Ok maybe that is a little over dramatic, they will hopefully tell you the correct weight. However what you can learn from that may not be what you think.
You see it is very possible that you may be losing bodyfat, but not bodyweight. So if the scales are your only measure of progress, it looks like you aren’t making any, when in actuality you are slimming down, getting healthier and making great progress!
This is especially likely if you are exercising or if you’ve been on a crash diet that left you malnourished. As you build lean muscle tissue, bone and organ density you are becoming a healthier person. This will however affect the scales and depending on body proportions to begin with, as you lose bodyfat you may not always see the scales drop quickly, if at all.
We suggest you use a few different measures of progress to ensure that you are moving in the right direction.
- Clothes – How do they fit? If they are suddenly too big and you are going down sizes, great! You’ve lost significant bodyfat.
- Girth measurements – A simple tape measure around the bellybutton, hips, and mid thigh will prove you are in fact slimming down and it is not your clothes that are growing after all!
- Before & after photos – This is probably the best measure of progress. Take a photo at the start, and then retake every couple of weeks. Put them next to each other and when you see the difference it really does bring it home. Photos may be uncomfortable at first and you probably don’t want to get your kit off, but trust me when you see your new, slim self next to the old you it will blow your mind and is so motivating!
- How do you feel? – This journey is not just about weight loss it is about health and overall well being. Some will lose weight quickly and some will lose weight slowly, but if you are feeling great about yourself, have better energy, sleep, sex drive and enthusiasm..what does it matter? This makes it worth it much more than a number on the scales!
We recommend you take measurements every 2 – 4 weeks, to ensure that you are making progress in the right direction. Anything more than this is overkill and you will be caught out by natural daily fluctuations.
Author Profile:
Tim Drummond’s career in the health industry has taken him from a Personal Trainer to a globally acknowledged Health Coach and Mentor. A published author the book ‘The 30/30 Body Blueprint.
He has contributed to national press including The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, and The Daily Express. He is a passionate blogger via www.TimDrummond.com. He co-created Arete Fitness who specialise in transforming the health, lives and bodies of busy women around the world. Arete’s mission is to reinvigorate the outdated perceptions of female health and fitness…. 30 minutes at a time. www.Aretefitness.co.uk