【Xixi Nutrition】Quick Questions and Answers on Weight Loss-Have I succeeded in losing weight? How to Monitor Your Weight

Weight Loss Q&A

Question 01 Can daily weighing help with weight loss?

Yes

In the follow-up study of the American reality show “The Most Loser”, an important habit of people who can maintain their weight loss results is to monitor their weight every day!

Three-quarters of successful losers measure their weight daily

Weight loss is not only a purely biological problem, but a social psychological problem. For a person or a group of people to change their long-term lifestyles, changes in psychological behavior are fundamental.

Weighing is the most direct way to monitor weight changes, allowing us to keep track of the state of our bodies and help us make behavioral changes.

Question 02 If the weight fluctuates up and down, it means that the weight loss is unsuccessful?

No.

There are many reasons for weight fluctuations, and weight loss is based on long-term trends rather than a day or two of weight fluctuations.

An interesting study was published in the BMJ. During isolation at home, a professor recorded the changes in his weight and found that his weight would fluctuate up and down when he ate roughly the same food and had a regular daily schedule.

A European-wide study based on smart scales and cell phones, published in the New England Journal of Medicine NEJM, confirms that we humans, as a group, also fluctuate in weight. With the seven days of the week, the weight changes are highest on Monday and lowest on Friday.

Wherever they live, people seem to be immune to “weekend syndrome”

And at different times of the year, there is also a clear trend in weight changes. During the big festival, the weight will rise, and after the festival, the weight will decrease. People around the world are at their heaviest in January.

The above data shows that weight fluctuations are unavoidable because weight is affected by diet, water intake, alcohol consumption, sleep rhythm, and more. In order to continue to lose weight, it is unrealistic to be completely disconnected from the family and friends around. (So, enjoy your vacation)

The goal of weight loss is not a straight drop (which is unrealistic), but a zigzag downward line like the picture below.

Question 03 When is the best time of day to be weighed?

Fixed time!

The above-mentioned study of university professors monitoring their own weight, the results are shown below

The lowest body weight after exercising and showering in the morning, gradually gaining weight after eating, and being the highest in the evening. But by the next morning the weight will drop again. Overall, the trends in daily weight fluctuations were consistent, meaning that this morning’s weight was most comparable to yesterday’s morning at the same time. If you can’t weigh yourself in the morning, you can weigh it at the same time in the evening or at noon, and compare it with the previous weight to better see the trend of weight change.

If you compare your weight from this evening to yesterday morning, you may be disappointed because the weight gain is a normal fluctuation of the daily rhythm, not real fat gain. .

Q04 Does weight loss mean fat loss?

Not necessarily!

Weight loss is not necessarily fat loss, it may be muscle mass loss, or dehydration.

This brings up an important issue when monitoring weight loss outcomes—body composition.

Our bodies are a bit more complicated than the numbers shown on the scale because not all of our bodies are fat (fat). The human body is made up of muscles, bones, other organs and water, and body weight can only show the sum of these components, while body composition can also show the proportion of each component. With fitness and diet control, our weight is changing, and so is our body composition. Just because you’re losing weight doesn’t mean you’re losing fat.

As you can see from the figure below, in a simple classification, body composition can be divided into fat and non-fat body mass, and non-fat body mass is also known as lean body mass.

A more complex classification, based on the components that make up the body, can be divided into fat, water, protein, and minerals.

The finer the classification, the more accurate the results, but the more difficult it is to measure, and may require more complex instruments or professional skills than weighing.

Common methods for measuring body composition

1) Including our home smart scales and the INBODY test used in the gym all measure body composition by means of bioelectrical impedance

2) You can also manually measure body composition through sebum forceps and muscle circumference

3) Hospitals can use dual-energy X-ray or CT, MRI, and other methods to determine body composition

Last egg question

Can I lose weight without losing muscle?

The answer is: No!

But you can lose fat faster!

The multicenter study, published in The Lancet, showed that along with overall loss, fat and non-fat body mass (including muscle, organs and bones) also decreased.

The good news is

If you insist on controlling your calorie intake for more than 6 weeks, the fat loss will be faster! So the benefits of sticking to weight loss for the body are clear

If you want to control your weight and live a healthy life, you can check out Sixi’s book “The Nutrition Book of Eating and Losing Weight” to keep your healthy lifestyle going!