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Is the Bathroom Scale an Indication of Health?
Have you ever been to the doctor’s office and he’s asked you to get on the weigh scale? If you’re anything like me you remove your shoes first. And then your socks and jewellery. And depending on how modest you are the rest of your clothes. The scale is inevitably 7 pounds heavier than what you were only an hour ago at home. It’s distressing and disheartening.
On the other hand, have you ever been at a friend’s home and during a visit to the washroom you jump on the scale to “just see”. Oh joy, if it’s even 1/2 a pound lower than your own scale. You bound out of the bathroom with a grin on your face ready now to accept that second slice of banana bread.
Although I’m sure many of us do it, we really shouldn’t put so much weight into what the weight on the scale is (pun intended).
The weight on a scale does not indicate your overall health. (tweet this)
Your weight is the sum total of your bones, organs, fat, muscles, and other tissue. You can’t change the part of your body that is bones, tissues and organs, but you can change the ratio of fat to muscle with good training and proper diet.
Body composition (fat compared to lean body mass) is more important. Two people can weight exactly the same on a scale and yet be tremendously different in body composition. Since muscle weighs more than fat, the scale weight can be deceiving.
For many people, getting on the scale is difficult. But if you focus on body composition, the struggle can be a little bit more tolerable. Weight can fluctuate from day to day, but pay more attention to how you feel and how your clothes fit.
I hop on the scale almost every day, first thing in the morning, to keep my weight on track. I walk twice a day, usually about 25 minutes each time (and throw in a few longer hikes and/or a workout on the elliptical here and there) so if the scale starts to climb I know it is because I sitting too much during the day and/or eating more than I really need. Four years ago I was put on blood pressure medication and within a year I had lost enough weight (over 40 pounds) to wean myself off of it. It is important that I maintain a good exercise program and eat well and monitor my weight for my health. Great post, Kimberley!
It’s good to keep an eye on “creepage” — 1/2 or 1 pound a week that add up to many pounds over the months and years. As long as the scale is used to help you with your health and not to dictate your daily mood or to become an idol. Thanks for sharing, Sally!