How to measure weight

So, imagine a woman whose muscle mass is 45 kilograms, but fat – 15 kilograms. In total, her weight is 60 kilograms, but for some reason the scales show sometimes 57 kg, sometimes 64 kg. But the main thing – nothing changes in her regime and diet.

In the weight loss process, most rely on scales as the final authority instead of analyzing the state of their body as a whole. To measure your real weight, you need to take into account many factors.

Factors that affect weight fluctuations

1. The most important thing to take into account – the amount of water. The body tries in various ways to maintain the water-salt balance, so the less fluid is taken in, the more it retains it inside to function normally.

Look, why weight decreases poorly in strong heat. As soon as it starts raining or becomes a bit cooler – the body immediately `gives away` liters of fluid because at that moment they are not needed.

2. Glycogen. With each gram of carbohydrates that your body stores in the form of this element, an additional three grams of water are retained. If you ate a piece of cake in the evening, and in the morning you step on the scales, don`t be afraid, it`s not an extra kilogram of fat, but water. It`s easy to get rid of it. Still, don`t get carried away with sweets.

3. A woman`s weight can change depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle. Not only due to increased appetite, but also swelling. It manifests most in the last week before the start of the next cycle. In this period, it`s undesirable to measure weight – you`ll only spoil your mood.

4. Swelling. If you sharply increased the amount of salt in your diet, most likely, it will provoke weight gain. Accordingly, if you started consuming less salt, the weight will decrease.

Remember that the body adapts to a stable level of salt consumption through the release of the hormone aldosterone. If with your usual eating of a pack of salted peanuts nothing happens to you, then after a long salt-free diet you will `swell up` from one nut.

Severe swelling can also be a signal of kidney function disorders.

The scale readings themselves are worthless. To find out your true weight, you need to take into account the following indicators.

1. Waist circumference. For reliability, perform three measurements every week: at the navel, five centimeters higher and five centimeters lower. If, taking into account all the indicators, the waist has become slimmer, most likely, the amount of fat in your body has successfully decreased and vice versa. You can also measure hip circumference and other body parts.

2. Energy level. If your diet is aimed at creating a calorie deficit in the body, the activity level will be an excellent indicator of success. When the scales show a larger number of kilograms, but you feel strong and energetic, know – you are building muscle mass (it, as known, at the same circumference is heavier than fat mass).

3. Swelling. If in the morning your eyelids more resemble small pillows, it`s better not to torment yourself with weighing at all, but wait until the body gets rid of excess fluid. A few days of proper eating and following the drinking regime are enough for that.

If you control your weight, you need to know the basic indicators of height, weight and age ratios.

Now you won`t fall into despair and won`t torment yourself with all possible diets if you see just some extra three kilograms on the scales. Share the useful information with your friends!