Connect
Tracking Weight Trends for Better Weight Management
As someone trying to manage my health while navigating prostate cancer (PCa), I’ve found that tracking weight trends using a Wi-Fi scale connected to an app has been an effective way to monitor my progress. This approach helps me focus on long-term patterns rather than day-to-day fluctuations, which can be discouraging and misleading. I know others in this forum (like @jeffmarc ) use similar methods, and I want to share how this has worked for me and may work for you, too.
💙 The Setup
🔹 Choose the Right Scale: I use a Wi-Fi-connected scale (Bluetooth works too) that syncs with an app on my iPhone and connects seamlessly to Apple Health. If you're on Android, look for a scale compatible with Google Fit or similar health platforms.
🔹 Timing and Consistency: Weigh yourself in the morning after using the bathroom, ideally before eating or drinking anything. This is when your weight will be most consistent day-to-day.
🔹 Scale Placement: Make sure the scale is on a level, hard floor to avoid inaccuracies. Uneven surfaces, like carpets, can give false readings.
🔹 Daily Tracking: Weighing daily allows the app to plot trends over time. Don’t let a single high or low number affect you; it’s the overall trend that matters.
💙 Understanding Weight Fluctuations
A glass of water or a meal can add half a pound (0.25 kg) temporarily. These short-term changes don’t reflect actual fat gain or loss.
Day-to-day figures can also be heavily influenced by food intake or reductions due to water retention and glycogen storage changes. While these can seem significant, they are often misleading when looking at actual long-term trends.
For me, focusing on the 3-4 day or weekly trends is better.
💙 Gradual Changes are Key
If you’re looking to adjust your weight:
Go slow. Losing or gaining more than 1-2 pounds (0.5-1 kg) per week can lead to loss of muscle mass or unsustainable habits.
Avoid excessive calorie restriction. Rapid changes often lead to muscle loss, which can be counterproductive, especially for PCa patients on treatments like ADT where maintaining muscle is crucial.
💙 Why This Works for Me
Weight management is especially important for those on ADT, as it can lead to weight gain. Monitoring trends has helped me stay in control and avoid unwanted increases.
This system has made it easier for me to maintain, lose, or gain weight, depending on my goals. By focusing on trends, I’ve avoided the stress of day-to-day fluctuations and have built better habits around nutrition and activity.
💙 Final Thoughts
This approach may not work for everyone, find what works best for you. Any other tips welcome! ❤️
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.
Connect
I also use a Wi-Fi connected scale that works with the app on my phone. It also gets information from the Health app. I got the Withings Body+ scale.
It keeps track of my weight and how much fat And lean muscle I have daily. It also keeps track of how much water is in my body whether it’s above or below what’s necessary. Keeps track of walking and workout information, which it calculates from the Health app. It shows your blood pressure if you have a blood pressure machine that works with your phone.
The app for the scale gives a lot of information and shows me if my weight training is allowing me to gain muscle.
This enables me to adjust what I eat to keep my weight right near the same as it’s been for 20 or 30 years. I have a BMI of 23, Also shown by the app for the scale.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI have a WiFi scale but also use a food tracking app called MyFitnessPal that syncs with my Apple Watch and automatically tracks my exercise. It also tracks foods either by looking them up from a list or by scanning the bar codes on store-bought food. This combo has really helped. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I lost a lot of weight while undergoing radiation and ADT so now have the fun of gaining 20 pounds which is MUCH easier than losing 20 pounds 😃, especially with the holidays coming up.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsADT and ARSI's will slow your metabolism down and cause weight gain. In addition, there is loss of muscle. Eating a plant 60-70% based diet will greatly help.