Don't gauge your progress purely by your weight!

FifiMcFu
FifiMcFu Posts: 7
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,

I've been browsing the forums for a while now, and one thing I have noticed is an obsession with seeing the scales go in the right direction. If people put in the effort and work out frequently, but don't see the results they want, they immediately get discouraged.

Let me just say now, YOUR WEIGHT DOESN'T NECESSARILY GAUGE YOUR FITNESS AND HEALTH.

I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times before, but MUSCLE weighs far more than FAT. For people who are actively exercising as part of their health regime, this can mean that you gain weight before you lose it.

For example, a typical rugby player is the peak of physical fitness and is mostly muscle, not fat. But because muscle weighs more than fat, his BMI number will sit him squarely in the "obese" group. See what I'm saying? Numbers aren't everything, ESPECIALLY what the scales tell you!!

Here is my recommendation: Invest in a tape measure. If you're dieting and exercising to get thinner, then MEASURE YOUR SIZE, NOT YOUR WEIGHT! Measure the circumference of key areas like your waist, thighs, neck and upper arms, and record them frequently. Trust me, you'll see much better results than if you only record your weight.

Hope that this is of some help to you all! GOOD LUCK!!

edit: Okay, being pedantic, muscle does not weigh more than fat. It is denser though, and therefore will cause you to measure your weight loss progress incorrectly.

Replies

  • Leanne169
    Leanne169 Posts: 27 Member
    Think i'll get myself a measuring tape today ... :smile:
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
    Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - 1kg of muscle weighs the same as 1kg of fat ;)

    I can see what you are saying though. I track my body fat % and muscle % each week also.
  • abbie017
    abbie017 Posts: 410
    I agree with most points except this one.. muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. A pound is a universal measurement. A pound of lead weighs the same as a pound of feathers, because one pound equals one pound! The pound of lead will be much smaller than the pile of a pound of feathers, but they weigh the same because you can't change the definition of a pound based on what you are measuring.

    A pound of muscle is LEANER, thus takes up less space, which is why you may maintain the same weight while your clothes fit better.
  • pantoine
    pantoine Posts: 12
    Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - 1kg of muscle weighs the same as 1kg of fat ;)

    I can see what you are saying though. I track my body fat % and muscle % each week also.


    ...by volume it does...
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    I agree with this - my brother-in-law is a builder, fit as a butcher's dog, and his BMI says he's overweight. Utter rubbish! IMHO, BMI is a guage, no more, as are scales.
  • melmister
    melmister Posts: 1 Member
    Well written post FifiMcFu! Very sound advice.
  • NPS1985
    NPS1985 Posts: 79 Member
    Yeah the scale does not show your true progress........My clothes are fitting much better than they did 3 months ago! I need to find my measuring tape to see how I'm doing. Thanks!


    Muscle and Fat are equal they just look much different ;)
  • midwesthiker
    midwesthiker Posts: 144
    I have went down 2 pants sizes and maintained the same weight. I gave up on the scale and use the tape measure instead.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    My favourite picture!

    fat-v-muscle.jpg

    What would I rather my body be full of? Those disgusting yellow bits? Or the lovely sleek red ones?
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