A New Way to Weigh: Get More From Your Scale

Disclaimer: this blog post is focused on achieving wellness and is not meant to replace any suggestions from your physician or healthcare team. 

I struggled with weight during and after both of my pregnancies. It wasn’t until I worked with a registered dietician in Delaware and used a bio-impedance scale that I was able to focus on my overall wellness and take action steps based on my body’s data. After my first pregnancy, I had to go to the dietician’s office to do this. After my second pregnancy, I was able to get my own scale (they’re so affordable now!) and do everything from my own home. 

The right scale gives you real data, empowers you to make the right changes for YOUR body, and gives you actionable information for you and your healthcare team to focus on. Does this sound like your experience with a scale? Probably not. Here’s the issue with normal scales: They give you one single number–a weight. You don’t know if it’s good or bad. You don’t know what your body composition looks like, what part of it is muscle mass or what part is water weight.  What does this mean? It could mean that changes you make may not target the true route you need to take to be healthy! This is why I recommend a scale that has a bio-impedance ability to provide you with more data. It’s non-invasive and sends a small current through your body (no, you don’t feel anything) to get measurements. 

What is bioimpedance?

Bioelectrical impedance assessment is a way to measure body fat, muscle mass and a variety of other aspects of body composition. 

Why use this kind of scale? 

• It gives you real data like muscle mass, visceral fat, BMI, and water percentage, This means it’s specific information directly related to YOUR body
• It gives you actionable information to take to your doctor or Registered Dietician.
• It gives you empowerment on how to change your lifestyle. 
• It’s convenient! You can send your information via text or email. Create an accountability group with your sister, share with your doctor or just keep it for you

A few quick tips:

• ALWAYS use the scale barefoot, or it won’t be able to do anything but take a general weight (i.e., no additional data).
• You WILL need a smart phone if you want to share your information directly via text or email.
• It is NOT difficult. I had mine out of the box and a profile set up in under 5 minutes.
• You CAN use the same scale for multiple people.

What do I do if I get a scale? 

Don’t assume you know what to do with the information. The internet is a beautiful and scary thing, depending how you use it. While degrees don’t make people smart, they DO provide a level of expertise you’re not going to get by searching by yourself on the internet. Request a referral from your doctor for a registered dietician or if you’re in Delaware, contact my gal, Wendy Gibson at Contemporary Nutrition. Don’t be afraid to interview your dietician to be sure they understand what you’re looking for. For instance, it’s important to me that I get real feedback from my dietician on how to adjust my lifestyle for health AND sustainability. I need realistic goals, because I’m going to eat pizza. And who wants to go a lifetime without eating pizza?!

I wish you the best as you find a new “weigh” to wellness!

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