Index
Some will think – obviously no one has ever lost weight by getting on a scale. And he is right. But in the little space we have to put the title, it was difficult to pick up the idea, which is something like: Why should we not use the scale to control our weight or because using the scale can make us demotivated just when we are going through the good way.
Why scales are not recommended
If you have read our article on the importance of muscle in weight loss You will know that anaerobic exercise is very important to lose weight, whether you are a man or a woman. Simply because we regularly build a muscle that turns us into a machine to burn calories at rest, in addition of course to those we burn during exercise. The problem is that muscle weighs a lot, a lot if we compare it with fat, but make no mistake, as you surely know, it weighs a lot but takes up little, it simply has a lot of density. Fat weighs little and takes up a lot. And this is where the problem of the scale lies. It does not inform us of the muscles we have acquired … or the fat we have lost, it only tells us if we have more or less weight. Let’s talk about quantity but not quality.
Let’s take a simple example
Susana is 35 years old and weighs 85kg and, ignoring the advice of Dietadel.com, decides to follow the Onion Diet ! (If she is crazy, those well informed will think). I will tell you more. Susana spends about 2600Kcal a day, she is sedentary, but the large amounts of food she abuses every day make her have a fairly high metabolism, “fortunately” for her.
Carmen is 38 years old and weighs 75kg, listening to the advice of Dietadel.com, she decides to follow the plate diet and also physical exercise. It spends about 2200kcal a day, it is no longer sedentary.
After 15 days, Susana has lost 4kg! and Carmen has not lost anything, she remains at the same weight. What happened? Well, it is very possible that Carmen has lost 2kg of fat and has added 2kg of muscle. And Susana has lost 2kg of muscle, 1kg of water and 1kg of fat.
[highlight] In this new scenario, Susana’s metabolism has plummeted [/ highlight], she has literally loaded it and could easily be in need of 1600 Kcal per day. This means that if you want to continue losing weight, you will have to cut your daily intake more or you will stop losing weight. [highlight] Carmen on the other hand, who still weighs 75kg, now needs 2320kcal to maintain the weight. And more importantly, she has lost twice as much fat as her partner in the experiment [/ highlight]. As muscle occupies much less than fat (about 7 times less) it is easy to see the change.
[notification type = »notification_error»] Susana will give up in a very short time, because there will come a moment when she realizes that she is stagnant, she will eat normal again, because she thinks that it has not been worth it and as a reward she will gain weight quickly . Well, her metabolism has dropped. [/ Notification] [notification type = »notification_mark»] Carmen will continue to exercise and it will be much easier to control her body fat. [/ Notification]
Scales don’t measure fat
With that example we have clearly seen why we should not trust simple scales. It is important that we use other methods to validate the proper functioning of our diet. Something as simple as pants will help us check if we have gone up or down in size.
If we want to take it more seriously, we can use
- A pharmacy scale with a fat meter : Without a doubt, this is probably the best option. They also come with very complete information and by subtracting the fat that it gives us from our weight we will always control the amount of muscles (among other things) that we have.
- A fat meter: We can find them online, even the Chinese already sell them (not too reliable option). The good ones are expensive and they are not so necessary considering that with going to the pharmacy 4 times a month we have more than enough.
- Plicometer: This is a more affordable option, we simply measure the skin folds of the body to calculate the fat we have. I also believe that your purchase should not be necessary.
- Our clothes: No one knows better than us how a garment fit us last week. It is a good indicator, somewhat subjective, but when the results are obvious it does not fail. It is also free
Get rid of your scale (Recommendation)
I hope that from now on when you get on a scale you will question that number that appears more. In addition, there are other factors independent of the muscle, such as water, that can also alter that number. I do not recommend you either have a scale at home (because it is useless, except that it has a fat meter) or measure yourself every day. So I invite you to give away your scale, exercise and eat correctly and without haste. This way “that day” will come before you know it.
Will you stop using simple scales?
Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.