Slave to the scale

There are so many resons why you should not weight yourself every day. Of course I am not very good at following this advice.

I do like to weigh myself to motivate me and to be sure I am staying on track. However, daily weigh ins are silly because you can swing several pounds in a matter of a day.

Water retention, how hydrated you are, bathroom cycles, salt intake, etc....all play into what the number on the scale says.

Two days ago I weighed myself and I was 130lbs. This morning I weighed in and was 135! Now, clearly I did not gain 5 lbs of fat in just two days (even though I did eat some nasty fair food at the fireworks). However, it is still a horrible feeling to see a bigger number from one day to the next.

Here is something to keep in mind when the numbers on the scale are not what you expect:

One pound of fat = 3500 calories. So unless you are eating an extra 350 calories 10 days in a row, you are not gaining a full pound of fat.

This tells you two things:

1. Unless you pig out on 3500 EXTRA calories in a day (that is some serious indulgence) then there is no way you can have gained one-two lbs of fat in a day. This means those numbers on the scale that jump from one day to the next, are most likley a result of being constipated or bloated (lovely!)

2. If you are gaining lots of weight it means you are eating way too much. When I think about why I weighed 10 lbs more for the past few years, it sort of grosses me out because I know I was eating too many empty calories.

So, I am taking a break from the scale for a few days. I am also trying to get back on track with my water drinking. Drinking tons of water seems to help keep my numbers low because it reduces water retention and keeps my digestion regular.