Dethroning the Scale
When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.
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This is a topic I’ve grown increasingly passionate about. In my 2+ years as a nutrition coach, I’ve seen just how damaging the scale can be to your confidence as you progress through a fitness journey. Do I think it's a useless tool? Of course not. The scale still serves a purpose and is a valuable tool - but the thing I've learned to emphasize is that it doesn't tell the full story.Let me start by explaining my personal experience. In the picture above, I weigh 165 lbs in both pictures. My weight was anywhere between 145-175 in the 8 year span that these pictures were taken, but ultimately the right is where my body currently sits. In both pictures, my BMI is about 26.6 (overweight range) but one gives that vibe far more than the other. I'm not going to say that I don't still have areas where I should continue to improve, but if I allowed my mind to be so caught up on the number on the scale, I would never see the progress that's truly been made.My relationship with the scale has been tricky and has constantly led me to focus on the wrong things - if I was losing weight, I wanted to keep pushing things further and further. If I was gaining weight, I started getting discouraged and would pick up less-than-healthy patterns to try and get things to go the other way. Unfortunately, those were the times before I realized the numerous ways the scale can be affected, which is something else I want to share:WATER RETENTION
The big one we're aaaalways hearing about. There is a plethora of causes, but for most of us it's usually related to hormones, medication use, stress/cortisol levels, alcohol, dehydration/malnutrition, and physical inactivity. I experienced the worst of my water retention when I was on my initial medication for my anxiety - it felt like no matter what I did, weight wouldn't budge. My weight would jump 5 lbs over the weekends and it was frustrating as hell, but it wasn't fat gain. I would have had to eat roughly 17,500 calories for that to be the case and I can confidently say that was never the case, lol.WEIGHT TRAINING/EXERCISE
The whole point of resistance training is to build muscle. Most times you will burn fat and build muscle simultaneously which will result in little to no movement on the scale. Since muscle is denser than fat, it will take up less space but weigh more... but I think this is what scares a lot of women. We have become so hyper-focused on the scale defining our progress that when we realize working out doesn't always equal significant amounts of loss, we let ourselves be okay with pulling back on exercise to get the satisfaction of the number on the scale, even though the exercise is what's getting us the physique we often crave.The times I notice the most gain is when I'm consistently in the gym. I'm okay with these minor increases in weight because I've come to expect it and know my body will be better for it. The phases when I'm not in the gym, I lose weight... Quite a bit of it. Most might be happy with the idea of that, but it's usually when I'm the most bloated/puffy-feeling and know I'm losing muscle mass. I've come to loathe that feeling, but I'm just as human as the next person and sometimes life just gets me down too much to make exercise the priority I know it should be (a whoooole topic for another post, lol).I know there are so many men + women that desperately want/need to lose the weight, and I can empathize with the frustration that follows when it feels like it's not happening; I really struggled for a two year span until my doctor and I worked together to find an alternative treatment for my anxiety that finally helped get the ball rolling. My ability to be okay with lack of weight loss or seeing the number on the scale go up was not a mindset shift that happened overnight, but regardless of where you are in your fitness journey, PLEASE carry this knowledge with you because if the scale is the only tool used to track progress, the bigger picture might get missed. Below are my recommended tracking methods:If you're going to weigh yourself, weigh-in 3-5 times a week (mental health allowing) then calculate the average. Our weight can fluctuate anywhere between 1-5 lbs a day, so I always say as long as that 5 lb range is generally decreasing, you're on the right path! Be sure to weigh in the mornings after using the bathroom but before doing anything else (drinking, eating, showering, getting too physically active, etc)Use a measuring tape weekly.Take pictures bi-weekly or monthly. Changes might be subtle, especially at first, so be sure to put them side by side. Even if they feel minor, hopefully it will give you a confidence boost to see that things ARE changing over time.Have body fat percentage measured monthly, or at least every now and again. Keep in mind that the most common BF% measuring tool is bioelectrical impedance (hand-held devices personal trainers use at gyms, In-Body machines, smart scales), which can be useful but is not always the most accurate and is heavily dependent on your hydration status. However, it's still a good resource to get a general idea of how things are trending.Keep a running list of non-scale victories you experience as a result of your health + wellness journey. Energy, sleep quality, improvements in strength/cardio, mood, improved lab results, etc. Your health journey is mind, body, and spirit and those non-scale victories might be what keeps you going in the times that feel slow or discouraging.
If you're working with a coach of any kind, trust the process and their insight. A good coach will know that progress comes from multiple data points, including visuals. We know that pictures feel disheartening when you feel so far from where you want to be, but help us help you to see the progress the scale might not reveal.