This morning, I took my weight, and despite the scale showing an increase in weight, I’m still pretty happy this morning.

But wait, you say, I thought you were trying to lose weight.

Well, you’re correct. I’d like to weigh about 160 pounds. This morning, however, I’m almost 2lbs heavier than my last weigh-in, which was almost a week ago on Friday, December 10. So why am I happy to weigh 171.5 lbs?

Because weight doesn’t tell the whole story. Weight, based on how much water, muscle, colon contents, etc, can change greatly day to day, week to week. In the end, what I really want to do is reduce my fat, increase muscle, and become more lean.

Withings Scale

Using the withings scale, I step on and off the scale 3+ times to get an “average.” I’ve noticed the scale, even after recalibrating each time, is fairly consistent with itself on weight (each weigh-in is within one-tenth), but that the fat percentage will occasionally have a “blip” or anomaly. As a consequence, my 3+ weigh-ins are less about confirming the weight, and confirming the fat percentage.

This morning, my fat percentage was down by about 1% to 13.8%, despite my weight being up. This means I’ve gained some “lean mass” of about 4lbs, while losing about 2lbs of fat. So… more muscle, less fat. I’ve got about 148 pounds of lean mass, which is 4lbs higher than my lean mass in on Friday, and that’s a good thing.

Now, if you look at my chart, you’ll notice that I did a weigh-in last night – this was just a “curiousity” weigh-in, and I don’t take it seriously. I also broke a rule – I weighed myself right after completing a workout (a big no-no).

What’s more important is to compare my weight within a consistent time frame. That is, all previous weigh-ins were 30 minutes after I awake – so to truly compare my progress, I have to look at all weigh-ins that were done first thing in the morning. The important thing to remember, is if you are watching your weight, to weigh yourself 30 minutes after you wake, consistently. Usually just once a week.

The actual accuracy of my fat percentage/mass isn’t as important as the change in fat percentage/mass. I know I need to be leaner, and have less fat – so if the trend is going the right direction, I know I’m eating/exercising correctly to reach my goals. Some people get wrapped up in the “accuracy” of fat percentage scales – which I think misses the point. The point is to decide your goal, and watch the trends.

So here’s to trends… I’m not much for fads, so I hope this trend isn’t a fad!