When you decide to lose weight or track a diet, standing on the scale often becomes part of your usual routine, and make sure to measure your weight always to try to stay on the right track and adhere to your goals in losing weight.
Despite the ease of using the scale, there are many errors that each other and may lead to inaccurate readings or unrealistic weight.
In the following, we review the 10 most common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Measurement of weight daily
Some people resort to measuring their weight daily and sometimes more than once per day and this harms their psychological health, especially since weight loss does not occur overnight, and that the fluctuation of daily weight, which ranges between 0.5 and 2 kg (1 to 5 pounds) is a natural matter.
In a study conducted in 2023 and published in the Journal of Applied Psychology on university students trying to lose weight, the researchers found that students who tried to weigh themselves every day confessed to more anxiety, tension and low satisfaction with the image of their bodies.
To avoid anxiety and display real numbers on the scale, try to measure your weight once a week. According to a Finnish study conducted in 2014, Wednesday is the best days of the week to follow your weight, unlike weekends in which the meal and activities routine changes to affect body weight.
Weight measurement in heavy clothes
If you stood on the scale while wearing full clothes and shoes, your weight may appear larger than it is in reality, a study published by the International Journal of Obesity in 2012 indicated that the clothes can add about two kilograms to the scale and increase with wearing jeans, so if you are not comfortable or able to weigh yourself without clothes, make sure to wear light clothes every time you weigh yourself, and take off your shoes to get a correct reading, as you weigh the shoes as well A pound to two pounds for each pair.
Weight measurement after exercise
It is best to avoid measuring weight as soon as the exercise is finished, because the numbers that will appear on the scale may not reflect your actual weight. With every 16 ounces of the sweat you lose, your weight will decrease almost by a pound. For example, during running, you may lose about 17 ounces of fluids in one hour, or about 8.5 ounces within half an hour, according to Owen Parir, author of the book “Running for Physical Fitness”, for the Houston Cronic.
Therefore, it is advised to let the body regain its balance and rest for a full night before trying to measure weight.
Measurement of weight at night
The biggest mistake you make is to measure your weight in the evening, as you have eaten several meals and drank a lot of water throughout the day, and then the number will be higher than your real weight. To get a more accurate weight, weigh yourself in the morning after using the bathroom and empty the bladder, as this is usually the longest period between your meals and your body has sufficient time to digest all the foods and drinks that you have eaten on the previous day and your weight will not be affected in the amount or lack of what you eat.
Weight measurement at different times
Many factors affect your weight throughout the day, for example if you weigh yourself in the morning in a day, then evening on another day, it may seem to you that you have gained weight while it is not. “Weighing yourself at the same time from today a week will give you a more accurate reading,” Rachel Fine Dietitian said to Health Line.
Use more than a balance
Do not compare your weight on the home scale with your weight on the scale in the gym or the doctor’s clinic. The results of a study published by the Norwegian Nursing Journal in 2016 showed that only 16 of the 152 scales in pediatrics clinics included in the study were 100%correct.
To ensure that you get a suitable reading, use your own balance, since even if it is not exact, you will remain aware of the changes that occur in your weight, or in other words, any change will be a reflection of a real weight change, not a change in equipment.
Measurement of weight after bathing
The nutritionist, Dr. Keith Cantor, explains to the “Joud House Kiping” website that the skin is the largest organ in the body and absorbs fluids easily, and adds, “Your body absorbs after swimming or bathing from a cup to 3 cups of water, thus increasing your real weight a few pounds and the difference increases if the hair is wet.”
You eat a large amount of sodium before measuring the weight
Dr. Cantor says that eating an excessive amount of sodium can lead to fluid retention in the body and then record higher numbers of normal weight. “This applies especially to fast food, soups, fried foods, and processed meat such as sausages or cold meat, as well as sauces used in Chinese, Japanese and Thai foods,” he added, so it is preferable to reduce their intake for a better weight.
Place the scale on the carpet
The uneducated carpets or floors are shaking the scale and the difficulty of its calibration, and this may lead to incompatible or inaccurate readings, so make sure the balance is not tilted and placed on a smooth and flat surface without carpet.
Ignoring the menstrual cycle may enable you the results of weight
It is important to take your monthly cycle into account when measuring weight, as pre -menstruation syndrome is often associated with fluid retention in the body, leading to a feeling of swelling or swelling. This temporary change may suddenly raise your weight by 7 to 8 pounds. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid standing on the scale during this period so that you do not get a misleading reading.
