Have you ever been told by a weight loss expert to throw away your scale? If you did weight watchers you were defined by the scale each week! Every week you weighed in and it honestly didn't matter what you ate the week before as long as you lost weight. So you could eat processed TV dinners and Diet Coke as long as you stayed within your points range and lost weight. That's great for some but it's not creating a healthy lifestyle. You are once again going to hit a plateau and not be able to lose weight because you are still put crap in your mouth. You are just eating less food and are hungry because the TV dinner doesn't fill you up and you want more! I know myself that when I am hungry I get crabby and that's no fun! It's no fun not to be able to eat! So anyways the SCALE should never define who you are and your progress. There are so many factors that go into your weight loss. The scale is a great tool to constantly monitor where you are but it is not the driving force of your efforts.
Weigh yourself once a week. Did you hear ME?!!! Once a week! That's it! The other times hide it! Go by how you feel, how your clothes fit and your food journal to tell you if you are on track!
Pay attention to your weight trend over time. If your weight spikes overnight, don't worry about it too much. If your weight steadily climbs from week to week now that is a different story. Your weight fluctuates not only on a daily basis, but even on a within day basis, sometimes by SEVERAL pounds! I mean that, by 2-3 lbs!!!! You weight fluctuates based on changes in body water, the contents of your digestive system, the levels of glycogen in your muscles (stored carbohydrates) and for females, that time of the month.
Like looking at the stock exchange market charts, the short-term peaks and valleys shouldn't alarm you. People who invest wisely and hold almost always win the longer term compared to the people who panic during brief market fluctuations or jump on random tips. It's the same with your body. It's a positive trend over time that should interest you the most.
During the fat loss phase, body fat and body weight should be heading downward in a steady trend and lean body mass should be holding relatively stable or increasing slightly.
Regardless of your weighing frequency, consistency is vital! So that means that every week when you weigh in do it at the same time of the day, on the same day of the week and with the same clothes or none at all.
So for me, I weigh myself every Friday morning, right after my morning workout and before I take a shower. Then that's it, it's my official weigh in and I'm done! I don't sweat the number on the scale I just keep a mental note and keep going. Let me just tell you that I wasn't always like that! I used to get up every morning and weigh myself and then freak out if it wasn't the same in the evening or the next morning. But it was starting to control me! I have taught myself that the number doesn't define me and I am able to stay positive.
Instead of weighing yourself every day there are lots of ways to track your progress.
1. Take your measurements- this is the first place you are going to see results. Take your measurements on Day 1 and every 30 days for accurate progress. So take your measurements around your chest, hips, thighs, each leg and each arm. Record and store in your beachbody profile page.
2. Figure out your body fat percentage either with an online calculator or calipers.
3. Photos- In my challenge groups I have everyone take a day 1, 30, 60 and 90 day photos. This is so important because everyone has a certain degree of distorted self-image in the way they see themselves in the mirror and in their own minds. But there is something different about photographs. The photos don't lie!
Sometimes seeing a picture of yourself is a pivotal event that triggers a turn around in your lifestyle. I know that YOU don't want to take those pictures but they are so important. You can do what I did and lock them away in a file on your computer and hide them until you one day have the results that you would like and can pull them out and compare. Also, since we look at ourselves each day it's hard to see progress sometimes! The pics put it all in perspective and help you to see the differences in your body.
So in closing remember that you are more than the number on the scale. Your worth is not defined by the size of your pants and the 110lbs on the scale. Your worth is defined by the food you put in your mouth, the hard work that you are doing in your workouts and the people around you that you inspire each and every day to lead healthy fulfilling lives! Never make a scale be the reason you give up on yourself, that's just a lame excuse to go back to your old ways. And those old ways didn't get you where you want to be anyways!!!
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