Weigh In

Let’s talk about weighing ourselves. Why do we do it? Is it to create some sort of daily self-loathing torture? Some people are literally afraid of the scale. My feeling is that it doesn’t matter how much you weigh, because the scale eventually will go down if you need it to (if you are following the program of course). I feel it is best to know how much you weigh so you have a starting point.

HOW HEALTHY ARE YOU?
Enter Your Weight: lbs
Enter Your Height: ft in
Your Body Mass Index is:

According to the Panel on Energy and Body Weight Standards published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, your category is:

Ok, so you got on the scale and you weighed yourself. Now what does it mean? Quite simply, your height and weight are used together to determine your health status. We call it BMI or body mass index. Use the online BMI calculator to determine your BMI and corresponding health classification. If your BMI is >25 then your health is moving towards the danger zone and a world of potential serious health problems.

Let’s weigh-in on some frequently asked questions:

What If I am exercising and eating better and still not losing weight?

If you were gaining 5 pounds per month and now you are not gaining any more weight you have actually made improvements to your health with the changes you have made.

If you are exercising a lot you may be gaining lean muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. Check to see if any of your cloths fit differently. If not, then maybe you really haven’t changed your eating habits enough to match your level of physical activity. Try keeping a food diary to get an honest read of what you are eating.

If I am still growing, how much weight should I gain each year?

A female should expect to gain about 5 pounds for every inch she grows. Anything above that is too much.

How often should I weigh myself?

Many people find bi-weekly weigh-ins helpful when trying to lose weight. Others just like to weigh-in daily or bi-weekly to make sure they are staying at a healthy weight and BMI. Keep in mind that a females weight usually fluctuates up to 5 pounds during your period.

In addition, eating something that contains a lot of salt will also falsely increase your weight. This is especially true if you eat out a restaurant even if the rest of the meal is Voltage approved. Don’t beat yourself up, just know what it is and drink a lot of water to flush out the salt and the scale will quickly go back down. Think “blow fish.”

How many calories should I eat a day?

This depends on your age and level of activity. If you are active and still growing then you probably need 2000 calories or more, if you are not growing and not very active then 1600-1800 calories. Weighing yourself and keeping a food diary are good ways to determine how many calories your body needs to maintain a healthy BMI.