While enjoying a celebratory cocktail with a friend Saturday evening, we got on the topic of weight loss. She has been really workin' hard over the past several months; eating well and exercising. Recently, she hopped on the scale and expected to see some serious weight loss. This is a realistic expectation any of us would have after all that focus and hard work. However, the results were minimal. Instead of letting that number get her down, she simply broke out the measuring tape. And wouldn't you know, those numbers were lookin' so much sweeter than they had in the past. My friend is getting results; she just needed another set of numbers to get a better indication of how awesome she is doing.I am so glad my friend and I had this conversation this past weekend, because it is so important to remember that weight does not tell us the whole truth. In fact, sometimes weight can be a deceptive little thing. When weight goes up, this could be fat gain or it could be muscle, but the scale is not going to be able to let you know which one it is. We see little movement on the scale and naturally get bummed out because we think whatever we are doing is not working. This is why taking measurements is a great way to track your progress.
Other ways to measure the effectiveness of our workout efforts is to note how we feel. Working out and eating well should make us more energetic, happier people. I personally go with the "how are my clothes fitting" as part of my approach to keeping my shape in check. However if your husband has the amazing ability to shrink everything he puts into the dryer, this may not be the right method for you.
Basically, don't let the number on a scale control you. That number is not the only thing that is expected to change when we change our eating and exercise habits, therefore don't let it be the only indicator of success.
Oh, and to my friend who inspired this post...did I mention how great you look? Well, you look fabulous!!! I am so proud of you. Keep it up, girl!
This is exactly what I told my daughter last week. We went on a 7 day cleansing diet together and I lost 6 pounds and she lost nothing. However she did notice that her shirts weren't as tight on her and her jeans fit a lot nicer. Sometimes the weight comes off differently than we think it should.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this.
Hugs,
amy
I love this! While it is SO exciting to see that number drop after a week of eating well, I always try to remind myself of the other ways I feel better. This way, when the scale doesn't drop but I have more energy, I'm in a better mood or my posture has improved, I don't get discouraged!
ReplyDeleteI always have the hardest time measuring by myself. It's the weirdest thing, I never get consistent results! haha
I 100% agree. it is not the number on the scale but the inches, how you feel in your clothes and how you feel about yourself. Skinny and overweight people who have lost weight will all agree that although it is fun to fit into a certain size again the best feeling is how you FEEL about yourself!
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