For many people measurable is jumping on the bathroom scales every night in the hope of shedding those extra pounds, which sounds reasonable.

The goal was to “lose 2 stone in six months” so jumping on the scales may seem the best way to determine if you have lost the weight, but I want you to STOP!
As this might be doing you more harm than good

Your weight does not paint the whole picture

Making fitness goals and wanting to change your body, lifestyle and diet are all extremely positive and weight is a good starting point but too many of us focus solely on weight and only think about fitness and body image as a number on the scale.

As a personal trainer I meet many clients and when asked what there number 1 goal is answer “lose weight” but when you get into it, what they really want is to burn fat.

Weight on the scales is your total body mass which is made up of muscle, water, bone, hair and fat so the scale can lie.
When you start a fitness regime and step on the scale and see a loss it is possible that, the weight loss you see is water or even worse muscle which in turn will slow down your fat loss efforts.

Cardio and dieting has long been seen as the number one way to lose weight and yes doing these two things together can equal big drops on the scale but at what cost.
Dieting usually involves cutting out one or more essential energy sources needed by our body and long bouts of cardio result in not only fat loss but muscle loss as well. So on the short term the weight on the scale can go down but as a result we are reducing lean muscle mass, slowing down our metabolism, starving our body and making it extremely difficult to maintain in the long run.

I encourage all clients to lift weights as it will increase lean muscle mass which in turn will speed up the metabolism, burn those extra layers of fat, tone you up, make you feel stronger and straighter and look better but the weight on the scales can go up, is that bad “no” yes I said it “you can look better if you gain weight”.

Think of it like this as you lift weights your lean muscle mass is increasing and body fat is decreasing, depending on your starting point there will come a time when you’re muscle mass will increase more than your fat loss leading to an increase on the scales

Timeframe

Using the example of 2 stone in six months, six months is a long time and our bodies are amazing machines. Every day of those six months your body is constantly changing and your weight is fluctuating daily.

Weighing on a regular basis is going be as demoralising as it is motivating the more you jump on the scale the more chance you have of being demoralised and even discouraged as regular weighing will show increases some of the time.

Chill out

Just imagine what pressure you are putting on yourself in a day just by knowing in the back of your mind that you will be weighing in that night.
Stress and pressure alone can lead over eating lack of sleep and can relate in weight gain.

Set your goal stick to it and be safe in the knowledge that if you do everything right and stick to it, you will get a positive outcome
Remember a healthy weight loss is 1.5 pounds a week which is 6 pounds a month so that’s just over 9 weeks for a stone

You are better than the scales

Don’t let a number on a scales define you
The truth is there is no ideal weight or ideal body type the only person you should want to make these changes for are you, to be a happier, stronger, fitter and more confident version of yourself.

Healthy Ways to Track Success

Photographs – Take a before snap and take another photo every month and compare them side by side

Clothes – Make a goal to fit a certain dress size or waist size as opposed to weight, and as your burn fat watch your current clothes becoming lose and baggy.

How you feel – As you progress through your fitness regime take time to notice how your energy levels rise, you feel more confident, and how much more happier you feel.

Strength – When you include resistance training and stretching in your routine, you will see an increase in strength and flexibility and be able to lift and do more than you have done before.

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