Why the scale is the WORST way to measure your weight

Have you ever stepped on the scale and felt disheartened after it’s crept up a few pounds?

Most of us have. 

But what if I told you that weight gain wasn’t always a bad thing?

This past year, I started working out hardcore (strength training or hot yoga almost every day). I did it because I LOVED how it made me feel – strong, flexible, and clear-minded to start my day.

But on the mornings I weighed myself, I saw the number on the scale kept creeping up…and uP…. and UP. I felt frustrated and confused. 

As a girl who has struggled with disordered eating, body image issues, and an unhealthy relationship with exercise, the number on the scale messed with me a LOT (and from talking with other women, I know it’s messed with them as well).

It got so bad that I stopped resistance training altogether – bad move on my end, but I didn’t know any better! (hindsight 20/20!).

At the time, I thought, “Why would I continue working out if my weight was increasing?” I was not working out to lose weight, but it felt counterintuitive.

Now, it might sound crazy, but here’s what I learned (and I think everyone needs to hear this, ESPECIALLY women): 

The scale is the WORST way to measure your progress, especially if you’re resistance training. I repeat the scale is the WORST way to measure your progress.

Regular scales tell you one thing – your TOTAL body weight.

They don’t tell you anything about the composition of your body weight. 

How much of your total body weight is fat? How much is muscle? What about your organs and lean mass? 

These are important questions.

Working with top health professionals and podcasters, I learned that body composition is a much more accurate marker of overall health.

Body composition: the amount of fat mass, lean mass (organs, tissues), muscle mass, and water that makes up your total body mass. 

With strength training, the scale might creep up as you gain muscle (which is denser than fat), but this is not a bad thing. Muscle is our body’s largest organ, and it is associated with SO many health benefits:

• Longevity

• Better overall health

• Better blood sugar control

• Lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.

• Strength

• Flexibility

• Stability

• Stronger bones

• Reduced risk of falling and breaking a bone

• Keeping your independence (lifting grocery bags, getting up off the floor or sofa)

• Traveling longer (walking/lifting suitcases into the overhead cabin)

• And the list goes on….

As you build muscle, it will begin to displace body fat, and your body composition will shift to look more fit and toned… but the scale doesn’t tell you that! 

Your weight might creep up, stay the same, or eventually, over time, trend downward. Until then, the up-and-down “in-between” phase can be discouraging and maybe even a little scary.

That’s why I recommend doing an InBody Scan, a more accurate way to measure your progress along your weight loss or fitness journey.

An InBody what?!

An InBodyScan is a highly accurate bioelectrical impedance analysis that measures body composition and offers a detailed breakdown of your body's components:

• % Water

• % Body Fat Mass

• % Skeletal Muscle Mass

• % Visceral fat  (the fat that surrounds your organs and releases inflammatory cytokines – aka belly fat)

• Basal Metabolic Rate (your total daily energy expenditure)

• Symmetry of lean mass (i.e., if your left side’s muscle is equal to your right)

Here’s an example of my report:

I blurred my results for privacy’s sake, but I wanted to provide an example to show the incredibly valuable information you get with the InBody Scan report.

Usually, the person who conducts your scan will be trained to review your results with you.

How does InBody Scan work?

InBody sends small electrical currents through the body to measure the resistance these currents encounter, which varies according to the types of tissues (muscle, fat, water, etc.). Since muscle tissue is high in water content, it conducts electricity better than fat, allowing the device to differentiate between fat and lean body mass.

What is the investment?

If you’ve never had an InBody scan, it only costs about $30 and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. There are thousands of locations where you can get it done! Your local gym might even have one! (Mine did; shout out to Core Fit in Royersford, PA)

What is the payoff?

As a 30-year-old gal who has endured a life-long battle against the scale, getting an InBody Scan gave me the peace of mind I needed to continue strength training, and I am SO GLAD I did because it provided reassurance that the number on the scale was nothing to be afraid of. 

It was something to be super freaking proud of! It solidified that I was gaining muscle - not fat! - which I learned was in the optimal range. Huzzah!

I’m looking forward to getting more of these scans in the future. It is recommended to get one at the start of your fitness journey, with follow-ups to measure your progress every six months or so to track my progress.

Where can YOU get an InBody Scan?

If you’re interested in getting an InBody scan, click this link to find one near you! (they’re closer than you think!)

In health,
Taylor