At age 35, when I finally woke up and decided I was tired of being out of breath, having no energy and wanting to get rid of the overhanging belly and the moobs I decided to get fit and lose the excess body fat.
Before I knew any better, I focused almost entirely on the scales and that I had to lose a few stone.
Over the next few months I became obsessed with the scales. That little digital display with a number that doesn’t actually mean that much at the end of the day, suddenly became my world.
I had specific weigh in days but found myself jumping on the scales almost daily; sometimes a few times a day!
Even though I would do this, I would dread the moment as the numbers flashed on the scales and gauged the rest of my day on those little numbers.
If the numbers went down, my day was amazing. If the numbers stayed the same or went up then my day was ruined.
I would always question the reading when it wasn’t in my favour too:
‘I’ve been good lately so my weight should be down…’
This was a bad place to be.
Over time and with lots of study, I have realized how to over come this obsessiveness.
The biggest factor of this has been with my mindset and how I approached the whole fat loss / weight loss plan.
Although I have learned to curb my ‘eagerness to weigh myself, there are others out there where stepping on the scales can still be a traumatic event, so I want to show you how to use the scale to your advantage.
What I have here then are 4 things you have to know about the relationship between your body and the scales
#1 Fat loss will not always go down….be prepared for this
Here is the bottom line that I feel most people don’t understand fully.
You will not lose weight steadily every single week!
The body is complex and just doesn’t work like that.
Be prepared for some weeks to see the number stay the same ….or even go up a little.
This is where most people fail. They are unprepared for this and give up as a result.
What you should look to do it track your net loss over time.
For example:
If you lose 1 lb per week for 5 weeks and then in the 6th week you put on a pound then you are still down 5 lbs from the start.
Play the long game and you’ll win.
Stop thinking quick fix and short term.
After all, you want the weight off for a long time yeah??
#2 There are more ways to track fat loss than just with the scales
All too often we get fixated on the numbers of the scale that we forget the bigger picture.
There is often a reason WHY we want to lose 2 stone and it isn’t because we simply want to lose 2 stone.
It is often something along the likes of wanting to feel better, or look better in clothes or have more energy.
Because of this, we should look at all levels of progress to measure success.
Here are a few others I suggest you use.
Mirrors : How do you look in the mirror compared to before..pretty simple
Pictures : Take progress pictures as you go in the same room, clothes, stance, lighting etc (front, side and back). This will give you a great visual of how it is going.
Tape Measures : The tape doesn’t lie. I have seen a few of my own gym members lose only a few pounds but several inches around the waist and hips. This has meant they fit better into clothes and feel great.
Clothes : I have just touched on it. I often get messages saying how gym members are now into their old jeans or in a dress that fit maybe 2 years ago. This is much more important to the person than a few pounds on the scale.
Feeling/Energy : How are you moving around each day? Are you able to focus more at work? Are you seeing mid afternoon crashes anymore? How are you sleeping?
These are all great indicators of progress and whether you are seeing success.
Again, this can be difficult to measure, but you can certainly feel it within yourself.
#3 Progress is progress….1 lb per week is great for sustainable fat loss
So many people see the adverts on the TV or magazines and think they have to lose 5 lbs per week EVERY WEEK or else they are a failure.
This is simply not the case and I advocate that 1 lb per week is great progress.
Disagree?
Look at it this way.
If you lost 1 lb per week for 28 weeks that would be 2 stone.
6 months may seem like a long time away but if I was to say that in 6 months you could easily get 2 stone off and keep it off, I think you would take it.
Also, what people do not take into account is that when resistance training, it is likely that muscle will be gained.
Muscle is more dense than fat (it is not heavier). This means that you can fit more muscle than fat into a certain volume.
In real terms this means that you can gain muscle AND lose fat without realizing it as the fat may be masking the muscle.
This muscle growth plays havoc with the scales, resulting in no move at all or MAY even go up.
Play the long game… the tape measure and pictures will solve this puzzle better than the scales by the way.
#4 Your body changes daily….understand this
The body is extremely complex. I have said this before.
It changes on a daily basis and will not weight the same each day. After all, you do different things everyday.
You drink different things, you eat different things, you conduct different activities…why should it stay the same?
To that end, don’t expect to see the same numbers.
What I advise is that you weigh yourself in the same condition each time. i.e. first thing in the morning, naked after going to the loo).
- Same time period. Whether this is weekly or bi-weekly. Keep it to the same day each week and the same time of day. You will weigh different at different times of the day so factor that in.
- Weigh yourself in the same clothes….quite simple really.
An example being:
- I weigh myself on a Thursday first thing in the morning at home on my own scales after going to the toilet.
- I then have a hectic morning, have a big lunch and then pop into town.
- It is winter so I have a few layers on.
- I pop into Boots and they have a set of scales there. I decide to jump on.
- I have broken all of the rules above and guess what………I WEIGH MORE!!!
- As a result I give up my healthy eating and go and pig out……my progress is ruin anyway right???
This happens to so many people.
Oh, and just to finish…if you have had a bad day or a bad weekend then the absolutely last thing you need to do is step on the scales.What else do you think it is going to read other than what you don’t want to see.
Remember that bad days will usually lead to an increase in water retention and therefore some excess weight.
Don’t worry though as this weight will shift in a couple of days and you will be back to where you were before.
What I have resorted to with some of our members is to ban the use of scales altogether. Changing mindsets on how to approach fat loss and measure it with things that actually matter, rather than concentrating on the digital scale that actually matters little in the grand context of things.
Think about it for a little while….what do the scales matter to you?
What does fat loss matter to you?
What will it do for you in the long run?
What will it enable you to do?
How will it make you feel to fit into your old clothes?
Or have more energy than before?
Or being able to focus more at work and crush the day?
If these things are improving then what does a digital reading that doesn’t actually give you a true reflection of fat loss actually mean?
Think on it….
