Yesterday morning, I woke up with an achy feeling in my stomach. I ignored it and I drank coffee and ate a small breakfast like usual.
But an hour later, I felt worse, and concluded that either I had eaten something that upset my stomach or I had the flu.
I took a couple of naps and ate nothing but chicken noodle soup and toast for the rest of the day. By evening, I felt better, and this morning I am totally back to normal.
But there is one thing I did NOT do. Even though it’s usually part of my morning routine, I did not get on the scale today. I won’t be getting on it tomorrow either. By Wednesday, it will have been three days since I had the stomach problem, so that morning, I’ll go ahead and weigh myself.
But maybe I lost weight…
It’s so tempting to see how much weight you’ve “lost” after being ill. In fact, sometimes dieters get so desperate to see the number on the scale drop that they lose common sense. They are convinced that throwing up for three days will result in losing some fat stores.
First of all, having the flu does not help you lose weight. In fact, the opposite is usually true. When you’re sick, your body worries that it might need extra help to recover from the illness. Instead of giving up weight, it holds on tightly to all of its resources, including fat content.
Most people become dehydrated when they have the flu or some other illness. So again, what you see on the scale is mostly a shift in your body’s fluid levels.
Having surgery can result in even more drastic changes. Anesthesia, IV fluids, and pain medications can cause huge fluctuations in scale readings, sometimes showing an increase of even five to ten pounds.
Diagnostic procedures such as a colonoscopy can have a similar effect on your body. So unless you are taking diuretics or other medications that require close monitoring of your weight, stay far away from the scale for at least a week after any surgery or diagnostic tests.
The Three-Day Rule
Whenever you have a major shift in fluid levels, it takes your body a minimum of two to three days to regain its internal balance. Weighing yourself too soon will only tell you something about your fluid levels, not your true weight.
After a vacation, holiday, or illness, always wait at least 48 to 72 hours before you get on the scale. This gives your body time to settle down, rebalance fluid levels, and get back to a more normal status.
Although it’s tempting to weigh yourself the morning after travel or holidays, getting on the scale will usually leave you upset. So build up your courage, and skip at least two or three days before checking your weight.
Follow the same guideline for special occasion meals that are out of your normal pattern. Even one birthday or anniversary meal can contain enough salt to make you retain fluids.
After any unusual events, postpone your daily scale ritual for a couple of days.
In the same way, always give yourself a few days to fully recover from a bad cold or the flu before jumping on the scale. If you have an injury or surgery, you may want to wait as long as a week or 10 days. By that time, your scale reading will show a far more accurate number than if you weigh yourself too soon.
I’m so happy I feel recovered today. But I’m also happy that I didn’t torture myself with a scale reading that would have been very inaccurate. Yeah Me!