Perspective on 'progress'.

katattack

I just read a post re: scales and thought I'd share my most recent thoughts about tracking your progress! Please add if you have any more tips to keep progress in perspective.

I used to be pretty 'afraid' of my #s, but I've recently adopted the mentality that anxiety about my body is not productive. I am where I am today, it serves me well, and I am making an effort to treat it well so that it can serve me better. If I know my #s, then I can approach those #s intelligently.

Ha ha ha -- but damn scales! I have a PT right now and she's instilled a few basic axioms regarding the scale. I've combined these with a few tips I've picked up along the way from running coaches, my own research (i.e. Precision Nutrition, Tosca Reno, etc etc)

1- Always use the same scale. Especially if - like me - you're prone to letting the # on the scale worm its way into your head and send you off track (either eating too little, or eating too much our of frustration). The same scale regularizes the free radical of the 'crazy scale' phenomenon.

2- When you step onto a scale that's not a body composition scale (the one that gives you your breakdown in terms of fat, muscle mass, water, etc), do it 3 times and take the average.

3 - When you weigh yourself, try to aim for the same time each day. Though I'm tempted to make it in the early a.m. (skinny hours!), I like to face off with my weight an hour after lunch or dinner.

4 - Measurements. Do it. Make sure you're hitting the same spots each time (have a landmarking system even)

5 - Know that there are outside factors that contribute to your weight. Hydration/dehydration. Muscle gain/loss. Undigested food. The number on the scale is complicated and not a perfect depiction of how well you are treating your body in terms of nutrition.

Thoughts? Feelings? Reactions?