Indications of Improvement – Don’t Trust the Scale!

Losing weight and making a lifestyle change is more than just the number on the scale. For the most part, that dreaded number is mostly inaccurate anyway, depending on what you have. Another reason to throw out your scale is that it does not measure the way you look and feel. For example, you at 120 lbs. may look better than 100 lbs. because of a variety of reasons. Here’s why:

1. Body fat percentage

The body is composed of many, many things, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s just say it’s made up of muscle and fat for the purposes of this article. A 120 lb. woman with 10% body fat percentage will look drastically different from a 120 lb. woman with 30% body fat percentage. The lower the body fat, the smaller a person will look. Even if the number is exactly the same on the scale, one’s body fat percentage will ultimately dictate how a person will look.

2. Water weight

People who go on low carb diets will typically lose 5-7 days in the first week alone. This is because of the lack of carbs in one’s diet. For each gram of carbohydrates that you consume, the body stores water along with it. When you have no carbohydrates in the body, you also don’t store excess water, which is the reason for the initial drop in weight loss.

3. Fit of your clothes

One of the best and simplest indicators of weight loss is your own clothing. Do they fit the same? Are there any bulges and if any, are they starting to shrink? Are your dresses falling off your frame? Are you now fitting into smaller clothes? Can you fit into your high school prom dress?

4. Take progress photos (or selfies!)

Take enough photos from every angle for you to make a fair comparison every once in a while. Make sure to take them on the same day of the week at the same time to avoid lighting discrepancies. This is great for sending to your fitness trainer or health coach for accountability purposes.

5. Feedback from others

It takes approximately 3-4 weeks for others to notice a change in your physique. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear them commenting about how slim you look after just a few days on your diet. Permanent things take time. Don’t rush the process.

Contact our professionals over at our clinic to jumpstart your healthy lifestyle! Be the best you possible!