The Scale Is Not The Truth

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Welcome And Sponsor Shoutouts

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to There is a Method to the Magnet. My name is Rob Maxwell, and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Program and have been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really worked and most importantly why things worked. Thanks the name, there is a method to the magnet. Before I get started today, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilded of the Gilding Group ELT Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412.

Measuring Progress Without Obsession

SPEAKER_00 0:46

All right, let's talk about some fitness, everybody. So I always say, or I often say, that if you can measure it, you can manage it. And I believe that to be mostly true. There's a lot of things about that that's true. I think uh numbers are good. And um when somebody's trying to lose weight, I am a believer in weighing themselves on a regular basis. Now there are situations to where I think somebody maybe should not weigh as much as they are and as often as they are. And um I'm gonna give you some reasons why, but I just want to state that there is, you know, with a lot of things, we can get confused with information. So in my book, I talk about that weighing yourself on a regular basis is true. But what is the regular basis? So, in other words, it does work. I have found that when people don't weigh themselves like ever, it's usually because, not always. I mean, some people just don't care or they don't need to weigh themselves. I mean, so you know, I can't say everything is true for everybody, but there are many cases when people don't weigh themselves because they flat out know what they're gonna see and they don't want to see it, they don't want to face it. So I do think weighing ourselves on a regular basis is important. At the same time, I'm also going to tell you to contradict this, but not really. It's just we have to learn how to use weighing ourselves as a tool that works for us. But sometimes the scale can lie to us. So we have to understand the scale. And that's what today's podcast is about.

Water Glycogen Sodium Explained

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The scale sometimes lies to us. I'm gonna give you the five reasons. And uh actually, there are seven reasons. I'm going to give you the seven reasons and then I'm going to talk about them a little bit more. Number one, one of the things that the scale lies about is water weight. All right, I'm gonna get into that. Another thing is the level of your glycogen storage. Number three is the amount of sodium that you've consumed, which is uh a big reason why the water weight sometimes goes up. Another reason is food in your old digestive tract. Another reason is the amount of carbohydrates you're taking in, not because carbs make you fat, but because carbohydrates draw in water into the glycogen supplies, which I'm going to talk about. Another reason is muscle. You may have gained some muscle. So it's not that these numbers are lying to you, but it's lying to you as far as what it is telling you, or you're not really understanding what that scale can be telling you. And finally, there can be hormonal fluctuations, which are kind of making your weight go up and down, which isn't necessarily reflective of the amount of fat loss and gain that you might have. Okay. So the first thing that we need to understand is what we want to lose when we want to lose weight is fat. We don't want to lose muscle. Losing too much water is not a good thing. We don't obviously want to lose organs, which we're not going to that way. We don't want to lose bone density. What we want to lose is fat. And that's what the scale might be lying to us about because we don't know for sure what that number is when we are looking at the scale. All right. So let's talk about water first, because water is absolutely a biggie. It's probably number one that you're going to see fluctuate up and down, especially if you're weighing yourself on a daily basis. All right. So your body weight fluctuates with water weight. I mean, you can be fluctuating within two or three pounds in a few hour time frame. I mean, your body is really going to fluctuate how much it weighs based on how much water you are retaining or not retaining at the time. All right. So hard training, like if you're very active, if you're very fit and you're outside working hard or you're inside working hard, your hard training can temporarily make you retain more water because the water is assisting in muscle repair. Changes in your hydration levels throughout the day, may be determining what you're seeing on the scale. So if you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, which is typically a good idea, you're going to see your body weight basically or your weight as your body as dehydrated as you're going to be, probably the rest of the day, unless you go out of your way to do that. And that's not very smart. So you can see a big increase or decrease in your weight just based on how much water your body is retaining. All right. So that is a real big one to understand. It could simply be water weight. I'm willing to bet you if you're seeing large fluctuations in your weight on a weekly, a daily basis, it's mostly from the water weight that you're either retaining or getting rid of in a short period of time. All right. Second reason, glycogen. Glycogen is your friend. Glycogen is stored carbohydrates. So your body is going to store up to 2,000 calories of carbohydrates in your muscles and in your liver. Liver, you store 400 grams of glycogen or carbs in your muscles and roughly 100 grams in your liver. So if you are eating a moderate diet of carbohydrates, which you should, you're going to be holding all of your glycogen. Now, glycogen holds water. So if you're not eating a lot of carbohydrates, your body isn't storing a lot of glycogen. And if you're not storing a lot of glycogen, your body isn't storing as much water. Now, that's a great trick of bodybuilders when it's time to kind of drop a few pounds to look a little bit leaner on stage temporarily, but it's not something you want to do on a regular basis, which is carb deplete to get rid of the glycogen, because that's where your energy is. If you don't have any energy, or if you don't have any glycogen or carbs, you're not going to have any energy. You can't train. So that really isn't a good idea. So when we're low on glycogen, we're low on water, we're showing probably a lower number on the scale. But that doesn't mean you're losing fat. Fat is what we want to lose. We don't need the adipose tissue. Fat is what we don't want to lose. Okay. Next, sodium. Sodium is also a major indicator of what happens with our body weight. Mostly just because if you take in more sodium, you are going to retain more water. That's what we do. We have sodium on the outside of the cells, it sucks the water out of the cells, and basically you have that puffy look or feel. Bodybuilders know it very well when they're going to go up on stage. Like they haven't gained any body fat in two or three days. Of course they haven't, but they can notice a puffiness in the mirror because they are retaining water. So they haven't gained fat, but they don't have that nice ripped look. I mean, probably most other people aren't going to see it, but if they know themselves very well, they don't feel as lean as they probably are because the sodium is making them look puffy. And yes, you could be retaining up to two to four pounds of water on a, you know, a moderate-sized frame. That's going to make a difference, and it's definitely going to make a difference in the scale, on the scale. So I think we all have experienced that before. You go out to dinner, you go to a Chinese restaurant, and you don't usually go to a Chinese restaurant or whatever. You get up the next day, you feel puffy, you weigh yourself your two or three pounds up, you're like, whoa. I mean, I think we've done it. Pizza is a biggie for that. There's a lot of sodium in the crust, sodium in the cheese. So that's a biggie for that. So sodium is going to basically make us retain water. So again, a lot of this goes back to water again. And then the scale is going to show us a bigger number. You did not gain three or four pounds of fat in two days. I promise you that. It's a big lie. I mean, it's not a lie, but it's a lie if you think it's fat. You definitely have gained a couple pounds, but it's water weight. And as soon as your diet goes back to normal, or you drink a little bit of water or a lot of water to flush everything out, as ironic as it sounds, that's the case, then you're going to be back down to normal. All right.

Food In Your Gut And Carbs

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Number four, I think it's pretty obvious, but food in your digestive system. I mean, you know, if you've been constipated, that means you're holding on to food. If you're holding on to food, if you're holding on to the waste, I mean, you are going to be elevated a little bit. That does not mean that you've gained fat. It just means that you're constipated and food is still in your digestive tract. I mean, hopefully that's a very temporary thing for you, but it's also very common for people that get into physique competitions because once they get closer to the time of the show, they start to eat a little bit less food. Their body typically is used to a little bit more. Oftentimes, closer to shows, they quit eating so much fiber because, again, it could upset the stomach, give somebody a bloated look. And so now they don't have as much fiber, so that now they're not as regular. So now they're retaining more food in their digestive tract, and they're up a few pounds. So you can see that if you're into physique competitions, how much stuff you really have to pay attention to and how maddening that could be for somebody that's in their last week or so of competition. And I think we all know as well that our body can sense stress and stuff. If you've ever uh, you know, experienced that when you travel, sometimes, I mean, I know I'm that way. When I travel, I'm not as regular as I am at home. It's like your body can just sense when you're comfortable, right? So a person training for a physique competition is going to be a little bit nervous, they're going to have this pressure, and so that happens. So, as I said, that is just simply nature of the beast sometimes that people have to work through. But again, at least it's not body fat, right? And most likely nobody is seeing this on our body like we think they are. It's just temporary weight of either non-digested food or partially digested food or water. You have not gained the fat. Okay. Next, again, gets back to the glycogen, gets back to water, but carbohydrate intake can drastically affect the scale measurements if you are weighing every day. So, carbohydrate is part water. When you are taking in more carbohydrates, most likely you are taking in more water, you are filling up the glycogen supplies, the glycogen supplies suck in more water. And by the way, this is healthy. This is what you want. If you are an active endurance athlete or a runner, a jogger, a walker, a cyclist, all that kind of stuff, I mean, this is what you want. You might feel a couple pounds heavier on race day because you have adequately restored your glycogen. But reality is you're going to run, walk, bike, cycle, swim, whatever, so much better because you are working on a full tank of gas and you have the proper level of a hydration to help you through. So you really can't let that scale number mess with your head. I mean, for people that race a lot, that do endurance stuff, I tell them do not weigh yourself race morning because you are going to freak out if you're a couple pounds up. And runners and trahes, endurance athletes can be very sensitive about their weight. All right. So again, with carbohydrates, store glycogen, store glycogen, bring in water. It's temporary, it's not fat. You did not gain the fat overnight. You just simply refueled yourself like you should, and you are good

Muscle Gain And Hormone Swings

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to go. And next, muscle gain. I mean, this is a good thing. If you are working out on a regular basis and you are now eating clean, I'm sure you are losing some body fat if you're creating a caloric deficit. That's the whole idea. That's what we want. I'm sure if you need to lose weight, if you need to lose fat, I'm sure that's what you're doing, and that's a good thing. But keep in mind if you are eating enough nutrients, you're gonna be gaining some muscle, and that's also the point. So you really can't let the scale determine if you're getting more fit or not, right? I mean, there are guys out there, I'm just gonna use guys and I'll use gals, but there are guys out there that are, you know, 5'10, 180 pounds, and less than 10% body fat. Then there are guys out there that are 5'10, 180 pounds, and 25% body fat. So they weigh the same. But if you looked at the one that's 10% body fat, you're gonna see basically a jacked muscular ripped physique. If you saw the one that's 25%, you're not gonna see that. Same body weight. The only difference is the level of muscle and the level of fat. So you really can't get too preoccupied with that number on the scale when you're lifting weights, when you're working out, because you are gaining some muscle, and that's a great thing. And ladies, same thing. You know, if you are saying and 135 pounds and you're 20% body fat, or you're 5'7 and 135 pounds and you're 35 body fat, there's a huge difference in your appearance. One looks incredibly lean, incredibly cut, the other one does not. Same height, same weight, distribution of where the weight is largely different. So, muscle is a good thing. Muscle gives you the appearance, because it's true, of being leaner, more toned, better defined, all those things. And finally, hormonal fluctuations, guys and gals. It's going to determine how much water weight you are holding. If you are stressed out and your body is producing high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, you are going to be retaining more water. You're going to be retaining water in the belly, you're going to be retaining water everywhere. Your ankles are going to be more swollen, your wrists are going to be more swollen. You're going to be retaining water with negative hormonal fluctuations. I mean, it's very normal for hormones to fluctuate up and down based on what's going on, based on exercise, based on stress, based on women's menstrual cycles and all these things. So it's very normal. But if you are carrying more stress around, like you're unable to release the stress, and your body is producing more cortisol, it's not that you're holding on to fat more. That's kind of really not true. I mean, but you are retaining more water, which is going to show up in the

Weighing Less And Watching Trends

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scale. All right, so what do we need to do about this stuff? All right. What do we need to do to get a better grip on what is going on with this? All right. You want to look at the trend of what's going on, not on a day-to-day basis. Look at the trend. Maybe weigh yourself once a week or two times per week. That is the first thing you want to do. I mean, if you can handle what this scale is telling you, go for it. Like there are some people that just get this, they know it inside and out. I don't need to talk them off a building or anything. They just understand that they might be three pounds up on a Monday, three pounds down on a Tuesday, then they start dropping their one pound through the week. I mean, they just know it, it doesn't bother them. But if it bothers you, then you need to really think about weighing yourself less. Once a week, probably no more than two times per week. No matter who you are, though, understand that it's the trend that counts, not the day to day. You know, if you're if you're trying to lose body fat, pay attention to what's going on week to week, not day to day. If you're tracking this in your journal or for your weight loss coach, because I do weight loss coaching with people, then give the average number over seven days. If you're weighing yourself every day, that is. Like I said, I don't think that's a great idea, especially if it gets in your head two to one to two times a week is probably more ideal. But if you are, and whatever you're doing cycle-wise, average your score. So if you are weighing yourself every day, get the seven-day average. That is going to reflect really what is going on. Give yourself time to see the trend as well. So that's why it's very important if you let numbers get in your head and bother you to take you off course. And if you're beginning your fat loss journey, it's very important to not weigh too early too soon. Let the trend take over. It will take a little bit of time. When somebody tells me they lost seven pounds in a week, I mean, I don't look at them and say, great job. I look at them and go, oh boy. All right. So let me tell you, that's mostly water weight that you lost. Don't expect this every week because it's not going to happen. As a matter of fact, averages, average out, you know, numbers go up, numbers go down. I say it all the time with baseball players, you know, if a baseball player bats 250, I have to use baseball, love baseball. I say this all the time. I'm going to give you an example. If a baseball player is batting 250 and they're in the middle of a 0 and 10 streak, you know they're coming out of it. They say, Rob, how do you know that? Because they bat 250. It's going to happen. And if somebody's super hot in baseball, they bat 250 and they're seven out of their last 10. Guess what? Don't rely on that guy when he comes up next. Numbered, numbers have a way of always coming back to the mean. I mean, they just do, which is what makes them very cool. But that's why we need trends. So when I see that person kind of all happy about losing that ton of weight the first week, I'm usually, you know, okay, you're probably going to be at four pounds next week, which means you're really down

Other Ways To Track Fat Loss

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three, and we all will be happy with that. All right. So be real careful with that. You need to use multiple measures if you really want to determine if you're losing body fat. Use multiple measures. Body weight is one. I just said that. It is one. But body weight takes into account all of your bones, your muscle, your fat, your organs, the water you're retaining. It takes into a lot of things. If you have access to get your body fat checked and checked accurately, because the bioelectrical impedance things that people get, the scales and stuff like that, ladies and gentlemen, those are not accurate. There's a 9 to 11% standard deviation with those, they are not accurate. If you can get an accurate body fat done, whether it be a DEXA scan or skinfold calipers or hydrostatic wane, then that's another good option. But if you don't, use your waist measurement. Waist measurement is a great indicator. It tells you if you are going up or down in body fat because mostly outside of some water weight, which you can retain, that's not going to change, but the waist will be mostly fat and water weight. We don't really gain muscle in that area. Waste measurement is a great thing to check. The other is progress photos. I mean, you know, take some pictures of yourself in the mirror. Take some pictures. If you got a good diet coach you trust and all that kind of stuff, take some pictures. I mean, that's a little awkward for a lot of people. So do them yourself. I mean, take some pictures. Bodybuilders do it all the time. I have trained for different physique shows before. I do them. I'll take some and I go, okay, this is where I'm at. A month later, I'll take the same shots and go, okay, I can see this. You're gonna be a lot more objective when you can look at the photos that way. So that is another great way to put along with your scale. Your clothes fit. Is there a better indicator of fat loss in how your clothes fit? I'm sorry, there's not. And you know what? Most people I know that matters more than anything. I mean, good lord, how many people have I known that have I known through the years that when they can't get into the pair of pants that they used to be able to get into, they are hell on wheels, man. They are not happy, right? And then they uh, you know, they get on their fitness kick, they do what they need to do, they go shopping, they get into a pair of jeans or pants or whatever. That's a little bit smaller, all of a sudden they're happy as pie, right? So how pie, did you hear what I said? I mean, if that's not ironic, I don't know what is. I did not do that on purpose, but you get the point. They are happy because how our clothes fit largely determines if we're losing body fat or not. Now, look, if you're a bodybuilder, you know, and you've got the genetics to put on a ton of muscle, whatever, then yeah, you might see that in your thighs. I get that. You might put on a pair of pants and say, oh man, I just can't wear these pants anymore because they're too tight in my legs. I get it. That, you know, that's why we have to take multiple measurements, different areas and stuff, because not one of these is going to work for everybody. That's why you have to use a variety of these. Another thing is your strength and your performance. I mean, if you're pound for pound stronger than you were, you're losing body fat. I mean, I've often said that body weight exercises are a great way to determine your pound for pound strength. I mean, if you are losing fat and you're doing more pull-ups, I mean, we almost know you're losing fat. I mean, you know, it's the indicator that you're actually pulling up less weight. So of course you're going to be able to pull more reps. And not just that, but if you're losing fat, you're gonna perform better in most things. You're going to move better, your endurance is going to be better. I mean, this is all, you know, if you need to lose fat. I mean, some people, you know, are a little too thin anyway. So this isn't for them. They still probably want to use all these different measurements to keep themselves in check, but this isn't for them. I'm talking about if you've needed to lose fat, you know what I mean. You automatically feel better almost everything that you do when you're losing fat when you've needed to. So check your performance, check how your clothes fit, take progress photos, take waist measurement, and yeah, use your body weight. But don't use it alone and don't obsess because it might be lying to you. All right.

Questions CTA And Final Sponsor

SPEAKER_00 25:36

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