6. Focusing only on the scale
It can be common to feel like you’re not losing weight fast enough, despite following a healthy lifestyle.
It’s important to remember that the number on the scale is only one measure of weight change. Weight is influenced by several things, including fluid fluctuations and the amount of food that remains in your system.
In fact, weight may fluctuate around 2 to 4 pounds over the course of a few days, depending on factors like how much food and liquid you’ve consumed .
Also, hormonal changes in women can lead to greater water retention, which is reflected in the weight you see on the scale .
If the number on the scale isn’t moving, you may be losing fat mass but holding on to water. Additionally, if you’ve been working out, you may be gaining muscle and losing fat.
When this happens, your clothes may start to feel looser — especially around the waist — even if the number on the scale remains the same.
Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself can indicate if you’re losing fat, even if the scale number doesn’t change much.
