Many people who are looking to change their body composition and the way they look use bodyweight as an indicator. When we are looking at changing body composition we are typically looking to reduce fat and increase muscle mass.
Whether weight is the most effective way of monitoring progress is a topic for another day.
For now we are going to look at some factors which can influence bodyweight
- Fat mass
- Lean body mass
- Skeletal structure & bone density
- Hydration levels
- Sodium levels
- Menstrual Cycles
- Contents of the Intestine
- Clothing
- Brand & model of scales
- Flooring underneath the scales
So when using body weight as an indication of body compositional progress its important we control some of the above factors.
Here’s the how
- Wearing the same clothing (birthday suite is best)
- Record time of day that your recording weight
- Try to control how much you’ve eaten and drunk (including the night/nights prior)
- Control or remove any foods which cause inflammation or bloating as these may influence water retention (likewise with foods which are high in salt)
- Keep your scales in the same place and ideally on a solid tiled floor and remember if you’re changing scales there will be some fluctuation from brand to brand
- Females – Your unlikely to get an accurate indication of fat loss progression via the scales if your in the Late follicular or Late luteal phase.
