Client conversation #2 - Is the weighing scale accurate?
Client : My weight is up by 1 kg since yesterday, how is it possible I gained so much weight in just one day?
Personal trainer : That's because your weight is going to fluctuate on a daily and even on an hourly basis.
There a lot of factors that cause your weight to fluctuate including :
- how much food mass you have in your body when you stepped on the scale
- sodium intake (increases water retention)
- lack of sleep
- trained the day before (your body absorbs more water for the reparation process)
- stress (increases water retention)
Client : So if the weighing scale is so inaccurate why even bother using it?
Personal trainer : Weighing scales are more accurate when you look at how your weight is changing on a weekly or monthly time frame because you can see whether your weight is trending upwards or downwards.
Client : What does it mean though if my weight has increased 1kg since yesterday? Does it mean I gained 1kg of fat?
Personal trainer : It's close to impossible to gain 1kg of fat overnight, usually the fluctuations are caused by changes in water retention or if you've had more food the previous day and will most likely go back down to your normal weight soon.
Client : Yeah it was the weekend, so I was eating more! That's great news, I used to completely freak out whenever I saw my weight increase and become demotivated.
Personal trainer : Remember when tracking your weight, look for weight trends over weekly or monthly time frames instead of daily weighing data.
