mummiez & daddiez magazine

Following the Festive Season are you battling
with your scales to lose the holiday weight you
gained or pressuring yourself into meeting your
New Year’s Resolution to lose weight?
As a Personal Trainer I find there are two types of
clients; the client who is obsessed with being
weighed and the client that dreads the prospect of
being weighed. My philosophy with most things in
life is about balance and this philosophy also applies
to weighing yourself or being weighed.
The key things to remember when weighing yourself
are;
Weigh at the same time of day, preferably first
thing in the morning.
Consistency - if you weighed yourself naked last
time, and/or before breakfast then do the
same again the next time. Keep your
hydration levels consistent as this influences
what you way on the scales (more on this
later).
Set a specific day and time in the week that you
know you will stick to.
Weighing scales are the most common choice
when measuring personal progress against weight
loss. But are they the most reliable?
After working with hundreds of clients over the
years, I have seen cases where the client‘s
appearance will drastically change; clothing size will
drop, but no immediate weight loss on the scales.
This outcome for some can be an obstacle when
continuing on a weight loss programme as the person
can question ―what is the point‖? For someone
obsessed with weight loss this can be seriously
demotivating.
Our body weight is made up of fat, muscle mass,
bone mass, visceral fat (around our abdomen/organs)
and water content/hydration. When using traditional
weighing scales all we see is our total weight made
up of all of the above. Therefore we cannot see the
breakdown of what is truly important, which is a
drop in body fat and an increase in muscle.
To find out these vital statistics, it is more valuable
to weigh using a body composition monitor. This
retails from around £30 online. I recommend the
omron BF511 which retails for around £40.00 online
If you prefer not to weigh yourself at all or you do
not want to invest in the body composition
scales then it would be beneficial to measure
yourself once a week with a measuring tape, or
your clothing to observe your progress,
depending on how well a specific item of
clothing fits from week to week.
My final tips
It is important to choose a method of
measurement to track your progress that
feels right for you.
On your weight loss journey avoid
comparing your progress with others as
this just adds unnecessary pressure.
Try measuring your success in other ways.
Such as improvement in your energy
levels, improved mood, better
concentration and improved fitness.
Sharon Mercieca