Lets talk about the scale for a minute.
Far too often, we rely on the numbers on the scale to tell us our progress with weight loss. If the numbers go down- we've been successful. If they go up- we've failed. And then we get into this obsessive habit of stepping on the scale 20 times a day only to feel discouraged and defeated when, after we drink a gallon of water and step on the scale, the number is up 5 lbs from when you weighed in this morning. With that feeling of defeat, many people throw in the towel and say "it's not working..."
But it IS working! You just have to keep at it. Our bodies do weird things when it comes to weight loss, and I see this with myself and my patients all the time. You can be nailing it 100% with your diet and exercise every day, but not see the scale move for a week. Maybe two weeks. And your feeling frustrated and discouraged and want to give up but you don't, you keep going. Then the next day, feeling discouraged, you step on the scale and BAM, all of the sudden it's down 9lbs and stays there for another two- three weeks and so on and so forth.
If after a month the scale hasn't changed, we may have to tighten up your diet a little, check your stress levels, your hydration and your sleeping patterns- all of which can negatively impact weight loss too. Also, keep in mind that muscle really does weigh more than fat.
But lets talk about gaining for a minute. No- not weight gain. I'm talking about those things you gain when you change your diet and exercise ! Those things you can use to measure your success other than the scale!
When you change your diet and begin to exercise- you start to change from the inside, almost immediately. Your confidence is lifted, your self esteem improves, your energy increases, your mental clarity improves- and then over time you notice you feel better. You see yourself different. You can move easier. Your no longer out of breath when your walking up the stairs. You can cross your legs again. You can bend down and put your shoes on without a struggle. Your pants start fitting loser. Etc etc etc.
So I urge you, please don't rely on the scale as a measure of success. Plan to bring your all every single day no matter what the scale says. Use the things you gain as a measure of progress rather than a meaningless number on the scale! Maybe that number is the same this week as it was last week, but your so much more energized, have eaten great and nailed your workouts- then that, my friends is success. And if you keep your focus on the journey of changing your habits, changing the way you eat and changing your physical activity level, and NOT the destination of that meaningless number on the scale, YOU WILL GET THE RESULTS YOUR LOOKING FOR. And better yet- those results will be LASTING. The scale WILL follow. The numbers WILL drop, just not always in the exact time frame we want it to! And that's ok and perfectly normal. Just keep going and you will get there, I promise! Those that are focused only on the destination and not the journey, usually gain the weight back, because they did not put forth the effort to truly change their lifestyle. Remember- you will never be eating the same way again! We know where that way of eating gets us and that is not where we want to go again!
So, folks, if your a scale addict, you may need to pack it away and only pull it out once a week. If you weigh yourself daily, that's perfectly fine, but you should weigh only once and in the same clothes at the same time of day each day to be consistent.
No comments:
Post a Comment