Weight Measurement Frequency: Scale Up or Down?

“People who stepped on the scale daily were more likely to lose weight than those who weighed themselves rarely or not at all, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting. Registered dietitian Martha McKittrick said regular weight tracking can remind people to eat healthy and stay away from tempting treats but for some, weighing too often could reduce self-esteem and increase anxiety.”- CBS News (11/9)

As with many other things in life, we are all different when it comes to how frequently we benefit from weighing ourselves. I have a rich personal history when it comes to scale-driven emotions, so I think it’s time I share my experience…

As many of you know, I cheered for four years at East Carolina University. So fun! My second two seasons were spent cheering on the co-ed team where the primary form of stunting was partner stunting: 1 guy, 1 girl. To help prevent excessive wear and tear on the guys’ shoulders, a 125 lb weight limit was enforced. The calculated Ideal Body Weight (IBW) for a girl standing at 5’5” is 125 lbs (IBW for girls: 100 lbs + 5 x every inch over 5’). This measure does not take body composition into account. For me, being 5’5” and solid muscle since I sprinted out the womb, 125lbs was a veryyy difficult weight to stay beneath. I drink a gallon of water most days so between fluid and food, you best believe that even if I woke up weighing 125 lbs (which I rarely did), I surely was no longer that weight come time for practice at 5:30pm. Enforcement of the weight limit was conducted via surprise weigh-ins. If you were over the weight limit, you were “ground bound” (aka- no longer allowed to fly until back under 125 lbs). So of course, everyoneee would know if you were “over”. Since I was amenorrheic at the time, consistent with my weight and maintained a lean body composition, I was given special consideration and was pretty much allowed to hang around 127 lbs- thank the Lord! Even still though, the haunting thought of a potential weigh-in every day of practice weighed on me very heavily. The fear of being “over weight” (very much a relative phrase in this context), led to the development of an unhealthy body image and thoughts of always being lesser than my teammates. I knew better than to view the situation this way given that I was the tallest one on the team and, proportionately, my stunt partner one of the strongest (Derrick- you da man!). Nonetheless, thoughts of embarrassment and other emotions of the sort were difficult to suppress.

Fast forward to being done with cheerleading and my sweet roommate, Alexis, HIDES MY SCALE! She knew it wasn’t healthy for me to continue weighing multiple times a day, so she acted in my best interest by hiding my scale…which I did not find until moving out a whole year later!! There’s a catch here though- during my fifth year of undergrad when I was no longer cheering, I competed into two bodybuilding competitions. Weight is an objective measure of show-readiness monitored frequently in the sport, so I felt the need to be weighing myself daily. But I didn’t have a scale? No worries- I snuck down to Alexis’ bathroom every. single. morning. and used hers. (She won’t know that until reading this blog. 😊 ) I again became weight-obsessed and got down to just 115 lbs by the time of my second competition that fall. I was so lean that my roommates made me fully cover my arms before leaving the house so my veins wouldn’t be quite so noticeable, I had to wear leggings under my jeans to keep them from falling down, and the competition bikini bottoms from my first competition that fall FELL OFF just three weeks later due to how much I had leaned out in that short time. Was I anorexic? Absolutely not. I was by no means trying to starve myself. I ate plenty of protein and veggies, but very few carbs- too few, even for a bodybuilding competitor. (Is there such thing? Yes. I got second place at my second show that fall due to being “too lean”…but that’s a whole other can of worms.)

Okay okay, back to the point. In hindsight, did I need to be weighing myself daily during my bikini competition prep? Nope! Did these daily weights change the direction of my prep more than weekly or bi-weekly weights would have? Nope! Could I see that I was leaning out simply by looking in the mirror? Yep! Thank goodness for hindsight, because it taught me these valuable lessons and allows me to more effectively guide the bikini athletes, and all clients, that I work with to this day.

Referring back to the original quote-

“People who stepped on the scale daily were more likely to lose weight than those who weighed themselves rarely or not at all…regular weight tracking can remind people to eat healthy and stay away from tempting treats but for some, weighing too often could reduce self-esteem and increase anxiety.”- CBS News (11/9)

During the time detailed above, I was definitely falling on the “reduce self-esteem and increase anxiety” end of the spectrum. Today, I weigh myself so rarely that I didn’t even bring a scale to the 6-month long baseball season. Did this stress me out? NOT A BIT! It was one of the most liberating decisions ever. It didn’t change my dietary or fitness habits at all because ultimately, I aim to maintain a healthy diet and consistent workout regimen regardless of the number on the scale. Are there people who benefit from weighing more frequently? No doubt. But as with anything else in the realm of health and wellness, it depends on the INDIVIDUAL! And for this reason, I am SO very grateful for the opportunity to work with clients on such a personal, individualized basis.

Please do not take overgeneralized diet and fitness statements or recommendations for face-value. Always know yourself and pay close attention to what works best/is healthiest (physically, emotionally, mentally) for YOU! If you ever need help determining what that is, I am always available for a free consultation. 😊