How can measurements help your fitness?
Measuring our physical condition via the scale is probably the most common practice for most folks. Of course, we understand the limitations of this method. Primarily, it says nothing of health or fitness. If you weight yourself multiple times a day, it MIGHT tell you if you’ve been to the bathroom or perhaps if you’re a bit dehydrated. The observant among us may even notice slight increases in weight after particularly hard training – likely due to inflammatory responses aimed at repairing damage.
Have you also considered monitoring your blood glucose (pretty cheap) or even your blood ketones (well, not so cheap)? Yes, you’ll have to stick your finger until something better comes along.
To keep this post from exploding into a treatise on metabolism, this is very limited information so please take our word for it for now. Most weight problems (and many other health problems as well) are not directly due to caloric imbalance. They’re due to hormonal mismanagement and imbalance. One of the key hormones in this complex system is insulin (yeah, that thing that diabetics have to worry about) They key driver of insulin is blood glucose.
Simply put, if you want a metric to help you figure out what food is doing to your weight, this is perhaps the best place to start. The data provided will be helpful beyond description and the cost for picking up a meter and, more importantly, its supplies is very easy to stomach.
In short, the greater your blood sugar response to a given food, the greater your insulin response will be. Insulin, being a storage hormone, will trigger weight gain / prevent weight loss. Pretty simple.
So, see what that steak did to your blood sugar. Then see what that sweet potato did to it. Or that bowl of kale. Or that slice of Heart Healthy Whole Grain Bread.
You can start your search on Amazon here. Don’t forget to consider the cost of supplies – and don’t get carried away with capabilities you won’t need.
Our personal favorite is the KetoMojo meter. This kit comes with a few ketone strips (useful, but a topic for another time) and these test strips will get you going checking your blood glucose. There are many less expensive meters on Amazon as well as down the street. Just make sure that the supplies are inexpensive and that you keep in mind whether or not you’ll want to eventually measure ketones.