Scale Back: How To Keep Pounds In Perspective

Weight loss should move slowly, with fluctuations, and a scale won't accurately reflect these changes.

Oh, the poor, misunderstood scale. We praise it when it tells us what we want to hear; we scowl when it registers higher than we think it should. At home, it gets a daily workout. At the health club, it gets as much traffic as any climbing, stepping, or cycling machine.

Even though health experts say you shouldn't focus too much on pounds, many people still judge their health and self-image by what the scale says. And while some experts say to avoid the scale completely, a scale can actually be helpful -- if you use it as a guideline rather than a mandate. "A scale is helpful if it's used as a gross indicator," says Dr. Tom Storer, director of the Exercise Science Laboratory at El Camino College in Torrance, California. "It indicates change, but not the source of the change. Water fluctuations can be so large that real changes in body fat or lean body mass are obscured."

When most people talk about losing weight, what they're trying to lose is body fat. But a scale doesn't measure the loss of body fat or an increase in lean body mass. For this reason, Storer recommends that weighing on a scale be done along with a body-composition test in order to measure body fat and lean mass. Testing methods vary, ranging from underwater weighing -- the most accurate -- to simpler tests such as skin-fold calipers. (Your doctor should be able to give you information on where to get a body-composition test in your area.)

How often and when you weigh depends on several factors, but the healthiest approach to weight is to keep pounds in perspective. "Focusing too much on weight can be destructive," says Georgia Kostas, R.D., M.P.H., director of nutrition for the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and author of "The Balancing Act: Nutrition and Weight Guide" (Balancing Act, 1996, third edition) and "The Guilt Free Comfort Food Cookbook" (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996). "Eat healthfully and exercise instead of obsessing about weight, and let your psyche be your guide in determining how often and when you should weigh."

Kostas says some people might want to weigh in daily to catch those extra pounds before they add up, but weighing once a week or every other week is enough to keep track of progress on a diet program. She cautions that chronic dieters and those who obsess about weight should avoid the scale altogether and focus instead on learning to feel healthier, more energetic, and better about themselves.

Weight Obsession

Dr. Jeff Simons, sport psychologist for the Australian track-and-field team in Melbourne, views everyday weighing as counterproductive and potentially harmful because, in some people, it can lead to obsessive tendencies such as eating disorders. "Daily weighing tends to reward poor behaviors; more often, it feels like a punishment," he says. "Every scale-watcher knows you can cheat [via anorexia, bulimia, or dehydration] to get immediate results. None of these encourages a healthy lifestyle or results in appropriate fat loss. The healthiest weight loss moves slowly, with fluctuations, and a scale won't accurately reflect these changes."

Angela B. Moore, M.S., R.D., feels that once a week is the weighing limit. To get the most accurate measurement, she recommends stepping on the scale first thing in the morning each week, before eating or drinking anything. "I wouldn't recommend weighing on Monday morning because people tend to eat more -- and eat out more -- over the weekend," adds Moore, president of FitLife, a nutrition and exercise consulting business in Charlotte, North Carolina. "It's also best to weigh yourself on the same scale each time, setting it on a bare floor or hard surface like a piece of wood to give the most accurate readings."

The Clothing Test

Nancy Brown, a nutrition consultant based in Solana Beach, California, says the scale is a good tool to use when you're exercising and training with weights; under these circumstances, you're likely to gain lean body mass in the form of muscle. To make sure you're not gaining fat though, she recommends using one pair of pants as an indicator of fat loss or gain. She also warns against comparing scale weight with any of the published ideal-weight charts. "You can compare two women of similar build -- one has 16% body fat, the other has 30%. The 16% woman may weigh 5 to 10 pounds more because she has more lean mass," Brown says. "She'd be considered obese according to the charts, but in fact, she's much healthier because she has more muscle and less fat." Another reason experts caution against weighing too often is that a number of factors influence weight gain and loss. "Body tissue is always fluctuating. Muscles retain fluid, so they weigh more," Moore says. "Most women also gain water weight during their periods. Remember: Pounds don't always mean fat. Focus on how you feel. You're better off if you get used to fluctuating five pounds."

Remember also that if you perspire, you lose water. So if you weigh yourself after a sweat session in the gym and think you've lost two pounds, keep in mind that you'll regain it after you eat or drink. If your goal is to drop a few pounds, understand that the best part of exercising isn't the immediate weight loss, but the boost it gives your metabolism -- which will contribute to weight loss over time.

"When you're considering losing or gaining weight, focus on the process rather than the outcome," Simons adds. "Weight on a bathroom scale is just an outcome that's dependent on any number of uncontrollable and controllable events. Focusing on outcome makes you feel hopeless and stressed because at that point, you can't do anything to change it. Instead, focus on a positive attitude and healthy activities that will lead to the best weight for your body and lifestyle."

Pamela B. Haskell