Tammy Hembrow on why bathroom scales don't tell the truth

Fitness queen Tammy Hembrow has shared why she places no value in the number on the scales, saying the figure is in fact 'irrelevant'.

Here, the Gold Coast mum of two, who created the Tammy Fit app with sister Amy, has shared with Yahoo Lifestyle why the numbers on the scales are not a true reflection of your weight loss.

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Tammy Hembrow doesn't tie her happiness to the scales. Photo: Supplied

"I don’t base my happiness on the number on the bathroom scales. It doesn’t determine how I feel – in fact it’s irrelevant. So, if you have a number in your head, especially when you finally reach a target weight – dismiss it now!

Here are four reasons why:

The weight of food

The optimal time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning, when you don’t have any food or liquids in your system.

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Everything you ingest not only has calories, it also has some weight to it. The lowest calorie foods can sometimes be the heaviest. You will weigh more after taking in large amounts of fluid and weigh less after a big effort in which your body perspires.

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Waste in your system

We are constantly carrying around bodily waste. This is the waste that has been in your colon and small intestine for a long time. As the waste builds up in your digestive tract, it will cause you to weigh more on the scale.

You may have heard of people losing a few pounds after doing a colon cleanse. Well, they didn’t lose body-fat weight; they lost waste. While a colon cleanse isn’t for everyone, increasing the amount of fibre in your diet to flush your waste system also can give a similar effect.

tammy hembrow fitness saski wear
Things like food weight, body waste and lean muscle all impact the number on the scales. Photo: Instagram/tammy hembrow

Lean muscle tissue

As you start doing exercise and light weight-bearing exercise you will gain more lean muscle tissue, which weighs more than fat. So you may actually gain weight. Even though the numbers on the scale may not be moving, it doesn’t mean that you’re not getting smaller.

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Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space. You can be in a smaller pants size, but still not be any lighter on the scale.

Menstrual cycle

Bloating, cramps, swelling, mood swings, cravings, binge eating, weight gain and water retention. During your menstrual cycle our bodies hold onto fluids like a drought is coming and the best advice is not to weigh yourself at this time.

Now that you know that the scales do tell the occasional fib, and that weight is only a number, you can view your weight fluctuations with a less critical eye. No matter what the scales say, make an effort to tell yourself that you've got this and you're on the right track."

tammy hembrow
Tammy wants you to view the scales with a 'less critical eye'. Photo: Instagram/tammy hembrow

Tammy, who has over 12M followers on Instagram and is also founder of the Saski fashion label, recently shared her own incredible booty transformation with her followers online, showing how much her body shape has changed over her three year fitness journey.

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"Is it possible to build a [peach] in the gym?? YESSS IT IS & don’t let anyone tell u different," her post read.

"Work hard, fuel your body with lots of good food, & you really can make HUGE changes."

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