Oh, the scale! That dreaded device that sits in our bathroom and haunts us!
If you solely focus on the scale as the ultimate measure of progress with weight loss and fitness, you're missing the bigger picture.
Is this familiar to you? You get up in the morning, stumble into the bathroom, and start your
daily routine; just before you hop in the shower, you strip down to your skivvies, cross your
fingers, close your eyes and hop on that plastic device that blinks 2-4 times then comes up
with a number. You sigh, maybe even feel sad and frustrated. The number is SUPPOSED to
go down, why isn't it changing?
daily routine; just before you hop in the shower, you strip down to your skivvies, cross your
fingers, close your eyes and hop on that plastic device that blinks 2-4 times then comes up
with a number. You sigh, maybe even feel sad and frustrated. The number is SUPPOSED to
go down, why isn't it changing?
Maybe it was that piece of pizza on the weekend, maybe it was the glass or two (or bottle!) of
Pino on Friday after work. You’ve been working out and trying to watch what you eat, feeling
energetic, sleeping better but still, no budging on the scale! You swear to yourself you’ll do
better today, maybe go for an extra-long workout or only have salads and celery, but in the
back of your mind, your frustration is playing tricks on you.
Pino on Friday after work. You’ve been working out and trying to watch what you eat, feeling
energetic, sleeping better but still, no budging on the scale! You swear to yourself you’ll do
better today, maybe go for an extra-long workout or only have salads and celery, but in the
back of your mind, your frustration is playing tricks on you.
Who here has experienced what I just described above? I know in the past I have and so
have many of my clients.
have many of my clients.
We tend to hold our health and fitness goals accountable to the scale. If the scale doesn’t
budge, that must mean we are not doing something right? If that number doesn’t go down,
we are obviously not making progress. Although it may seem that you aren’t getting
anywhere, I can promise you one thing, the scale fluctuates and it's totally normal!
budge, that must mean we are not doing something right? If that number doesn’t go down,
we are obviously not making progress. Although it may seem that you aren’t getting
anywhere, I can promise you one thing, the scale fluctuates and it's totally normal!
That’s right, our weight is so fleeting, up and down with fluctuation that it is hard to use the
scale as the only accurate representation of your health and fitness.
scale as the only accurate representation of your health and fitness.
So what does your scale tell you if it's not how you’re progressing in your weight loss goals?
The scale tells your gravitational pull to the earth in a unit measurement of pounds or
kilograms (or grams, ounces, etc). That is it! It does not tell you how hard you’re working out,
what you’ve been eating, how your energy is, what your confidence levels say, how
awesome and badass you are, etc.
kilograms (or grams, ounces, etc). That is it! It does not tell you how hard you’re working out,
what you’ve been eating, how your energy is, what your confidence levels say, how
awesome and badass you are, etc.
If you solely focus on the scale as the ultimate measure of progress with weight loss and fitness, you're missing the bigger picture.
If you’re lifting weights and eating in a calorie deficit to lose weight, you can notice your
clothes fitting better, you feel stronger, better energy, workouts are easier, a change in the
the shape of your face and neck (buh bye double chin!) but still no scale changes!? This
becomes very frustrating for people and they feel as if all their efforts are lost. Why does
this happen?
clothes fitting better, you feel stronger, better energy, workouts are easier, a change in the
the shape of your face and neck (buh bye double chin!) but still no scale changes!? This
becomes very frustrating for people and they feel as if all their efforts are lost. Why does
this happen?
This can happen for a few reasons, one being you may be gaining some muscle.
You know the old saying “muscle weighs more than fat”. That is actually not true, but it’s a
nice idea. In reality, 1lb of fat is equal to 1lb of muscle (1lb=1lb right?!), BUT they take up
significantly different amounts of space in your body. See the image below.
You know the old saying “muscle weighs more than fat”. That is actually not true, but it’s a
nice idea. In reality, 1lb of fat is equal to 1lb of muscle (1lb=1lb right?!), BUT they take up
significantly different amounts of space in your body. See the image below.
Think of 1lb of feathers compared to 1lb of bricks. It takes very few bricks to measure 1lb.
But it takes a crap ton of feathers to make up 1lb! Now, think of muscle as bricks and fat as
feathers. It works the same. The weight may be the same, but they take up different space.
This is why your shirt may fit better and you look leaner, but the scale didn’t change much.
But it takes a crap ton of feathers to make up 1lb! Now, think of muscle as bricks and fat as
feathers. It works the same. The weight may be the same, but they take up different space.
This is why your shirt may fit better and you look leaner, but the scale didn’t change much.
What else are we missing?
You’re forgetting that the number on the scale has absolutely nothing to do with your worth as a
person!
person!
Like I mentioned before, the scale doesn't know you've been taking your health seriously,
you've been exercising and making more mindful eating choices for your goals. A number on
a device doesn't tell you how awesome you are, or how funny and caring you are to your
loved ones. It doesn't know how great of a mom you are and what you're teaching your kids
better habits because you're leading by example. The scale doesn't show that you can lift
more weight, with better form or that you just crushed that deadlift personal best! It can't
measure your longest plank or that you can run twice as long as when you started. The scale
doesn't measure feeling good about yourself, confidence, how you feel in your favourite
jeans, increased sex drive (wink, wink!), the list goes on.
Conclusion: It doesn't measure any of that!
you've been exercising and making more mindful eating choices for your goals. A number on
a device doesn't tell you how awesome you are, or how funny and caring you are to your
loved ones. It doesn't know how great of a mom you are and what you're teaching your kids
better habits because you're leading by example. The scale doesn't show that you can lift
more weight, with better form or that you just crushed that deadlift personal best! It can't
measure your longest plank or that you can run twice as long as when you started. The scale
doesn't measure feeling good about yourself, confidence, how you feel in your favourite
jeans, increased sex drive (wink, wink!), the list goes on.
Conclusion: It doesn't measure any of that!
I’ve found with quite a few of my clients, the scale stresses them out. They dread getting on
the scale because it makes them feel like their efforts are wasted and they aren’t progressing.
So I don't like to solely focus on the scale being the only way to measure their progress.
the scale because it makes them feel like their efforts are wasted and they aren’t progressing.
So I don't like to solely focus on the scale being the only way to measure their progress.
My recommendation to those people who hate the scale, use other measures to check in with your progress!
So if not the scale, how do you measure progress with your fitness and health goals?
There are several different ways!
The best thing you can do is to take progress photos. At first, you may cringe at the thought
of “before and after pics” but they tell so much to your progress! When you’re 6 months into
your journey, you will be thankful to look back on how far you’ve progressed.
of “before and after pics” but they tell so much to your progress! When you’re 6 months into
your journey, you will be thankful to look back on how far you’ve progressed.
Progress photos are great because they show you things that measurements and weigh-ins
can’t. You can see the muscles in your arms and legs poking out, as well as changes to the
the shape of your face, waist, thighs, etc. Those are huge changes that the scale simply cannot
see. Taking photos every 3 months will help show you how far you are coming!
can’t. You can see the muscles in your arms and legs poking out, as well as changes to the
the shape of your face, waist, thighs, etc. Those are huge changes that the scale simply cannot
see. Taking photos every 3 months will help show you how far you are coming!
Track your workouts or keep a journal. It does not have to be a novel, just a few bullet points.
Writing down your workouts, how you felt during them, how many times per week, etc is great
for seeing your progress for your strength, intensity, endurance, etc. For my clients, I have
an app that tracks their workouts. My clients can write notes to me (usually love notes, just
kidding!) about how things are going, how they are feeling and if they’re struggling with
workouts, etc.
Writing down your workouts, how you felt during them, how many times per week, etc is great
for seeing your progress for your strength, intensity, endurance, etc. For my clients, I have
an app that tracks their workouts. My clients can write notes to me (usually love notes, just
kidding!) about how things are going, how they are feeling and if they’re struggling with
workouts, etc.
Tracking your workouts is great because you can see your progressions like going from
not being able to do 2 consecutive push-ups on your knees to 10 reps x 3 sets of full form.
Push-ups cannot be measured on a scale. That is an undeniably HUGE achievement to
accomplish and therefore should be celebrated! You can go back and see how far you’ve
come and compared to where you are now.
not being able to do 2 consecutive push-ups on your knees to 10 reps x 3 sets of full form.
Push-ups cannot be measured on a scale. That is an undeniably HUGE achievement to
accomplish and therefore should be celebrated! You can go back and see how far you’ve
come and compared to where you are now.
How you’re feeling! Again, this can also be tracked in a journal if you like. But keep in mind
as you go how you’re feeling, your energy levels, sleep patterns, eating habits. Maybe
using a workout as an outlet for frustration puts you in a better mood, you are more patient
with your annoying co-worker Tracey. Are you finding that when you’re playing with your
kids and having the energy to keep up with their antics? You may be feeling like your
workouts aren’t nearly as daunting as when you first started, etc.
as you go how you’re feeling, your energy levels, sleep patterns, eating habits. Maybe
using a workout as an outlet for frustration puts you in a better mood, you are more patient
with your annoying co-worker Tracey. Are you finding that when you’re playing with your
kids and having the energy to keep up with their antics? You may be feeling like your
workouts aren’t nearly as daunting as when you first started, etc.
The scale may seem like our only option for measuring our progress in our weight loss
journey. I mean, its called "weight loss", so it only makes sense to be weighing ourselves.
We keep finding instead that we are frustrated by it not moving as fast or as much as we
want. So why would you want to change that good feeling by hopping on the
scale when you know in your own mind you're doing great? Concentrate on that feeling,
stick to workouts that make you feel good, eat mindfully for your goals and the rest will take
care of itself!
journey. I mean, its called "weight loss", so it only makes sense to be weighing ourselves.
We keep finding instead that we are frustrated by it not moving as fast or as much as we
want. So why would you want to change that good feeling by hopping on the
scale when you know in your own mind you're doing great? Concentrate on that feeling,
stick to workouts that make you feel good, eat mindfully for your goals and the rest will take
care of itself!
Want to stay up to date with exclusive Fit Like a Girl content, offers and deals?
Comments
Post a Comment