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Weight loss can be a long journey. An expert dietitian explains why weight fluctuation is normal.
You're doing everything you can, training hard adhering to a nutrition plan, and your weight seems to be going in the opposite direction than what you want it to be. Elle Kelly, a specialist in eating disorders and sports dietitian, explains why weight fluctuation is so normal and why we shouldn't get fixated on our weight.
There are many reasons why the scales can go up and down, water retention and women's menstrual cycles can be a factor. Elle shares why this is normal and why we shouldn't focus on the scales day to day.
P.S - it's normal for the scales to go up and down but if you do have any concerns, please get in touch with your GP.
***
Chapters:
00:00 - Why weight fluctuation is normal
02:17 - Stress impacting scales
03:58 - Health
05:45 - Fluctuating during period
07:32 - Any more fluctuation questions?
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0:00
you're doing everything you can training
0:02
hard adhering to your nutrition plan and
0:04
your weight seems to be going in the
0:06
opposite direction than what you want it
0:08
to be this can really screw with your
0:09
heads I'm going to explain why weight
0:11
fluctuation is so normal and all the
0:13
reasons why we shouldn't get fixated on
0:15
our weight
0:19
I'm Elle specialist eating disorder and
0:21
sports dietitian let's begin by talking
0:23
about the changes in weight throughout
0:25
an attempt at weight loss to begin with
0:27
in theory weight loss occurs through
0:29
consuming less energy than what we need
0:31
for our daily functions and activities I
0:33
say in theory because whilst this is the
0:35
science human beings are not textbooks
0:37
or robots we have emotions hormones and
0:40
live lives with so many variables that
0:42
no equation or textbook can cater for
0:44
weight loss whether intentional or not
0:46
can often occur with only a few changes
0:49
to our lifestyle initially but the body
0:51
doesn't like change nor know the
0:53
difference between an intentional diet
0:55
and a famine being imminent and as a
0:57
protective mechanism it will start a
0:59
series of changes to prevent weight loss
1:01
these changes can look like increasing
1:03
ghrelin or hunger hormone and decreasing
1:05
leptin the hormone which regulates
1:07
satiety it does this in an attempt to
1:09
encourage us to consume more food and
1:11
prevent a severe calorie deficit long
1:13
periods of dieting can result in a down
1:15
regulation of systems within the body as
1:17
the body attempts to reduce the overall
1:19
energy output after an illness our body
1:21
generates antibodies so that the illness
1:24
has less of an effect on our immune
1:25
system the next time in a similar way
1:27
the body learns from our dieting
1:29
attempts and it's normally on high alert
1:31
and very prepared for your next diet
1:33
those who are chronic dieters or
1:35
athletes who have to make weight for
1:36
weight class Sports May notice this
1:38
throughout their attempts at weight loss
1:40
as an individual continues to try to
1:42
lose weight loss typically stalls
1:44
meaning that more drastic changes might
1:46
be required to continue to drop weight
1:48
and this is where things can get
1:49
frustrating and sometimes start being
1:51
counterproductive you're training hard
1:53
doing extra cardio and steps hitting
1:55
your nutrition precisely and the scale
1:58
still just won't budge and maybe it
2:00
starts going upwards we must remember
2:02
that restricting our intake as well as
2:04
over training in many cases is going to
2:07
be causing a lot of physical stress on
2:09
the body then because your body isn't
2:11
responding you're probably going to be
2:12
stressing about it so it all becomes a
2:14
stress test so how does stress affect
2:17
our weight stress both mental and
2:19
physical can dramatically affect your
2:21
performance goals and even send you in
2:23
the opposite direction to weight loss
2:25
which can cause even more frustration
2:26
and a lack of trust in your body our
2:28
body responds to stress through a
2:30
Cascade of events cortisol a steroid
2:32
hormone is released in response to
2:34
certain events like waking up in the
2:36
morning exercising injury or when we're
2:39
under mental stress before we go into
2:41
why it can be detrimental to your goals
2:43
we should acknowledge that cortisol has
2:45
many helpful functions including
2:46
regulating our metabolism and our sleep
2:48
cycle and giving us an increase in
2:50
energy to handle stress we really do
2:53
need cortisol but too much of it and for
2:55
a long period of time can cause Havoc
2:57
among a lot of our body's functions
2:59
including disturbing the menstrual cycle
3:01
in women disturbing our sleep cycle and
3:04
altering our body composition cortisol
3:06
carries Many metabolic effects and
3:08
having raised cortisol is known to store
3:10
weight loss and sometimes promote weight
3:11
gain but this is mostly attributable to
3:14
fluid retention as as cortisol affects
3:16
the levels of hormones which normally
3:18
regulate our fluid and salt balance a
3:20
diet too low in calories too low in
3:22
carbs and a lifestyle without enough
3:24
rest and sleep is a recipe for high
3:26
levels of cortisol all of which are
3:27
usually associated with dieting you
3:29
could be doing too much and when we push
3:31
the body hard it tends to bite back 10
3:33
times harder reducing physical stress is
3:35
fundamental so although it might sound
3:37
counterproductive peeling back on
3:39
training reducing cardio and increasing
3:41
your intake could actually support your
3:43
goals more in the long term many
3:45
athletes who have to make weight for
3:47
competitions can probably relate to this
3:49
constant battle with having to hit a
3:51
specific number but aside from these
3:52
athletes is there any real reason to get
3:54
caught up with the specifics of the
3:56
number despite popular belief your
3:58
weight tells us very little about your
4:00
health yes this is a dietitian saying
4:02
your health is independent of your
4:03
weight your weight is just one piece of
4:06
a massive puzzle when it comes to your
4:07
overall health your body weight also has
4:09
very little to do with your performance
4:11
and often how you look too our weight
4:13
literally only tells us how much we
4:15
weigh in that very moment most aesthetic
4:18
girls do not enhance performance in fact
4:20
they often do the opposite Studies have
4:22
demonstrated that when low bmis are
4:24
achieved through extreme dieting
4:26
measures it results in reduced strength
4:28
speed and velocity there is this
4:31
perception that leaner is faster
4:32
particularly in Endurance Sports but
4:34
again when obtaining a lean physique
4:36
through disordered eating behaviors it
4:38
has been seen to have the opposite
4:40
effects it is for sure undeniable that
4:42
some sports will favor certain body
4:44
compositions depending on the
4:45
requirements for that sport for example
4:47
forwards in rugby are typically heavier
4:49
than backs and have a higher body fat
4:51
percentage as they require greater
4:53
strength and power Mass rather than
4:55
speed and aerobic fitness which backs
4:57
require however there is a point where
4:59
striving for leanness and or a lower
5:02
weight starts to have a negative effect
5:04
on physical and mental health the
5:06
ideology of obtaining a certain weight
5:08
and always aiming to maintain a low
5:10
weight is very much drilled into us
5:12
through society and diet culture and
5:14
we're off often sell the belief that we
5:16
will be happy when we reach our goal
5:18
weight whatever that may be this can
5:20
lead us to feeling as though we are less
5:21
worthy or valuable because of how we
5:23
look and weigh in comparison to these
5:25
body ideals your emotional health and
5:27
self-worth is completely independent of
5:29
your weight and if you cannot accept
5:31
this you probably shouldn't be dieting
5:33
or focusing on your weight our weight
5:35
fluctuates so often especially for us
5:38
women and this can lead to distress when
5:40
you put a lot of pressure on yourself to
5:42
be and remain a certain number let's
5:44
look at just a few of the reasons as to
5:46
why your weight May fluctuate number one
5:48
our time of the month it is normal for
5:51
the scales to go up around our periods
5:52
and not because we want to eat every
5:54
piece of chocolate in sight but due to
5:56
water retention caused by the changes in
5:58
our hormone levels the fluctuations in
6:00
these hormones can not only cause
6:01
changes around our period but throughout
6:03
our entire cycle number two your toilet
6:06
habits if I was to drink one liter of
6:08
water my weight on the scale will
6:09
probably go up by about a kilo and this
6:11
is an excellent example of why weight
6:13
gain does not automatically equate to
6:15
fat game the same way that having a full
6:17
or empty bladder and bowels could look
6:19
like weight gain or a loss on the scale
6:21
if you have any changes in your toilet
6:23
Habits Like struggling with constipation
6:24
which is often normal for women due to
6:27
changes in progesterone levels this can
6:28
also contribute to changes on the scales
6:30
and number three what you've been eating
6:33
and drinking or not eating and drinking
6:35
the types of food we eat can influence
6:37
the number on the scales too and not
6:38
because you've gained muscle or fat for
6:40
every one gram of carbohydrate stored in
6:42
the body about three to four grams of
6:43
water is stored too when people cut
6:45
carbs and believe they've lost weight I
6:47
hate to be the bearer of bad news but
6:49
it's normally just water weight that's
6:50
lost higher intakes of salt than normal
6:52
can cause water retention too so if you
6:54
jump on the scales after a weekend away
6:56
or a weekend of eating out you might
6:58
convince yourself that you've put on
7:00
waste but the reality is that you've
7:02
probably eaten more carbohydrates and
7:03
salty foods than normal and you're
7:05
retaining more water than you realize
7:06
alcohol on the other hand can dehydrate
7:09
us and this can cause fluctuations on
7:11
the scale as well so to summarize weight
7:13
changes are not the same as muscle or
7:15
fat loss or gain our weight simply tells
7:17
us how much mass we weigh at that point
7:19
it does not indicate how fit or healthy
7:22
we are or mean our performance is better
7:24
or worse your ideal weight is one where
7:26
you can adequately fuel yourself and
7:28
feel good within your training without
7:30
compromising your health and performance
7:32
as always if you have absolutely any
7:34
questions please drop them in the
7:35
comments below and don't forget to like
7:37
this video And subscribe to the my
7:39
protein YouTube channel for more great
7:40
evidence-based nutrition information
7:43
foreign
7:47
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#Beauty & Fitness
#Weight Loss
#Health
#Health Conditions
#Eating Disorders
#Obesity
#Nutrition