Stop letting the scale dictate your drive
You just joined a program and have been working hard.
You step on the scale and see no change in your weight…you immediately let this ruin your day, feel like you haven’t made any improvement and question whether it’s all worth it. Oftentimes people want results in just a couple weeks or even days even when in all reality it took years, if not decades of poor habits compounded over time to feel and see the negative effects of those decisions.
While the scale tells us how much total weight we are currently carrying, it gives us zero context as to where and how we are carrying that weight. Society has taught us to ignore how we feel and go to whatever lengths are necessary to drop a couple of pounds even if that is muscle mass.
When you start a program and the scale hasn’t tipped yet, it is easy to get frustrated. You are putting in a lot of energy, time and money to reach your goals. This information is here to reflect on possible other improvements you are making beyond just the number on the scale.
Here are some non-scale topics to focus on when the weight hasn’t dropped yet.
Progress photos and/or measurements
We often see much more with photos than we do on the scale, especially when you are new to strength training.
Take a video of yourself with minimal clothing and good lighting, do a front pose, a side pose and a back pose, then take screenshots.
Biofeedback
Assess each of these categories; Sleep, hunger, recovery, energy, digestion and stress.
Are you getting better sleep, better awareness around hunger, more energy, improved digestion with less constipation or bloating, lower stress levels etc?
Attitude
Do you view this new lifestyle as too much effort or as a burden? Do you just participate, or are you enthusiastic? Do you have a positive attitude about the process?
Are you improving your outlook on the process or continue to dread the sacrifices you are making?
Self awareness
Are you improving your awareness with hunger cues, improving time management, identifying slip ups, do you have a good understanding of why nutrition was off?
Choices and behavior
Are you doing the right things, going to sleep earlier, adding more fruits and veggies to your diet, drinking enough water, getting an extra day of training etc?
These will have a compound effect on your transformation over time.
Training performance
Are you getting stronger, less fatigued during rest breaks, how do you feel overall in the gym setting, do you feel like you can push yourself harder than you did when you started training? Are you more confident navigating around the gym environment?
Internal health markers (lab values)
Improvement in inflammation, thyroid health, cycle health, sex hormone levels and ratios, changes in insulin sensitivity, basal body temp for cycle health etc.
I hope that this serves as a reminder that you may be making great improvements that you do not always scale…but you have to look past that! There are so many victories that get overlooked because of the disappointment that comes with no change in weight. With time and consistency you will have no choice but to see improvement, as long as you do not quit! I challenge you to assess how far you have come in each of these categories.
If starting on your own is too overwhelming, do not be afraid to set up a call with me to see if my program is the right fit for you!
