Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by a Weight Scale!
Everyone’s hand raised? Mine definitely is!
As easy as it is to become obsessed with a number of the scale and continue to feel that there is a ‘magic’ number that we must hit, the scale may be one of the least accurate indicators of our health and fitness. Did you know, for example, that a woman’s weight may fluctuate up to six pounds a month and even a few pounds a day based on sleep, food, exercise, and menstrual cycle?
Here are a few much more accurate – and kind – barometers of your respective fitness
We all have those pairs of jeans. You know the pair. The pair of jeans that make our peach look nice and juicy, the pair that makes us feel confident and sexy. Or maybe for you, it’s a Little Black Dress (LBD). The point is that we all have a special item of clothing that is rather unforgiving when it comes to weight gain or the aspirational item of clothing that we purchased to ‘motivate us’ to lose weight. Do those pair of jeans or that LBD fit comfortable without pinching? That’s a win!
The Droll Test
Do you notice your significant other checking you out when you walk past? Has your partner mentioned how good you look? We definitely don’t need anyone else’s validation, but it sure does feel good when someone who has watched a human come out of your vagina looks at you with fresh eyes.
We often lose sight of our progress because it’s occurring within our lived experience of our body. For that reason, I love to take photos and measurements of my clients when they’re starting nutrition coaching. Inches lost and being able to compare like-by-like before and after photos is much more reflective of overall body composition changes than a scale. While muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat, muscle tissue is denser than fat tissue, which contributes to those nice, lean lines and body definition that we’re all seeking. In other words, as you gain lean muscle mass, the number on the scale may go up, but your inches will decrease and your body composition will reflect a more toned appearance.
For those with access and the resources to use an InBody Scan or similar biometric test, you will receive an even more detailed analysis of your body composition, including the percentage of lean muscle mass, visceral fat, intracellular and extracellular water weight, and much more.
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You are beautiful and strong and worthy no matter what the number on the scale says. Yes, most of us have a tendency at one time or another to fixate on a specific number that we feel we need to be, but let the number go. It’s not a reflection of your health and wellness and if it’s not helping you to achieve your aesthetic and performance goals, it’s certainly not worth your time or energy. Throw the scale away and enjoy your beautiful life.
