Bodyweight Scales: Why they don't tell you the full picture of weight and health
Why does the number on a body scale carry such ‘weight’ on the happiness and worth for some individuals?
I have had this discussion with many of my clients, that the number on the scale does not tell you the full picture of your health, nor should it.
So, my questions to you...
Do you weigh yourself every day? Is this relationship with the scale healthy? If you step on the scale and you see a number that is not aligned with what you are wanting; does it affect how you feel, or change your eating behaviours, or exercise routines??? If you answered a tentative yes, this is NOT a healthy relationship
PAUSE
Do I think our obsession with body weight and weight loss is increasing? YES. Why? Social media and social norms are part of this picture. But we all know that social media are not all that it seems.
Don’t you agree?
Yet, for some individuals, these ‘ideals’ are the bodyweight/image goal posts that many are striving to achieve, whether it is to be leaner and lighter or, heavier and muscular.
There are SO many factors that play a role in body weight: genetics, what you ate or drank (or didn’t) that day, how many bowel movements you had, menstrual cycle phase, etc., …the list goes on.
So here are some facts that why bodyweight scales don’t tell you the full picture of your weight and health, and why we shouldn’t be hung up on what that number is, or what you think that number should be…
Bodyweight scales do not inform how much muscle mass to fat mass an individual has. Someone who has a low body weight does not mean they are healthy, according to BMI, if they have a relatively higher percentage of body fat. The reverse can be true, having a relatively greater amount of muscle mass can produce a greater BMI. However, if we look at the scale number and BMI, this tells us otherwise! In my opinion, having more muscle mass is a good thing, especially as we get older.
Side note: don’t get me started on BMI. Yes, there are great uses for this, but in other certain situations, don’t go there! BMI is another blog post for another day.
Bodyweight can and does fluctuate. It can fluctuate during the day, week, and month (particularly for females). Water retention, changes in hormones, diet are a few of the culprits to bodyweight fluctuations. Also, as we get older, the number on the scale will change! My 20y old body weight is certainly not what it is in my 30’s. I went from a slimmish runner to a strong and powerful cyclist, to an ex-athlete who is finding the happy medium. Now, these changes in body composition were mainly due to the training and nutritional practices I implemented. However, the body is always changing, maturing, developing, growing and we should not be comparing what was an optimal body weight 5y ago, as it won’t be appropriate or applicable today. Trust me, I did compare my previous competition weight as, in my mind, this was appropriately correlated with my body weight and body composition. And guess what? This comparison bit me in the butt performance-wise and health-wise!
Given these points above, why then can the number on a scale hold such meaning or feeling. It is a number. That is all. Yet, this message can be hard to translate, and hard to believe.
Don’t let the number of the scale define you. You are much more than a number. Your body is much more than a number.
If you want some help with moving away from a scale-focused mindset or want to get your amazing body to perform at its best, please contact me.
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