Mindful Monday: Frustrating Fluctuations

(Say that three times fast.)

Lately I've been puzzled by my fluctuations on the scale, and it's been getting me down! After making the mistake of weighing myself at different points during the day, I realized that my numbers weren't accurate, and something wasn't adding up. I read this health article today which answers the question: What are we really weighing when we step onto the scale? Here are some things that could be skewing your numbers:

 

Yep. Who would've guessed that all of these factors play a role in those crazy fluctuating numbers that cause us (or atleast me) so much grief?! One day last week, my weight fluctuated over 2 pounds throughout the course of a few hours. So which number is accurate? This other article outlines the correct way to weigh yourself so you don't end up puzzled during your daily weighing. Even with the correct procedure, it just shows you that household scales can be extremely deceptive/messed up! (Interesting read, I promise!)

For me, I'm sure a lot of these factors are screwing up my morning weigh-ins. I am guilty of late night snacking (well--healthy, low calorie late night snacking which I have factored into my calorie intake). ;) And when I snack at night, I typically eat something salty. Mixed nuts, pretzel chips, maybe some Laughing Cow cheese. Apparently this salt sucks up all the water in your body and bloats you, so you weigh more on the scale the next morning. CRAZY RIGHT?! 

Also, I've been having this huge issue where about 50% of the food I eat is CARBS. I wish I knew how to eat enough protein to make that number go down, but so far, it just hasn't happened. I'm not a big meat person and I eat a ton of fruit and sugary stuff, even though I've cut back on the bread. Hence, I'm carbolicious. Anyway, recently I've learned that when you eat carbohydrates, it sends signals to your body to store fat. Because apparently our bodies still think we're cavemen and they haven't yet evolved to give us the decency of eating a giant bowl of pasta in PEACE. BOO. 

Hopefully after these first 5-10 pounds are lost (easier said than done, my friends) I will be able to focus a little less on the number on the scale and a little more on the way my clothes are fitting and the way I feel about myself. Till then, I would really appreciate some satisfying results number-wise! So Imma try to lay off the carbs, stuff myself with protein, and drink tons of water to flush out my salty snacks. 

Hope this post helped you guys out a little bit! Learning all of this stuff has made me feel a little better about my weigh-ins.

Til Tasty Tuesday :)

-Ellen