numbers game with your scale! You are not alone. When you don’t see the results you were expecting, it can steer even the most ambitious goal-getter off course.

The scale and weight challenges has been coming up with a lot with my clients lately (September). It’s the time of year, everyone naturally had fun over the summer and now that routine has returned and Christmas is on the horizon, they are refocusing on their health and fitness.

Our conversations have had a few commonalities.

1. Their clothes are fitting better, getting looser and they haven’t seen the scale change, what is going on?! One client in particular has gone down a dress size and the scale has gone up!
2. They have a number in mind and won’t be satisfied until they get there: “I need to lose 2 stone” or “If I can just get down to 11 stone again”. Some of us may think back to a time and weight when we felt really confident and associate that past weight on the scale with success. It’s not really the number, it’s the vision of a confident, energetic, proud you which that number represents.
3. I’ve talked with other clients about how the scale has the power to absolutely ruin their mood for their day ahead so they just gave it up, years ago!

I’d like to preface this by saying– my goal with this article is NOT to get you to stop using the scale. My goal is to talk through the reason you weigh yourself so that you can connect to your true motives and maybe find a better measurement that matches that goal.

Always remember, the number you see isn’t necessarily an accurate reflection of the work you are putting in both with your diet and your workouts. There are many factors that go into the number you see on the bathroom scale, many of which I cover below!

A Scale Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

Here’s the truth, the only thing a bathroom scale can do is measure what your gravitational pull to the earth is at a given moment. The sum measurement of your bones, organs, muscles, blood, water, salt, food intake, and of course, body fat.

Scale weight as a sole indicator is also why BMI alone is not a good indicator (in any way, shape, or form) of an individual’s overall health. BMI calculations, just like scales, don’t show the health of your body, your organs or your fitness levels.

While being overweight and having a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) can put you at a higher risk for some chronic diseases and health issues, it doesn’t account for muscle mass versus fat mass, and can be misleading for many people.

There’s something more important you need to know: your body composition. A traditional scale doesn’t tell you how much body fat you have or where your body fat is stored.

It’s entirely possible that a person can be considered “overweight” or “obese” on the BMI scale, simply because they have much more lean muscle mass and training more frequently than others of the same height and weight. 

Likewise it’s entirely possible for an individual with what’s considered a healthy BMI to have poor overall health if they have a poor diet or lead a sedentary lifestyle leading to low muscle mass with higher levels of body fat, especially visceral fat.

The Hidden Cost of Weighing Less

Blame it on the toxic heroin chic trend of the 90s, the noughties obsession with size 0 or the recent trend of SkinnyTok and the rise of celebrities using GLP-1 medications to lose weight, certain parts of society seem to constantly push the need to be smaller, skinny or weigh less.

Here’s something I wish everyone talked about a lot more often in this conversation about losing weight. Constant dieting doesn’t just make you hear food noise all day, it can also affect your muscle and bone health. When you restrict calories too much, your body will break down muscle tissue for energy.

Muscle loss isn’t just about losing a “toned” look. Losing muscle lowers your metabolic rate, increases your risk of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and with that a reduction in your bone density, mobility and power. Muscle is also a huge factor in stabilising your blood sugar levels day to day and energy production.

Depending on your age, all these concerns may seem like a long way off. But if you don’t build these health assets while you are in your 20s, 30s and 40s you will struggle to build them in your 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

That’s why, when I work with clients, our goal isn’t to chase the lowest possible number. We focus on re-composition, improving your metabolism by building muscle and learning long term habits and skill building. I’d much rather see you stronger, more energetic, confident in your skin and resilient for years to come than simply lighter.

Diet Culture: What It Is and 5 Ways to Cope With It

Weight Loss or Fat Loss

Knowing the impact between losing weight and losing fat will change how you see your progress, and frankly, it is also telling about your likelihood of maintaining your progress long term. Why? Weight loss can include anything, water, stored energy, muscle, bone, and yes, fat too.

Take a comparison of losing 5 pounds. Muscle is denser than fat so muscle takes up less physical space than fat, weight for weight. 5 pounds of muscle (~the size of a large apple) and 5 pounds of fat (~the size of a football).

This is why an athlete may weigh a lot on a scale but fit into smaller-sized clothing. This higher weight on the scale doesn’t mean they are not lean, but if the number is the focal point, you can see how deceiving a weight only focus can be.

This is something you may experience when you start a new exercise regimen that’s building muscle. You step on the scale and see that there’s no change. But your clothes are fitting differently so you know something is happening, but the scale just isn’t showing results the way you’re used to seeing them.

If you are used to thinking only in terms of lbs lost meaning fat loss, this can be mind-bending, but I promise you that this is actually a really positive sign that you’re gaining ( or retaining) muscle and losing fat, which is the ideal scenario!

Why The Scale Fluctuates, All Day, Every Day

If you’ve ever stepped on the scale first thing in the morning, then later on after dinner, you already know how wildly that number can swing — often by 0.5 to 2 kilos. The number you see is just a snapshot of what’s going on in that moment — not necessarily a change in body fat.

The fact is that no one gains or loses pounds of body fat in one day. That’s changes in hydration, food volume, bowel movements, menstrual cycle, and sometimes even stress.

Eat more salt than usual? You’ll hold extra water.
Train hard and your muscles store more energy (glycogen) — that’s water again.
Didn’t sleep well? Cortisol rises, and your body retains fluid.

Here are some more of the reasons you will see a fluctuation:

During your First few weeks of a new programme

When you introduce a lower calorie intake you will see the scale changing more quickly, which can be really motivating! But don’t get discouraged when those numbers slow down a few weeks into this change. Your body will adapt to the lower calorie intake and your metabolic rate will compensate. This is a normal part of reducing calories, and should be anticipated by your coach to help you manage expectations and move beyond that phase.

Similarly, when you begin a new exercise regime, you will see scale changes due to stored energy within your muscles called glycogen. Glycogen holds onto water (each gram of glycogen is stored with approximately 3 grams of water), so when glycogen is burned for energy during a workout, it also releases that water, resulting in substantial a scale loss that’s mostly water (not body fat). Then when you eat and hydrate again afterwards, these stores will be refilled and you will see the scale go back up, again not body fat.

Which means that if you are an active, athletic woman, with a good level of muscle mass, you will see a greater scale weight fluctuation. Which can be frustrating if you are tracking with the scale and the numbers are all over the place, just remember that more muscle means a higher metabolic rate, higher energy reserve and higher carb tolerance.

Also, here is another mind bending thought. This storage of glycogen and water is why your muscles feel firmer after a workout. So, in this instance, heavier on the scale means a firmer more toned body!

You Exercised Intensely

Even working extra hard during a workout can make you appear heavier on the scale. After you exercise intensely, your body retains water and your muscles become temporarily inflamed as you recover and get stronger. This can cause your scale weight to plateau or even spike upwards, even if you are losing body fat. It’s all completely normal.

Your Recent Food Intake

How much food you have currently digesting will also show on the scale. Particularly denser foods like meat. If you are constipated you will also show as heavier on the scale.

Likewise if you haven’t had much of an appetite or have had more than usual bowel movements and weigh yourself to see if you are lower on the scale. Again, bear in mind, a lower number at that point in time, may be mostly food weight and not body fat.

Your Hydration Levels

Drinking all your water for the day will show on the scale. Likewise, high salt intake can cause you to retain fluid. You’ll also see weight loss form sweating it out! Any weight change you see through sweating that will come right back as soon as you rehydrate.

For women, Your Monthly Cycle

For women, the changes that happen in your body throughout your menstrual cycle make your weight fluctuate by up to two pounds. Your body goes through predictable shifts in fluid balance, digestion, and inflammation.

In your luteal phase (the two weeks before your period), progesterone rises — leading to fluid retention, bloating, and sometimes constipation. Once your period starts, the fluid balance shifts again, digestion returns to normal and you often feel “lighter.”

If you track your cycle, you’ll start to see patterns, and realise that your body is just following it’s own rhythm.

if you really must use the scale…

No matter how much we remind ourselves that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story, it’s hard to resist. If you really want to use the scales to measure your progress, here’s what I recommend.

For some of my clients, the scale is a clear asset. These individuals are able to weigh themselves frequently or infrequently. It doesn’t matter.

The number they see is simply a piece of data. And, they’re able to use that data to evaluate the effectiveness of their diet and exercise on their weight management without any emotional turmoil.

They see, assess, and move on.

These people are the ideal weighing candidates. The information they receive from stepping on that little box does not derail their focus on building their skills and habits.

If that is you, weigh on my friend!

Should You Weigh Yourself?

Scales can play an important role in weight management. But for some people, self-weighing can be more harm than help. In this 2023 study evaluating the research on self-weighing, it was found that while self-weighing supported preventing weight gain, the participants, women aged 18-22, experienced issues with weight-related stress and body satisfaction was significantly lower.

If the scale has caused a lot of stress in your life, then it’s quite possible that it brings more harm than good. You acknowledge it’s time to break up and you move on to another measurement.

And if you are struggling to give up the scales for yourself, despite the feelings it may generate, look at who may be watching you (I definitely have changed habits and the way I talk about weight so my children hopefully don’t face the daily battles we have).

How to measure your progress Instead Of Body Weight

Oftentimes the itch to see a change on the scale is a desire to see a change for the positive in our lives. We want to know that our efforts are paying off.

If the scale is not moving despite your efforts, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not making progress in other ways. Because health progress isn’t linear. It’s layered. And most of it can’t be seen on a bathroom scale.

Here are some of the ways my clients measure progress that might also give you a better indicator of yours:

You Feel Stronger and More Confident

As we age, the number on the scale becomes less relevant than our ability to maintain our independence and stamina! If you’ve noticed that you’re able to do more activities throughout the day or lift more weight in your workout sessions as the weeks go by, the progress you make is happening inside your body.

Your heart is pumping blood more efficiently, your body is creating more mitochondria (which produce energy) in response to demand, and your muscles are getting stronger to adapt to your workouts. These are things that simply won’t show up on a scale.

You Manage Stress and Emotions Without Food and Alcohol

I could go on a tangent here, but having a peaceful relationship with food is priceless. Learning how to process some of the “not-so-fun” feelings that we all experience in life without only turning to food or alcohol to cope is a massive sign that you’re developing a healthy, balanced relationship with food.  

You Trust Yourself To Stop Eating After Enjoying One Favourite

Learning to trust yourself around your favourite foods shows that you are becoming more self-aware, and shows that you’re shifting away from the “all-or-nothing” way of thinking that many diets promote.

Instead of feeling guilty or out-of-control around tempting foods, you demonstrate mindful eating by enjoying treats in moderation without allowing it to derail you from your goals. If that’s not a sign of progress, I don’t know what is!

You Feel Confident Making Healthy Choices

Maybe you used to be someone who cringed when you heard the words “meal prep,” and maybe you’ve turned into someone who can plan and prepare their meals in a way that works for your life and your goals. Feeling confident making healthier choices is more important than only relying on your weight to measure progress.

Notice how your clothes are fitting

Maybe you can finally fit back into that gorgeous dress you had relegated to the back of the wardrobe or your favourite jeans are less snug. You’ve moved back down a belt loop or you’ve noticed your clothes are suddenly more comfortable or hanging better.

Improvements in how your clothes fit you is an indicator of body re-composition, even if the scales say you aren’t losing weight. You can measure body circumferences with a tape measure if you have specific physique goals, like improving hip to waist ratio.

Track how you look

Taking occasional progress pictures might help.  You might be surprised to see a bicep curve emerging or a little extra muscle definition in your legs. A word of warning on this one though: only take progress pictures if it feels good for you. If evaluating pictures of yourself sends you into a self-esteem spiral, it’s probably better to focus on another marker of progress.

By examining your thoughts about the scale and seeing several options, I hope you were able to find a method that felt helpful for you.

Redefining Success

When I work with clients, we redefine success around vitality — not just the weight that flashes on a screen.
We measure how you feel, how you move, and how your body supports your life — not the other way around.

Changing your lifestyle and habits is difficult enough without adding the pressure of losing a certain number of pounds each week. That’s what we shift the focus away from weight loss and concentrate on what you actually need to do each day to get what you want, such as:

• Learning how to exercise. If you’re a beginner, there’s a learning curve that may take you a while to overcome. I provide a strength training programme, which allows space to learn good form, solid technique, and effective methods of training.
• Getting in sync with your body. We don’t just focus on what to eat, we also examine how to eat in terms of appetite and environment awareness and the skills of meal planning and preparation, calendar management and cooking skills.
• Showing up for your workouts. Set goals based on how many workouts you’ll do each week rather than how much weight you’ll lose. Now you have something tangible you can track on a regular basis. Seeing a calendar of your completed workouts will give you a sense of success that the scale may not.
• Getting to know your body. You can’t lose weight until you exercise consistently and you can’t do that until you build endurance and strength. Take the first few weeks to experiment, condition your body and figure out what you’re capable of before you put too much pressure on yourself to lose weight.

If that sounds like the kind of change you’ve been looking for and you are ready to build habits that actually last — that’s exactly what I help women do. If you’re curious, send me a message and we’ll take it from there.

It’s time to get out of the numbers game!