To Weigh or Not to Weigh

Weekly Weigh-in: 1.4 lbs down! (total: - 4.4)

I brought my high-tech scale today to work to see what the weight difference is between the office scale and my home scale. You'd think they would be close, but... nope. Like 3lbs different. Before I checked this though, I stepped on the scale, showing some people how the scale works. Our break room has awesome linoleum floors, just like the flooring in my bathroom (so it was similar flooring types, which is different when dealing with scales!). Within the 20 minutes it took me to walk to work from home, unpack for the day, and grab people to show the scale, I gained 3 lbs. What?! Carol says, "Maybe it's stress. I've heard you should get on the scale relaxed instead of stressed out; being stressed makes you weigh more."

Again, what?

I understand the stress argument- the more you're stressed, the more cortisol your body gains as a defense mechanism. More cortisol = more weight. But to gain 3lbs over 20 minutes, when I wasn't stressed out yet? That probably wasn't the reason (but that could be contributing to my overall weight loss).

Doctors say that you are at your most natural weight (and lightest weight) right after you wake up and use the restroom. Your body "resets" while you sleep, "Excess fluid that has accumulated during the day moves from the body's cells into the bloodstream, where it makes its way to the kidneys. In the morning, when we get up, we get rid of this extra fluid by peeing." Plus, we eat and drink during the day, which messes with our weight as well.

Well, that explains the 3lbs between home and work. Wait, no it doesn't. The Diet Coke was not consumed yet! So what gives? Different flooring? Did my clothes weigh 3 lbs?

And, when I got on the (different) scale after working out at the end of  the day yesterday, I *still* got a different number. That's the water's fault. As I work out, I drink water (when needed). That stays in my system- I don't sweat that out immediately. And, if I'm not hydrated properly, my body holds onto that water and I gain "water weight." It's also possible that the *little* tweaks I make in my workout routine are causing me to lose less calories than expected. Maybe I'm gaining muscle mass, and muscle weighs more than fat.

Gross, I know.

That's my favorite exercise myth; that fat weighs more than muscle. 5 lbs is 5 lbs, but it's all about the space that fat/muscle takes up. Muscle takes up less, fat just kind of ...spreads. Weight Watchers Online Trainer (William R. Sukala, MS, CS) states, "Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than lead weighs more than feathers. A pound is a pound is a pound. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that, by volume, it seems to weigh more. That is, a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burn more calories."

So, weighing every day probably isn't helping me in the overall goal. That's why Weight Watchers advocates the "once a week weigh-in"- at the same time, every week, for consistency.  I can't let the other numbers psych me out. I'm going to use the scale when I want (usually every morning), but not put any stock in the numbers, unless it's my Weight Watchers Weekly Weigh-in.  Win. (