Throw away the scale. The story it tells is not the whole st

wildon883r

It's really an unnecessary evil and not an identifier of fitness or proper weight to fat. I still think i need to lose 10-15 but my body fat percentage is between 18-19% which is perfect for my age/size and just slightly above the recommendation for a male in there early 20's which i am not. Your body fat % is really a true indicator of how much muscle to fat you have and total weight doesn't mean squat if your mostly muscle. Another tip? Strength training is far better for fat loss then Aerobics because although aerobics provide a boost to calorie burn while your in the aerobic zone, Muscle mass burns calories 24/7 and not just when your heart is racing 100 miles per hour. Women have by far less muscle mass then males do as to why your caloric allowances are so much lower then males per day. My caloric goal for 1/2 pound a week loss is roughly 2500. That's about twice the calories allowed a woman with a weight deficit at 1/2 lb a week. Why? Muscle mass differences. Lift some weights, do push ups, ab exercises, etc, etc

There are a ton of online body fat calculators. Just google it and find out your fat percentage and find a true healthy weight.

DKev

Couldn't agree more.

***Edited to add in that I have lost 5.5" in the last month and not a single bit of weight on the scale. Measure people!

DixieDarlin1987

This is soooo TRUE!!! Love it!

TinaS88

Great Post!! I need to get myself some weights!! :P

mommyJto3

thank you , i really need this as i sat in bed last night contemplating my goals. im stuck on the number on the scale, but really am more concerned about losing inches than weight.

flausa

I completely agree about stepping away from the scale. Some people get their heads so tied up with the scale that they lose sight of the bigger picture. Surely overall health is a much better focus than any number. Striving to eat healthier foods and improving fitness levels for the long term are much more important than trying to hit some perceived perfect number as soon as possible.

Uk_Yogini

Awesome post ! And much agreed

jbucci1186

wow, I literally JUST came to that conclusion this morning as well! haha nice

sloanie1

YESI agree and I'm trying really hard not to get hung up on a number...I've been dieting off and on for 23 years and it's now drummed into my brain and hard to get rid of!!! I've lost inches and my fitness has improved immensely, these are all great indicators too! Thanks for your post, this is now one of my goals to get a new mindset about the scales

mrzpeep

True True! I have lost 20 inches but on 7lbs. I'll have to check out one of calculator. Great post!

dad106

As much as i know this is true, there is nothing more satisfying for me then seeing the number go down AND the inches fall off.

Monica_in_MO

So very true!! I need to completely throw out the scale. This morning I was feeling a little disappointed at not seeing a loss on the scale, so I got out the tape measure and found that I lost another full inch from my thighs and 3/4" from my waistline. Who cares what the scale says????

shellshell43

I put my scale away at the beginning of this week. I am seeing changes, feeling strong, gaining great muscle but the scale made me feel like I was doing something wrong because the numbers weren't going down. Now, I am a reasonable person, I know I am changing for the better, looking better, feeling better, but I was emotionally hung up on some magic number that I wasn't reaching. In order to stop feeling like a failure I took the scale out of the bathroom and put it way up on the top shelf in a backroom closet....Now I flex in front of the mirror and admire the gains :bigsmile: .

Chuckw40

It's really an unnecessary evil and not an identifier of fitness or proper weight to fat. I still think i need to lose 10-15 but my body fat percentage is between 18-19% which is perfect for my age/size and just slightly above the recommendation for a male in there early 20's which i am not. Your body fat % is really a true indicator of how much muscle to fat you have and total weight doesn't mean squat if your mostly muscle. Another tip? Strength training is far better for fat loss then Aerobics because although aerobics provide a boost to calorie burn while your in the aerobic zone, Muscle mass burns calories 24/7 and not just when your heart is racing 100 miles per hour. Women have by far less muscle mass then males do as to why your caloric allowances are so much lower then males per day. My caloric goal for 1/2 pound a week loss is roughly 2500. That's about twice the calories allowed a woman with a weight deficit at 1/2 lb a week. Why? Muscle mass differences. Lift some weights, do push ups, ab exercises, etc, etc

There are a ton of online body fat calculators. Just google it and find out your fat percentage and find a true healthy weight.

I don't disagree with you that your body composition is more important than weight but I do have a question. It is my understanding that it is nearly impossible to gain muscle while you are maintaining a caloric deficit. If this is true than than the reason we are losing inches is because we are losing fat, not gaining muscle.

I know weight training is important during weight loss but only as a way to preserve the muscle you have, not gain more.

I am by no means an expert so if I am wrong please correct me.

Oh, and I'm keeping my scale! :happy: