Body Recomposition Pic! Scale weight doesn't matter

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Orphia
Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
edited July 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
This is Kelsey Wells:



Bodycomposition_zpsm5a62vpd.jpg

Full text of her caption:

"SCREW THE SCALE || I figured it was time for a friendly, yet firm reminder. YOU GUYS. PLEASEEEEEE STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE NUMBER ON THE STUPUD SCALE! PLEASE STOP THINKING YOUR WEIGHT EQUALS YOUR PROGRESS AND FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING PLEASE STOP LETTING YOR WEIGHT HAVE ANY AFFECT WHATSOEVER ON YOUR SELF ESTEEM, like I used to. To any of you who are where I once was, please listen to me. I am 5' 7" and weigh 140 lbs. When I first started #bbg I was 8 weeks post partum and 145 lbs. I weighed 130 before getting pregnant, so based on nothing besides my own warped perception, I decided my "goal weight" should be 122 and to fit into my skinniest jeans. Well after a few months of BBG and breastfeeding, I HIT IT and I fit into those size 0 jeans. Well guess what? I HAVE GAINED 18 POUNDS SINCE THEN. EIGHT FREAKING TEEN. Also, I have gone up two pant sizes and as a matter of fact I ripped those skinny jeans wide open just the other week trying to pull them up over my knees. My point?? According to my old self and flawed standards, I would be failing miserably. THANK GOODNESS I finally learned to start measuring my progress by things that matter -- strength, ability, endurance, health, and HAPPINESS. Take progress photos and videos. Record how many push-ups you can do, ect. And if you can, your BFP -- there is only a 5 lb difference between my starting and current weight, but my body composition has changed COMPLETELY. I have never had more muscle and less body fat than I do now. I have never been healthier than I am now. I have never been more comfortable in my own skin than I am now. And if I didn't say #screwthescale long ago, I would have gave up on my journey. So to the little teeny tiny voice in the back of my head that still said "wtf is this- not 140!?" last week when I stepped on the scale, I say SCREW. YOU. And I think you should probably say the same to your scale too."

So cool.
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Replies

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Fursian wrote: »
    ^ That's pretty cool! I'd love it if this thread turns out to be filled with a boat load of body re-comp pics! :hopefulsmiley:

    One thing on "not getting hung up on the numbers", I think many will start this way. Having a number in mind, getting to goal, and then realizing that that number didn't end up factoring into their 'happiness'. It seems to be a very personal learning experience that each chrysalis has to walk before emerging into that wise all-knowing, victorious butterfly. No amount of outside information seems to truly 'hit home' until then.

    Nice post!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    The numbers are important when you're starting out a lot bigger but it is important to emphasise they don't matter as much when youu get within a healthy range and start to recomp. That is when your focus should absolutely switch.

    And even then, I'm still overweight but the number isn't the most important factor, it's my guide. I hope one day, Maybe in about a year to 18 months, I will have awesome pictures like this as I switch from losing to recomp (a ways to go yet but pictures like this are so encouraging to me). Pictures like this are also why I have taken things so slowly, I have always wanted there to be an element of very small recomp as I lose so that there is a lot less work to do when I do get to my initial goal and that goal is only a ball park because I will be guided by the mirror not the scales.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I agree with all of these posts. Everything does center around numbers though. Everything from the scale and ones body measurements/fat percentage, to counting calories... Tracking workout progress/step goals, and then into clothing sizes and what size we wish to be. It's all numbers and so hard not to get fixated on one or all aspects.

    I do love her message though.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Wow she is my height and has 13lbs on me. Oh man do I ever need to bulk, but recomp will have to do for now. I wonder what her BF% is, she looks pretty similar to my current build.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Fursian wrote: »
    ^ That's pretty cool! I'd love it if this thread turns out to be filled with a boat load of body re-comp pics! :hopefulsmiley:

    There already is a similar thread, just not many people have reached the end goal of their recomposition: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest
  • MarkusDarwath
    MarkusDarwath Posts: 393 Member
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    Op: Great job! And spot-on message. Body fat percentage and overall health/conditioning is far more important than the pounds on the scale.
    But I will also agree with what VintageFeline said. For those of us who are starting out much larger, the pounds do matter because of the extra strain they put on our joints and the pain that goes with it. That's what really got me going this time around. I got fed up with constantly hurting just trying to go about my life.
    My goal weight will still leave me solidly "overweight" according to the (worthless piece of *kitten*) bmi charts, but my body fat target at that weight is 15%. I've calculated when it's time to recomp I'll have up to 14 pounds of fat left to burn and replace with muscle.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Shana67 wrote: »
    I think it's pretty easy to say not to get caught up in the numbers when you were already pretty thin to begin with =/

    While the transformation pictures are quite good, I tend to agree with you here.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Shana67 wrote: »
    I think it's pretty easy to say not to get caught up in the numbers when you were already pretty thin to begin with =/

    Haha, yes, true, but I couldn't fit all that in the thread title! ;)
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 524 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    Fursian wrote: »
    ^ That's pretty cool! I'd love it if this thread turns out to be filled with a boat load of body re-comp pics! :hopefulsmiley:

    There already is a similar thread, just not many people have reached the end goal of their recomposition: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest

    @usmcmp: That is a great thread. Thank you for taking the time to create it and for all the help that you've given. :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    For me, scale numbers are pretty important. I doubt I would have achieved much trying to recomp at 300+ lbs. Great progress pictures! Happiness is a pretty important part of the equation.
  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
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    You look great.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    For me, scale numbers are pretty important. I doubt I would have achieved much trying to recomp at 300+ lbs. Great progress pictures! Happiness is a pretty important part of the equation.

    I think (correct me if I'm wrong) recomp is more noticable and effective when down to goal weight range and during maintenance. Otherwise, the best strategy is still to lose fat through calorie deficit and preserve muscle by exercise in order to reduce weight until then.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    Shana67 wrote: »
    I think it's pretty easy to say not to get caught up in the numbers when you were already pretty thin to begin with =/

    Eh, that's not my takeaway at all. I'm almost her height but due to my large frame the only time I've been in the 140s was after 6 weeks of under-eating and over-exercising in Boot Camp. So my goal weight is actually in the low end of Overweight in the BMI. But I don't care because I realize it's how I look and feel at that weight that's important, not the number on the scale. Her pics reinforce this - she looks better almost 20 pounds heavier. That's my takeaway, not the number.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    For me, scale numbers are pretty important. I doubt I would have achieved much trying to recomp at 300+ lbs. Great progress pictures! Happiness is a pretty important part of the equation.

    What everyone refers to as recomp is only done when BMI is close to or within the normal range and body fat is within the ideal or average range. Someone who is obese on the BMI scale would not be told to attempt recomposition, they would be encourage to lift to retain lean mass during weight loss and that would put them ahead on having good body composition when they lose the weight.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
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    jemhh wrote: »
    I feel like a giant party pooper because I don't find this kind of thing motivating at all. You have a woman who starts out looking good and ends up looking good. Yes, she has lost fat and gained muscle but she also appears to not have any sort of long term stretched skin issues, likely due to her age and how quickly she lost her weight after having her child. My reality is so far from hers that her advice is meaningless to me.

    If your profile pic is you, then great work getting back into shape!
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Thanks for starting this thread. :)

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