Weighing yourself is a typical thought process when trying to lose weight. Your weight isn't just a number, but something that can actually change how you feel about yourself. Step on the scale first thing in the morning, and if that number is lower than it was before, you might feel better about yourself. If it's higher you may set yourself up for a negative mindset for the day.
Focusing on fat loss, inches lost, or how your clothes fit is much more important than focusing on your weight. When you lose body fat, you're making permanent changes in your body, creating a desired body composition so that you have less fat and more muscle. A lot of trainers in the industry “hate” the word toning or shaping, but focusing on the right foods you eat and how you move your body really help your body transform shapes. At times when you lose weight, you could be losing water or even muscle. It's impossible to know if you're seeing real results or just the product of your daily habits, hormonal shifts, and changing hydration levels.
*It's easy for weight to creep up over time, so a scale is useful in that respect. But it shouldn’t define your day to day.
Consider other methods to measure success, beyond the scale.
Notice how your clothes fit. If they fit more loosely, you know you're on the right track. It helps to have one pair of pants that are a little too tight. Try them on once a month and make notes on how they fit. Clothes don't lie.
Take your measurements to see if you're losing inches. Measuring your body monthly at the same moments, can help you figure out if you are losing fat. Try taking flexed and relaxed measurements because this may motivate you to keep going and give you a direction to go or change up.
Use a scale that measures body fat through bioelectrical impedance. A professional can help you with this or you can use the scale for this purpose only or in combination. There are also specific body fat and BMI only calculators. They will give you a more accurate view of whether you are losing fat and gaining muscle or not. Please remember that ever person holds fat differently so try not to compare to friends but your own personal levels.
Set performance goals. How about not worrying about weight loss or fat loss, focus on completing a certain number of workouts each week or drinking sufficient amount of water this week. See how many push-ups you can do daily for 30 days or how many days in a row you can exercise. These are tangible, fun goals that can give you more of that instant gratification that the stupid scale doesn't.
A Word of Encouragement
If the scale is making you crazy, taking a break from weighing yourself may just open your eyes to other possibilities. What that scale reads isn't the only measure of your success. Put up the scale and stop thinking of the numbers you think you should be, see what your body can do by loving it and treating it well.
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