Why the Scales Don't Tell the Whole Story

It would be easy to have been disheartened - and, truth be told, I was a little disappointed.

After spending much of the last week exercising vigorously, burning around 500 calories per workout, I stepped on the scales this morning. I had not intended to weigh myself for another week, but the curiosity proved too powerful to resist. Anyway, after doing a double take, the number had crept up by 0.4 kilograms.

Disaster? Not so. There are many different reasons why the figure on the scales doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Having gone from months of sedentary living to heartbeat-raising, calorie-torching exercise, had I actually lost no weight? It’s possible, but other explanations have greater credibility. And, besides, I have only just started; these things don’t happen overnight.

It is often said that muscle weighs more than fat. This isn’t quite accurate; a pound of muscle and a pound of fat actually weigh the same, but the muscle is denser. My workouts have so far consisted solely of cardio, but intense walking will undoubtedly be toning my leg muscles. Heck, my feet are certainly tired and achy, lending credence to the ‘no pain, no gain’ saying.

So maybe I have lost a small proportion of fat but gained muscle. Equally, I’m told exercise can cause bloating and increase water weight - at least in the beginning. This would make sense, and the three to four mugs of coffee I consume daily will be adding to the water in my body. Another possible reason, then, for the scales to be stubbornly static.

While it is obviously true that I would have preferred to see even a slight reduction in weight, the scales are not always an accurate barometer. My trousers are feeling ever so slightly less tight, ditto my t-shirts. My face appears a little slimmer in the mirror, too.

The point is, don’t get disheartened if you step on the scales after a period of consistent exercise and see no change. What you weigh is not the same as how much fat your body is carrying. I’ve been enjoying my walking, and I fully intend to keep it up. I’m already looking forward to torching yet more calories in the week to come, and if the perceived 'loosening' of my clothes is anything to go by, I should start to see meaningful results soon. Wish me luck!