What Does The Scale Say?

Recently, clients have been asking about tracking metrics. So here are some things to consider when you're stepping on the scales.

Why do we track our progress?

When we’re training, we want to understand what is working and what isn’t. That’s different for everyone, so tracking workouts and meals can help us to spot patterns and better understand how the fuel we give our bodies is being used.

For some of my clients, the goal is to gain muscle. For others, it's to maintain or lose weight. These are longer term goals, setting their bodies up for long, healthy lives. To reach and maintain these numbers, we work through programmes and test different combinations until we find what works, which is hard to do without understanding how their body is responding along the way. But it's easy to get in our own heads when the metrics we're tracking, whether that's weight, reps or calories, aren't looking the way we expect them to.

What is the point in training?

Muscle gain and fat loss are not linear. Sometimes when we are training to lose weight or ‘tone up’, we can be going hard in the gym and hitting all of our macros but the scales won’t budge. For a lot of people, myself included, that can be really off-putting but you have to remember that you can lose weight while adding muscle so your progress will show up in other ways: looser clothing, an easier time climbing the stairs, a faster-paced run.

Try to remind yourself why you started your plan.

Why does the scale not reflect my effort?

There are lots of reasons why the scales don’t reflect the effort you’re putting in: the time of day, volume of water you're retaining or the clothes you’re wearing. Even the training you’re doing can cause inflammation - which is a great thing. These fluctuations are just part of your muscles repairing and rebuilding themselves and they actually mean your body is working.

The reality is, to gain 1kg of body fat you would need to eat 7,700 calories above your maintenance. That is pretty unlikely in 24 hours, so if you're noticing daily fluctuations then it’s probably water and it’s temporary.

For women, it can be even more of a mind game. During the luteal phase, progesterone rises and your body holds onto even more water. Sometimes up to 3kgs. However, that generally drops again after your period starts.

And believe it or not, the more fuel you eat to train (carbs) the more water your body holds. But again, this isn’t fat storage, it’s fuel. And that’s why when you cut carbs, you lose weight. It’s all water.

•⁠ ⁠High salt: scales will go up.
•⁠ ⁠Not enough sleep: scales will go up.
•⁠ ⁠Training too much: scales will go up.
•⁠ ⁠STRESS: scales will go up.

Remember you’re human

Honestly, it’s a mindset. Not hitting the f**k it button when the scales go up or down, because there is always a reason. And yeah, sometimes it could also be the 10 beers and then the hangover Dominos I had a couple of weeks ago. Swings and roundabouts. Just make sure you understand why and don’t obsess over the outcome. If you’re following your plan and living your life, you will be getting longterm results. It’s all about consistency.