What if I told you that you can feel good about your weight loss journey, regardless of what the scale says?
Today’s topic has been inspired by a couple of clients I’ve spoken with in the past week. They’ve been focused on the number(s) on the scale, and had been getting discouraged when there aren’t consistent daily or weekly signs of progress being made. While weighing yourself is the most well-known basis of measurement for weight loss, it’s far from the only one, and is one you shouldn’t knock yourself over.
Your weight can be affected by a million different things. If you eat a fibrous or salty meal the night before you weigh-in, there’s a very good chance that you’ll see either stagnation on the scale, or a weight increase. If you’re more stressed than usual, your body will produce excess levels of the hormone cortisol, which leads to inflammation, and thus, weight gain.
Many of my clients come to me weighing themselves every single day at various times of the day. Before I get into other data points to consider, from a pure logic standpoint, this is not a practice you want to partake in. Your weight can fluctuate by up to 5 pounds based upon when the weigh-in is being done. Plus, weighing yourself daily makes you a “slave to the scale.” I know this because that’s what I used to do during my two year plateau. Imagine weighing in every day for 730 straight days and not getting below a certain weight range. There are other ways to measure your progress outside of the scale. And there’s even more data you can use to assess your progress.
Body Measurements: Using a tape measurer, you can take your body measurements every Thursday, which is the day that I ask my weight loss clients to weigh-in, and keep track of their measurements and other progress data. The Weight Loss by Pete Fitness App has detailed instructions on how to do this.
Progress Photos: Sometimes, when the scale doesn’t move, you can still see progress by taking weekly progress photos. All you have to do is take a photo of yourself on your smartphone from the front, the side and the back, and gauge your progress week to week. If you’re doing the right things nutritionally and fitness-wise, you’ll see some progress each and every week in the photos.
Try It On Again: If you no longer fit into one of your favorite articles of clothing, whether it be a shirt, a dress, a suit, etc., then you may want to try those on every week when you check your progress. If it fits any better, or actually fits again, then you know you’re on the right track.
Base It On How You Feel: I have a couple of clients who refuse to weigh themselves. They feel better on my program, they know they’re doing the right things for their health and thus, they can care less what some arbitrary number on their scale says. If you’re looking and feeling better, that’s all that truly matters. Everything else, while certainly measures of progress, shouldn’t define your journey.
Pete Weintraub is a local permanent weight loss specialist. Visit www.weightlossbypete.com, email pete@weightlossbypete.com or call 516-659-0195 to learn more.
