We’ve all been there. Wake up feeling pretty good, notice our jeans go on easier, we had a great sleep, set a new PR in the gym last night, we feel pretty darn good about ourselves. We step on the scale thinking surely I am lighter and this is working but the scale is up a pound. Suddenly we forget all these good feelings, the world is dark again, we are fat and nothing is ever going to work. Sounds familiar?
If you allow the number on the scale to define your self worth & happiness you are doomed to fail. I get it, you set a goal, picked an arbitrary number for weight loss (and I am definitely in favour of setting goals), and have been working hard towards it. But the problem is your scale doesn’t tell the whole story and can send you on an unnecessary roller coaster of emotions.
A mentor of mine often says “The Physical Results will come after the Biological Results”.
Let’s start by improving how you feel. Create better energy and recovery, eliminate mid-after-noon crash. Sleep better at night. Find a normal hunger response, because yes, hunger is not only normal but a great indicator of normal hormonal balance. Make some performance gains in the gym. Start building momentum on your health.
Your success is defined by more than a number reflected at you on the scale.
Before you step on it in the morning take some times to be present in your body. Assess how you truly feel.
- Your scale will fluctuate a lot day to day and many factors can be at play here. Sodium intake, hydration level, digestion, how recent was your last meal, hormones, alcohol, recovering from a hard workout, lack of sleep. List goes on.
- Change takes time. You did not get to your current state overnight and chances are change will not happen overnight either. Lasting weight loss comes with lifestyle changes, not a crash diet.
Lastly. Before getting discourage and falling down the trap of negative self-talk. Take a real look at yourself & assess your own commitment to this process. Are you clear on the actions needed to achieve your goals? Are you doing everything you can do to succeed? Take a honest look here, what you see may surprise you.
- Are you tracking everything or finishing your kids plate every night?
- Are you eating out and estimating too often?
- Are you measuring everything accurately or have you started guess more and more? 1 tbsp of peanut butter can vary wildly take it from me!
- Are you prioritizing good sleep and recovery? If you do everything right but consistently get too little sleep you will not see the results you want.
- How is the stress in your life?
If after all of this you realize the scale is not serving you put it away for a while. Set clear goals, learn to love the process and if you consistently do the right thing success is inevitable.