There are many factors that can contribute to your weight. A few of the obvious ones are your height, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. Weight can also fluctuate a bit during the day due to water retention. If you are retaining a lot of water, the scale may show that you are a few pounds heavier than normal. For this reason, you should weigh yourself in the morning to get the most accurate measurement. To get even more accurate, weigh yourself a few mornings in a row and take the average.
Many people ask the question — how much should I weigh? There are BMI calculators all over the internet, but you should use discretion when using them. They only account for your height and weight, and do not factor in muscle mass. If you have above average muscle mass, these calculators might actually indicate that you are overweight even though you are in great shape and have a lot of muscle.
Use this chart to get an estimate of how much you should weigh based on your height and weight:
If you are discouraged with your weight, don’t get yourself down. Use it as an opportunity to motivate yourself to lose weight. Finding a sensible and healthy diet is the first step to losing weight. Maintaining a good diet and exercise program is the key to a healthy weight. It is very important to avoid crash diets at all costs. These will cause weight loss initially, but the results are short term and the weight is always gained back. Additionally, many crash diets have too much of a calorie deficit which are unhealthy and cause you to be sluggish and low on energy.
The key to a healthy weight loss plan is to be on a weekly calorie deficit which will give your body enough energy to function and burn fat at the same time. The best way to get started is to calculate the amount of calories your body uses for energy each day (BMR) and consume slightly under that amount. I recommend eating about 10% less calories than your BMR.
You will also need to make sure that you are getting the correct ratios of protein/carbs/ and fat. If you are exercising that day, you can eat more carbs. If you do not exercise, try to keep the carbs low. Giving your body enough protein is also a must. Protein is the building blocks your body needs to do just about everything. It is also a key factor for body composition and maintaining and/or building muscle mass (depending on your training).