How can I say your weight doesn’t really matter when I’m helping people in Louisville, KY, shed extra pounds? It’s easy because it’s true. Too often people focus too much on weight. It means you’re on results, rather than process, and just one result. Getting into shape isn’t all about weight loss. If you’re eating healthy and working out regularly, getting to a healthy weight is one of the outcomes, but so is increased strength, endurance, flexibility and better health.
You might be changing the composition of your body.
If you’ve worked out regularly and switched your diet to healthy eating, you still might not see a difference when you step on the scales. The reason may be that your body composition or fat to muscle ratio has changed. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat does, because it’s denser. Your weight won’t change if you’re substituting muscle tissue for fat tissue. If your clothes are getting baggy but your weight hasn’t changed, that’s what’s happening.
If you choose healthy foods and workout regularly, you don’t need to weigh yourself daily.
Some people weigh themselves daily or even more. That can be both misleading and depressing. Your body weight fluctuates throughout the day. Hormones, the type of food you ate and even the amount of sodium in the food can make a difference. Whether you have a full colon or bladder can also affect your weight. While that difference is minimal, people who weigh frequently look for minor differences and either praise themselves or sink into depression when they read the scales. Focus on doing what it takes, not the scales.
Your weight doesn’t reflect your health or your energy level.
Just because you’re skinny, doesn’t mean you’re healthy. People who are thin can be far sicker than someone that’s slightly overweight but still fit. It’s all about lifestyle decisions, eating healthy and working out regularly. If you can’t run to the corner of the block and back without begging for oxygen, no matter how thin you are, you’re out of shape and definitely not healthy. Focus on your health and healthy habits.
- The scales can lie. Sometimes, just standing slightly different on the scales can make a difference. Try it sometime. Weigh yourself and then get off the scales and try a slightly different stance. You’ll often see a pound or two difference.
- One reason people have more success when they use a personal trainer, is that the trainer tracks other things, besides weight. Try tracking the number of reps you do in a workout or how much more you can lift.
- Check your energy level. If you used to come home at the end of the day exhausted and now have energy to spare, your program is working.
- Try an experiment. If you find you’re constantly turning to the scales, deny yourself the opportunity for at least six weeks. In that time, focus on healthy eating, regular exercise and other lifestyle changes. You’ll feel better about yourself and still make progress.
For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training