8lbs in a day
After chatting to some of our ninjas the other day about how going on weight alone isn’t a good way to stay motivated, I decided to conduct a little experiment.
The following day I weighed myself every 30 minutes for the whole day.
I expected my weight to fluctuate by about 5lbs throughout the day.
After all, I’m a big lad with a good appetite.
And I drink a lot of water.
I was surprised to see, however, that my weight varied by over 8lbs.
And that that variance actually occurred in just 30 minutes over a large lunch.
Before I get into that, here’s a breakdown of my weight throughout the day.
5.00am 88.7kg
5.30 89.8
6.00 90.1
6.30 90.4
7.00 89.9
7.30 89.9
8.00 88.7
8.30 88.8
9.00 89.3
9.30 89.0
10.00 88.00
10.30 87.8
11.00 87.7
11.30 87.7
12.00pm 87.5
12.30 91.5
1.00 90.1
1.30 90.3
2.00 90.8
2.30 91.00
3.00 91.2
3.30 91.0
4.00 90.7
4.30 90.5
5.00 90.5
5.30 90.8
6.00 91.00
6.30 90.7
7.00 90.4
7.30 89.8
8.00 91.0
8.30 90.7
9.00 91.00
9.30 91.7
10.00 91.9
10.30 91.7
To make the test as fair as possible I took the following steps:
- Was weighed in exactly the same clothing, with empty pockets each time
- Kept the position of the scales the same at either home or the RISE
- Checked the accuracy of the scales by weighing the same 20kg weight after each move of the scales and periodically throughout the day
So, I probably won’t be getting in at CERN, but it’s pretty accurate.
The biggest increases, unsurprisingly, occurred after I’d eaten – 5.15am, 12.10pm and 7.40pm.
And the biggest decreases, of course, after I’d used the toilet.
It must be said, I was surprised by some of the differences – particularly lunch.
It was my weekly Thai buffet treat where I do have a good sized portion or two – but I had no more than I normally would.
However I did have a large coffee and three pints of water with my lunch, which will be nearly 4lbs of liquid.
Even more surprising was changes in weight when, for want of a better way to put it, nothing had gone in or out.
Not a massive amount, but a noticeable change.
Remember I’d checked the accuracy of the scales with the weight, so my change in weight must have been accurate.
I can only, out that down to a burning off energy – that energy was food at some point. Which of course had a mass.
In general though, I think the key ‘take home’ is that weighing myself that frequently could only really be depressing and demotivating.
I’m sure I’d notice the increases more than the decreases.
The key point was, despite what happened in the day, I awoke the next morning the same weight.
Would a day of emotional roller coasters, for what turned out to be no real change, be particularly helpful?
We recommend weighing / assessing yourself once a month.
Once a week at most.
Standardise it too – same time, clothing, etc.
Remember, if you’ve been doing it more frequently and you’re not happy with your weight / appearance, then it’s clearly not worked as an approach.
Much love,
Jon ’14 stone in a day’ Hall and Matt ‘How far away are they?’ Nicholson
