Throw out the scale, and check out these 3 alternative ways to track progress.
In this 10 min read, I want to tell you why you should get rid of the scale - or limit weigin you to once a week/ every other week. And give you some ideas to much more efficient and motivating ways to track your weight loss results.
Imagine this…. You've been going to the gym
Eating more protein and vegetables
You feel great
You feel stronger
You feel lighter
Then you wake up in the morning happy about yourself, step on the scale, see your weight has increased and you feel devastated. You feel demotivated and think that all your hard work has gone to waste and you question whether this has all been worth it. Whether it is still possible to lose weight.
Know the feeling?
Most people who try to lose weight have reported a serious and addictive relationship with the weighing scale. I’ve personally worked with hundreds of people who have been extremely controlled by the fluctuating relationship with the scale.
The negative thoughts and demotivating self talks are not helpful at all. For some it is a trigger to a serious downward spiral of habits that often lead to them abandoning their plan which would have given them the result they wanted if they just kept going.
But should we let the scale control our moods?
Is it a good idea to solely watch out for that number for how much gravity is pulling us on that particular time of the day.
So should we let the scale dictate our mood? Is it a good idea to solely rely on that number which tells how much gravity is pulling on us on that particular day?
Short answer is NO.
Here are three reasons why:
Number 1:
A typical scale shows your weight, but it doesn't tell you how much of that weight is muscle, fat, water, food from yesterday, bones, or organs.
Turns out that our bodies are about 60% water stored in tissue, muscles and blood. That means for a 100 kg man that is 60 kg of water, for a 70 kg woman that is 42 kg of water.
Water travels in and out of our cells through processes we learned about in school, and this means that our body weight can fluctuate a lot due to hydration and fluctuations of the body such as hormonal, vascular, digestion etc.
It also tells us that the BODY WEIGHT is not telling us much about what is actually going on with our weight-loss but more about the water balance in our body.
If you drink 1 litre of water and step on the scale without going to the bathroom, you will weigh about 1 kg more. If you eat a salty meal at night with a 500 ml sugary soda, your body will also store that inside your muscles as energy for your next workout, which will result in a higher number on the scale the day after - but does not mean you got fat overnight!
Number 2:
Our inability to remember the good stuff (and our tendency to focus on the bad stuff).
Any weight-loss will show on the scale (eventually). It is important to know that that is completely normal and that your weight will fluctuate +/- 5 kg on a daily basis regardless of your fat-loss.
You my friend, are not going to remember the "good days" and you will most likely dismiss them as an error and only remember the bad ones where the scale showed the number you didn't like. Which leads to…
Number 3:
It takes time. If you allow the scale to give you a sense of bad news everyday, then you are unlikely to continue with the good behaviours and habits that you have been trying very hard to form. It takes approximately 21-30 days before your body starts showing signs of the effort you are putting in and you need to hold fast until then.
There is a better and more motivating approach:
First thing I do with any weight loss clients is to provide alternative numbers to the scale to look at, because we as humans are motivated by seeing numbers and progress.
My top 3 goto that require minimal equipment are:
Circumference measurements: Grab a tape measure and a close friend and measure the following:
Circumference of your Neck, Shoulders, Chest (around your nipples) and Waist (around belly button).
Widest spot at your Hips.
Middle of both upper arms.
Middle of both your Thighs.
Middle of both your calves.
Add all these Numbers to the total cm/inch and measure again every 2-4 weeks and see how your total cm/inches keep dropping.
Trying on clothes in one smaller size:
Roughly as a reference there is about 10 lb / 4.4 kg fat loss between "normal" clothing sizes XL-L-M-S-XS. If you are currently a L find a dress, pants, shirt a size down in M, and try it on at the end of each week, or every other week. Once it becomes possible to button up, zip up you will know something is happening for real!
Photos: Grab your smartphone, find a mirror or a close friend/family ask them to take 3 photos - front, back and side.
Stand relaxed, arms down by your side, no sucking in the tummy, inflating your chest, flexing your abs or sticking your bum out - honest photos, retake and review every 2-4 weeks.
Baseline is, scale can be helpful - but should not be the ONLY way to track your progress. If it´s dictating how you feel about yourself it’s time to get rid of it. Throw it out or hide it away and start focusing on something new.
Now if you can't see any progress over the course of 4 weeks on any of these measurements, then perhaps your approach needs modifying. Maybe you need a little boost and change in your workout routine. Maybe you need to review your fiber, protein, carb sources.
If all of this seems a bit much and you need some direct help then please reach out and we can schedule a free 20 min consultation where we can look through your current plan and help you on your way to a sustainable weight loss.
Just Keep Swimming My Friend, striving for a healthy, happy life!
Coach Eik
