When you’re trying to lose those extra lbs of fat, it’s easy to obsess over the number on the scale. This article explains why this could be misleading.
Some fitness experts have created a false perception that the number on the scale is the best indicator of your body fat level.
And while it provides some people with an effective way to measure progress, the truth is most times, it can be misleading.
The scale doesn’t tell you exactly how much fat you have; it only tells you how much you weigh — which is usually influenced by things like your food and fluid intake, digestion, muscle mass, body type, and so on.
In fact, according to a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, even your BMI may not be the most accurate marker of your body fat content — as it doesn’t account for “critical factors that contribute to health or mortality, such as fat distribution, the proportion of muscle to fat, and the sex and racial differences in body composition.” (2)
This proves that there are more critical markers that’ll tell you a lot more about your overall health.
Markers like your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, your blood glucose levels, etc. And when you’re obsessed with the number on a scale, you may lose track of more critical factors like your blood glucose levels – which could be potentially dangerous.
Plus, it’s difficult to stay motivated when there’s no movement of the scale. And when you don’t know how much progress you’re making, you may overeat or starve yourself to get closer to your body goals.
How to know if your diet or exercise routine is getting you closer to your goals?
In a world of rigid diets that don’t account for individual differences, you should explore other ways to determine if you’re making any progress.
If you’re experiencing better energy throughout your day, or if blood sugar level is starting to normalize, then those are good indicators.
But you can track these things with a scale.
Conclusion
To get a full picture of how your lifestyle choices are affecting your overall health, don’t rely on your scale alone. Track your blood glucose, observe your muscle to fat ratio, examine how you’re feeling generally, and so on.
An overview of all these factors will give you the best idea of how much progress you’re making.
