Bodyfat percentage = good. Scales = bad. Want me to explain that a little better? OK, OK, I'm kidding. Let me start from the beginning...
The other day I was talking to a friend. She was absolutely disconsolate... "I weighed myself on the scales this week and I gained two pounds. I'm so depressed I want to quit. I can't believe this -- I'm doing everything right, and I still gained two pounds -- what on earth is going wrong?"
The first thing I did was to make sure she was indeed doing everything right. If you don't have a fairly accurate idea of your caloric requirements, and the caloric value of the foods you are eating, it is WAY too easy to over-consume calories. She, however, was doing everything right...
Her meals were small and spaced out evenly through the day. They were properly balanced -- high fiber fruits and vegetables and a lean protein source. Her caloric intake was between 1300-1500 calories... right about where it should be. She didn't eat after 7 PM. She drank lots of water. She did one hour on the treadmill every single morning (need to learn how to do everything right? Check out my diet, "The Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer".
So what was wrong?
She was basing her success on what was reported on the the scale. As I explained to her, given her caloric intake, the amount of exercise she performed each day, and the number of calories in a pound of fat -- 3,500 -- it was absolutely impossible for her to have gained two pounds of fat. You see, 2 pounds of fat is the equivalent of 7,000 extra stored calories. She, however, is only taking in between 9,100 and 10,500 calories per week, and between 2,100 and 3,500 calories of those are burned up immediately in her morning treadmill session.
OK, so it's impossible. So were did those two pounds come from?
Well, they could have come from anywhere. On a any given day, your weight will vary throughout the day based on numerous factors -- hydration, dehydration and so on. Women often are frustrated by the scale because their monthly periods cause water retention that can indicate weight gain.
More importantly, your scale weighs your entire body -- your muscle, your bones, your organs, your skin and hair, and yes, even your fat. Weighing more does not necessarily mean you are any fatter. Many people who make a commitment to diet and exercise get extremely depressed when they see the scale remain at a standstill, or even increase. However, this is not an indicator of failure.
This is an important point -- please review the last sentence again.
Muscle weighs more than fat. Any reasonably formatted exercises program will likely lead to an increase in muscle -- which may be reported by the scale as an increase in weight (since muscle weighs more than fat). You, seeing this increase, are miserable, assuming failure. However, this increase may be something to celebrate -- after all, the scale is not telling you that your body is carrying more metabolism-elevating lean muscle, and less fat.
