I’ve gone from fasted cardio and binging on the entire jar of Almond Butter (because it’s so much ‘healthier’ than Peanut Butter- lol) and chocolate to eating chocolate weekly now and literally look my best while at it. The key: actually eating enough food + not smashing myself at the gym.
None of this could have happened if I didn’t get past the numbers on the scale.
I’m 20 pounds heavier today.
And I’m stronger and happier, living a life without food restriction, chronic over-training, and trying to hate my body to a smaller size. And I would argue that for many women, the athletic body you desire, weighs more than you do right now.
There are 1,799 reasons why the scale isn’t the only indicator of progress or success. Stop letting the scale dictate your emotions. And start using it like an adult who understands that progress is never linear.
Scale obsession can be all too common with our nutrition coaching clients.
But did you know you can have a low body fat/weight BUT not have a lot of muscle mass? This happens a lot in people that generally don’t eat enough food combined with lots of cardio and not enough strength training. So you can be thin but not have lean muscle mass, which doesn’t equal health.
Not only does lean muscle and bone density impact the scale, but other factors that influence the scale include: hormones, inflammation + injuries, stress + sleep, fiber + water intake, the time of day that you weigh yourself, etc, etc, and yup… did ya’ poop 💩
At CWA, we coach a lot of women thru a Reverse Diet or Metabolic Restoration Phase initially to support metabolism and hormones. It’s important to understand that when you eat more food, there is more food (which naturally contains more fiber, sodium, carbs, and water) in the digestive tract. That food absorbs water and can show up as a higher scale weight.
Increased weight on the scale doesn’t necessarily translate to FAT gained.
The scale can be a helpful tool for most people. In fact, we don’t want too demonize the scale. We want to help women find scale neutrality– where the number doesn’t “make or break” our day.
But realize the scale shouldn’t be your only marker of progress.
If you struggle looking beyond the scale it might be time to break-up with the scale and instead, celebrate some Non-Scale Victories (NSV)!
- NSV are positive changes and feedback that your body provides you that indicate progress.
- They don’t focus on a number on the scale.
- ie: Improvements in performance, energy, sleep, mood, digestion, menstrual cycle, body composition, and confidence.
- You can also assess things like measurements, progress pictures, how clothes feel, etc.
Whatever the goal or process to get to the goal, it’s important to celebrate NSV as the scale doesn’t always tell the full story. Don’t get so stuck on a single number. Generally, if we chase NSV, the weight and aesthetics will follow.
