Health Tips: Whenever it comes to health, the first thing that is mentioned is weight. People who are health conscious are often seen weighing their weight. Even when you go to a doctor for the treatment of any disease, the first thing he does is measure the patient’s weight. The happiness and worries of many people depend on the needle of Body Mass Index (BMI). But the question is what is the right way to measure body weight and when should we weigh ourselves. There have been shocking revelations in the research of scientists on this matter.
Some experts advocate weighing our weight every day for weight management, especially when we are following diet and exercise to lose weight. Some people suggest giving up the habit of watching your weight completely. The logic behind this is that daily weighing increases negativity in the mind and one cannot even know when a person starts promoting unhealthy behaviours. Especially when we don’t like the numbers that appear on the weighing machine.
Sydney University health expert Nick Fuller says many people like him recommend using a weighing machine to measure weight weekly, even when we are not trying to lose weight. There can be many reasons for this.
Measuring your weight every week helps you control your weight. Research shows that checking weight regularly is a good strategy for weight loss and weight management. Because this habit helps in increasing awareness about our current weight and any changes.
One survey found that people who weighed themselves weekly or daily for several months lost 1-3% of their BMI (body mass index) and gained less weight back than those who did not weigh themselves frequently. Used to measure.
It is important to check weight with increasing age.
The weight of adults starts increasing till middle age. Whereas the average weight gain is usually between 0.5-1 kg per year. This slight increase in weight can lead to obesity over time. Checking and monitoring your weight weekly helps in avoiding unnecessary weight gain.
Keeping track of our weight can also help in identifying diseases early. Dramatic changes in weight can be an early sign of some diseases, including problems with our thyroid, digestion and sugar.
normal weight fluctuations
Our body weight can fluctuate within a single day and on all days of the week. Studies show that body weight fluctuates by 0.35 percent within the week and it is usually higher after the weekend.
Eating at night increases weight
There are many reasons for daily and day-to-day fluctuations in body weight, many of which are related to the amount of water in our bodies. These also include what type of food we have eaten.
When we eat more carbohydrates at dinner, we will weigh more the next day. This change occurs due to temporary loss of excess water in our body. We retain 3-4 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate consumed to harvest the energy derived from carbs.
When we eat foods high in salt, the amount of water in our body also increases. Our body tries to maintain the balance of sodium and water. When the amount of salt in our blood pressure increases, a mechanism is triggered to restore balance by retaining water to dilute the excess salt.
weight and our food
Be it 30 grams of nuts or 65 grams of lean meat, everything we eat and drink weighs, causing our body weight to temporarily increase while we digest and metabolize what we have eaten.
Our weight is lower first thing in the morning after our food intake is limited overnight and higher in the evening after our daily food and drink intake.
weight and exercise
If we weigh ourselves in the gym after a workout, there is a good chance that our weight will decrease due to fluid loss due to sweat. The amount of water wasted depends on things like the intensity and duration of our workout, temperature and humidity as well as our sweat rate. On an average, we sweat 1 liter during one hour of moderate intensity exercise.
hormonal changes and weight
Hormone fluctuations during a woman’s menstrual cycle can also affect fluid balance. At this time, women may temporarily gain 0.5-2 kg of weight.
bowel movements and weight
Going to the bathroom can lead to slight but immediate weight loss as waste products are flushed out of the body. Although the amount lost will vary, we generally lose about 100 grams of weight through our daily bowel movements.
All these fluctuations are normal, and they do not indicate significant changes in fat or muscle in our body. However, noticing these fluctuations can lead to unnecessary stress and a fixation with our weight.
Weight gain can be counterproductive
By weighing yourself weekly, you can avoid the stress and rush of weight loss that comes with watching your weight every day. But watching the weight again and again can create an obsession with increased weight and can cause more harm than good.
Often, when we see that the weight needle is not moving in the direction we want or expect, our reaction is to further restrict our eating or start fad dieting. Besides not being fun or sustainable, this diet also makes us gain weight instead of reversing it.
This was confirmed in a study comparing intentional weight loss between more than 4,000 twins. The research found that the chances of being overweight by the age of 25 were significantly higher for twins who lost 5 kg or more. Took a diet to lose excess weight. This shows that frequent dieting increases our risk of gaining weight and gaining weight in the future.
what should be done
Weighing ourselves weekly provides a more accurate measurement of our weight trends over time. Aim to weigh yourself on the same day, at the same time, and in the same environment each week – for example, every Friday morning first thing in the morning when you’re getting ready to shower, after going to the bathroom, but not after eating anything. Or weight should be measured before drinking.
Use good weighing machines. Change batteries regularly and place something on the weighing machine whose weight you know. This will enable us to know the accuracy of the machine.
Remember, the numbers you see on the machine are just one part of health and weight management. Focusing only on this can overshadow other indicators, such as how your clothes fit. It is important to pay equal attention to how we are feeling physically and emotionally.
If it is causing worry or stress, stop measuring your weight at any time interval and contact a health care professional to discuss it.