A word about goals--saw this and had to share :)

A Word About Goals…
…I see a lot of people getting mad at the scale.

“I didn’t lose anything!”

“Why am I gaining weight?”

You’ve heard the adage that “Muscle weighs more than fat.” Well, that’s WRONG.

Muscle and fat weight the same. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weigh a pound.

The thing missing from that common phrase is ‘by volume’. Muscle weighs more than fat by volume. Put another way, a pound of fat takes up WAY more room than a pound of muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space, and weighs more when you’re looking at equal volumes of fat and muscle.

So what does this mean to you?

It means STOP FOCUSING ON A GOAL WEIGHT.

Now, if you weigh 280 pounds and you’re 5’5”, yeah, you can set a goal weight and strive for that for a while.

But as you approach that weight, ESPECIALLY if it’s a really low weight and you’re female- a goal of say, 120 pounds- it might become difficult to hit that weight, particularly if you’re exercising as well as eating right and watching your caloric intake (all of which you should be doing, by the way).

Why?

Because if you’re exercising, you’re burning fat, yes, but you’re also *building* muscle. And when you get down to really low weights, there’s less fat to burn, and muscle starts getting packed on.

So make your goal something less finicky than a weight.

Pick a jean size and shoot for it.

Take out some clothes from high school and try to make them fit.

Or hell, grab a measuring tape and try to get an inch off your waist.

The scale is a harsh mistress. Yes, she can tell you what you want to hear for a while, but in the end, she tells only lies.

This is why it’s important to take pictures and keep a workout journal. Do you feel better week to week? Are your abs showing? Can you do more pullups this week than last?

Because if you’re doing everything right and still improving, who gives a **** what the scale says?