I constantly get questions from my challengers about WHY the number on the scale either doesn't go down or why it even goes up. Seeing that number stand still or go up is extremely discouraging to someone that is working very hard to have a healthier lifestyle.
When you are dealing with weight loss, then you can't avoid the scale. It's a great way to measure progress especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. However, you can't use the scale as your only measurement. You won't get the whole story and will more than likely end up discouraged and feeling defeated. Losing fat doesn't always mean that you lose pounds.
What many people do not realize is your weight can vary from day to day based on your water intake, salt intake, food intake for the day....I mean everything can change it not only each day but even each hour. You can literally drive yourself crazy if you are constantly watching the scale!
What I want you to realize is that the scale doesn't know the difference between muscle and fat. The scale could say you've gained 3 pounds but was it 3 pounds of muscle instead of fat? Losing fat but gaining muscle means that you are tightening your body and it's going to get smaller. This means dropping clothing sizes! So let's think about this for a minute. Let's say your scale is only gone down 5 pounds which in your mind isn't much. What if you actually lost 10 pounds of fat but gained 5 pounds of muscle? That sounds a whole lot better right? That's why I always suggest other ways to track your progress. The scale won't tell you that you lost those 10 pounds of fat, you will just see it go down 5 pounds.
So you may be wondering how you can track your progress without only relying on the scale. Here are the ways that I track my progress and I believe they will help you as well.
1. MEASURE! Use a tape measure (comes with most Beachbody programs or you can purchase one in places like Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart in the fabrics section. When you measure you will want to do it first thing in the morning, before eating but after using the restroom. Measure your chest, waist, hips, each thigh, and each arm. Some people choose to measure their wrists and neck but that is totally up to you. Once you measure then grab a journal or utilize an app like TrackMyBody to record your measurements. I have my challengers do their measurements weekly but you should at least do it monthly.
2. PICTURES! So many people complain to me about taking pictures when they are first starting their journey. They never want "proof" of their starting point. I can understand that but if you don't take your before photos then you really won't get the full effect of your changes! I can't tell you how many times my challengers thank me for pushing them to take the photos because it's really eye opening when you do a side by side comparison. You always want to do front, each side and a back photo. Make sure you are in front of a plain colored wall or door and the lighting is good.
3. The fit of your clothes! Lets be honest, many people start their weight loss journey because they don't like the way their clothes are fitting or they are forced to go up in the size of their clothes. A lot of times I also ask my challengers to dig through their closet or even go buy something new and find that GOAL OUTFIT. Instead of having them focus on the scale, this allows them to focus on their goal outfit fitting them! We all know that amazing feeling when those "skinny jeans" begin to fit again and not only fit but look GOOD on you! It's a great way to measure your progress.
Utilizing those alternate ways to measure your progress will help keep your anxiety, anger and demoralization down. That's normally what happens when we weigh ourselves, right? If you just can't resist weighing yourself then try to limit it to once a week. If you are one of those people who gets angry or has anxiety over what the scale says then maybe try to limit your weigh ins to once a month and use one of the alternate methods like measuring each week.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions and if you are looking to start your weight loss journey then I can help you with that as well. XoXo
So you may be wondering how you can track your progress without only relying on the scale. Here are the ways that I track my progress and I believe they will help you as well.
1. MEASURE! Use a tape measure (comes with most Beachbody programs or you can purchase one in places like Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart in the fabrics section. When you measure you will want to do it first thing in the morning, before eating but after using the restroom. Measure your chest, waist, hips, each thigh, and each arm. Some people choose to measure their wrists and neck but that is totally up to you. Once you measure then grab a journal or utilize an app like TrackMyBody to record your measurements. I have my challengers do their measurements weekly but you should at least do it monthly.
2. PICTURES! So many people complain to me about taking pictures when they are first starting their journey. They never want "proof" of their starting point. I can understand that but if you don't take your before photos then you really won't get the full effect of your changes! I can't tell you how many times my challengers thank me for pushing them to take the photos because it's really eye opening when you do a side by side comparison. You always want to do front, each side and a back photo. Make sure you are in front of a plain colored wall or door and the lighting is good.
3. The fit of your clothes! Lets be honest, many people start their weight loss journey because they don't like the way their clothes are fitting or they are forced to go up in the size of their clothes. A lot of times I also ask my challengers to dig through their closet or even go buy something new and find that GOAL OUTFIT. Instead of having them focus on the scale, this allows them to focus on their goal outfit fitting them! We all know that amazing feeling when those "skinny jeans" begin to fit again and not only fit but look GOOD on you! It's a great way to measure your progress.
Utilizing those alternate ways to measure your progress will help keep your anxiety, anger and demoralization down. That's normally what happens when we weigh ourselves, right? If you just can't resist weighing yourself then try to limit it to once a week. If you are one of those people who gets angry or has anxiety over what the scale says then maybe try to limit your weigh ins to once a month and use one of the alternate methods like measuring each week.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions and if you are looking to start your weight loss journey then I can help you with that as well. XoXo
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