If I had a nickle for every time I heard someone tell me they just wanted to lose 10 more pounds, I could quit my job as a trainer and buy a private island!!!! I wouldn't of course cause I love my job too much. ;)
There is an obsession among most dieters with the number on a scale and I get it....The scale gives you a number that is measurable. It's easy to read, and as long as the number is going down then it means you are weighing less. But is less weight synonymous with smaller size?
Let me give you a visual.
Pick up a big round body ball.That weighs what? A pound?
Now pick up medicine ball. It's small. Its heavy. It's compact. It may weigh 10 lbs more, but it's only half the size at most.
Maybe that was a bad example, but my point is...a smaller frame can pack more weight. Especially one that is fit. I know you are tired of hearing the cliche that "muscle weighs more than fat" but it is BEYOND important that we embrace the beauty in this truth. Who wants to lose weight if you aren't losing fat? What's the point!?
For people who are VERY overweight, the scale is a good measure of success. The trouble is with the people who are fit, who have already lost a good bit of weight, and are stuck in what they believe is either a plateau or a road block to their final goal weight. Rather than loving how far they have come, they obsess over those "last 10 pounds." They are chasing an illusive goal that is robbing them of the truth and removing them from reality about themselves.
Here's the reality....If you are exercising and conditioning your muscles in any way, then you will never weigh what you did in high school. Here's the good news though! You'll probably look a WHOLE lot better than you did in high school! Don't worry about those last 10 pounds! You probably can't lose them because you don't need to! If you exercise regularly and don't consume more calories than you expend then your body will let go of unnecessary weight. Eventually you have to come to a place where you are comfortable with a healthy strong body. Exercise gives you shape and strength. It helps you build muscle and lose fat, which ultimately helps you sustain your HEALTH. You function well because you are strong and you have energy. Getting caught in the weight loss trap can zap you of the joy and the energy you need to live well within your flesh.
If you are beginning a weight loss journey, I highly recommend that you assess more than just the number on the scale. You should assess your body fat and take your measurements. You can have a professional do this or you can even do it at home. The key however is consistency. Have the same person measure you every month. If you are unable to measure your body fat with a device, a good clue to whether or not the pounds you are losing are pounds of fat would be to compare your inches lost to your pounds lost. They should roughly equal the same number. Think that each inch equals one pound of fat.
If you do choose to purchase something to measure body fat, I recommend the OMRON. It is not the most accurate tool, but it's far better than the scales that have body fat measurements built into them. Plus it gives you a consistent measurement over time.
If you are able to measure your body fat percentage then I have a really cool equation for determining how many pounds of fat you are losing.
You will take your total pounds on the scale and multiply them by your body fat percentage. That will tell you how many pounds of your total weight are fat pounds. If you subtract that number from your total pounds, you will also get your lean body mass. Your lean body mass includes everything else (bones, muscle, organs, water, etc).
When you weigh yourself again and reassess your body fat percentage, you'll be able to determine how much fat you've lost and how much lean mass you've gained simply by reassessing those numbers and finding the difference.
I will use myself as an example.
4 years ago, after having babies right before I began my journey back to fitness, I weighed 143 and my body fat was 26%
143 total pounds x .26% = 37.18 lbs of body fat
143-37.18 = 105.82 lbs of lean body mass
Currently I weigh 137 and my body fat is 17%
137 total pounds x .17% = 23.29 lbs of body fat
137 - 23.29 = 113.71 lbs of lean body mass
So, since getting fit, I have only lost 6 total pounds. This would of course be discouraging to me if I were trying to be 130 like I was when I was in high school.
BUT, because I know how much body fat I had at the start I am much more proud of my success because I've lost 14 pounds of fat. If those 14 lbs showed up on the scale then I HAVE reached my goal. Well, actually that's never been my goal, but you get my point. :) God forbid I ever be ANYTHING like I was in high school. haha.
PERSPECTIVE is EVERYTHING.
If you are exercising to lose weight then make sure to assess your body fat as well. It will tell you the truth about all of your hard work. You may not be able to lose those last ten lbs of weight because you gained 10 pounds of health. Embrace it!
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