Are you training for a weight or a look? Article
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Kim55555
Posts: 987 Member
Here is a helpful article 
Are you training for a weight or a look?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/lean-bodies-consulting/are-you-training-for-a-weight-or-a-look/10150117070827602
So one of the changes I've made in how clients submit biweekly progress reports is to have them fill in all the commentary BEFORE taking any measurements or checking bodyweight. I've found, and I'm sure this'll come as no surprise, that the numbers dramatically affect the subjective commentary of progress, so I figured I'd try to remove that influence by suggesting one making their comments on perceived progress and what not, prior to any numerical assessments.
And you know what? It sure has made a difference in the comments that are associated with certain numbers. For example, I just reviewed a biweekly in which the comments are fantastic – perception of progress includes being more muscular, leaner, dropping body fat, clothes fitting better, etc. All good stuff that should not and cannot be discounted because ultimately what are we training for? To be more muscular (in some cases), to be leaner (in pretty much all cases), clothes to fit better (all cases), and so on.
So then said client weighs in and takes their measurements and in the final comments section makes a comment on the numbers. What's she say? She's very upset and is disappointed she hasn't lost any fat.
Hmmm ...
Do you see any issue here? An apparent contradiction of sorts?
To rewind a bit again. What is it you train for? To look better or just to weigh less? Do you train so that your body will look a certain way when it's staring back at you in the mirror? Or just to see a smaller number on the scale?
I'm sure the answer is going to be nearly unanimous, if not completely so.
How does one go from making note of a number of positive observations; positive changes in what they are seeing in their physique when they look at themselvesk, even other people making note ... to being depressed about their lack of progress and upseet with themselves based on one number? Did that one number suddenly erase all those positive observations? All of them? Immediately?
You can see why I've made the recommendation to write in all the commentary before doing any numbers. Imagine what the commentary might have been had it been done after the numbers? I bet not nearly as positive. So by summarizing what you're perceiving to be happening in your body before stepping on the Random Number Generator, I'm able to get a more accurate picture of what you think is happening.
Reminder – you're training for a look, not a weight. Are we in agreement here? Yeah, I get that many people associate fat loss with weight loss and an end goal number. So what? That's your problem. Of course you'll lose weight over time; the trend will be downward ... over time. Unless you're a superhuman freak who can repartition perfectly months on end. (Side note, you're not.) Focus on behaviours that promote fat loss, observe what's happening and let the numbers take care of themselves. You can't quantify everything and trying to quantify every little thing simply serves as an added source of stress to the individual and detracts from the overall experience of the journey.
I've said this in a number of prior posts, but what does bodyweight tell you? Does it really tell you if you're progressing or not progressing? Are we not after body composition improvements? Bodyweight provides information on one thing – what you weigh. Nothing else. It offers you no insight as to what's happening with body fat, muscle, or changes in body water.
Does a bodyweight that is dissatisfactory to you instantaneously erase your thoughts and feelings on what you were noticing in your body? It shouldn't right? Yet, of course in some (er, many) cases it does. But this is a case of emotion ruling logic and it's important to remind yourself of this. Numbers are great, but they're not the be-all-end-all determinant of progress. No single assessment tool can give an accurate picture of what's happening. Not bodyweight, not measurements, not even simply observation. It's every tool used together that allows us to see what's happening.
We've addressed bodyweight, but let's even take a look at measurements. In our case, we monitor a handful of measurements over the body. But, are you going to lose body fat at JUST these markers? Surely not. It's only a handful of spots on your body. Fat loss can and will occur everywhere. So perhaps these numbers don't move, but if you were tracking a spot a few inches higher or lower, there is movement. See? Any one tool in isolation is of little use.
The biggest thing? Fat loss is not a linear process. There are peaks and valleys. It's rarely a direct beeline from Point A to Point B.
I guess my point is, don't discount perceived progress simply on the power of a single number. Bodyweight is not ever an accurate indicator of fat-loss progress. Ever!
Check out these two links for more:
http://leanbodiesconsulting.com/articles/The+Scale+Lies!+Daily+Water+Fluctuations
http://www.leanbodiesfitness.com/showthread.php?t=15265
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You and 17 others like this..1 share
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Natalie Stirn Another awesome post Erik!! Thanks so much!
March 22 at 10:55pm · LikeUnlike.Alex Cooper great post. What other measurements do you take?
March 22 at 11:27pm · LikeUnlike.Katie Ritz I hate my scale and throttle it on a daily basis even though I know better. Measurements speak volumes to me.
March 22 at 11:34pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting I tend to use about 8 different measurements, plus weight (yep in CONJUNCTION), pictures, and the client's perception of their progress, which can include what they see, what others are saying about their progress, how their clothes are fitting, etc.
You get a better idea of what's happening when you put it all together and use it all ... together.
March 22 at 11:34pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting Katie - you just pointed out that you truly DON'T know better ... otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to throttle your scale on a daily basis. LOL
March 22 at 11:36pm · LikeUnlike · 1.Katie Ritz :) I throttle it for an upper body workout - but the mess that is created in it's aftermath...well...I should know better.
March 22 at 11:47pm · LikeUnlike.Denise Teague Great Post! I know someone who is about 40 pbs overweight and watches the scale daily! She has associated poundage with image and thus has embarked on a very scary pill popping ride. She has every excuse in the book on why she "can't wor...kout", or "it's too expensive to buy good food", or, "I'm too busy to cook", and my favorite "My thyroid won't let me lose weight." It's no wonder why she isn't healthy and she's just going to be disappointed when the pills run out and the weight comes back on.See More
March 22 at 11:52pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting That's sad Denise.
March 23 at 12:13am · LikeUnlike.Strength for the Journey; Forging Faith and Fitness Love this...what a great idea to measure your success via how you feel and look in the mirror before stepping on the scale or pulling out the measuring tape. I'm going to share!
March 23 at 12:26am · LikeUnlike.Alison Winkelman Great post Erik! Everyone has different progress as well so you can't compare yourself to others who may be dropping more weight. Like you said there are peaks and valleys and everyone will go through them.
March 23 at 12:27am · LikeUnlike.Cameron Hacault Dude, you should write a book. Call it 'It's not about the DAMN scale"! It would sell.
March 23 at 1:10am · LikeUnlike.Michelle Magoto Baker Thanks again Erik. You know how you can read the same thing over and over again and then you all the sudden "get it"? Thanks yet again for helping me change my thinking... that's true progress...
March 23 at 1:40am · LikeUnlike.Suzanne Germano When i first lost weight i didn't even own a scale or a tape measure it was all mirror and clothes. Can i take a pair of pants and now pull them off while buttoned and zipped. throughout the entire weight loss 180 to 120 i hardly ever knew what my current wt was
March 23 at 1:42am · LikeUnlike · 1.Lisa Rodrigue Brown ZJ I tell women all the time..."what if you woke up one day and looked in the mirror and thought you looked better and felt leaner...then you got on the scale and saw the number was more than you thought it should be, would you still feel you ...looked great? Why should a number change this?" The same goes in reverse as well. It is sad to me that a machine can make someone change their mind when their eyes saw something different.See More
March 23 at 2:42am · LikeUnlike · 1.Leoni Smith In my sport, its needed to be a certain weight range to fight, have put on a couple of kilos of muscle mass from training but I am now out of my weight category to fight..
March 23 at 5:59am · LikeUnlike.Shannon Landquist That is a great read!!!
March 23 at 7:19am · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting The article isn't referring to making weight for sport. It's talking about those training for physique.
March 23 at 8:19am · LikeUnlike · 1.Ashley Stines I am not a fan of the scale! It took me a long time to get over the fact that I weight more than any girls at my size and height given the muscular composition of my body. The scale can help keep a person in check; however, I go by how my favorite pair of jeans fit me, as well as how I look when I look in the mirror. I want the LOOK - - who cares about the number if you're happy with your appearance.
March 23 at 10:14am · UnlikeLike · 1.Shannon Landquist as far as weight goes... just curious your thoughts on the following Erik, how is it that some people, even when eating at a deficit and all clean foods, sometimes wind up gaining weight? Would this more then likely signal metabolic slow down? I've always wondered.
March 23 at 10:45am · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting I'd call them liars. If they're TRULY in a deficit, you can't gain weight. You can't gain something out of nothing. It's akin to asking someone to store lots of milk when no milk exists.
Something is amiss there. If you're gaining weight, there is definitely no true deficit there.
Are you training for a weight or a look?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/lean-bodies-consulting/are-you-training-for-a-weight-or-a-look/10150117070827602
So one of the changes I've made in how clients submit biweekly progress reports is to have them fill in all the commentary BEFORE taking any measurements or checking bodyweight. I've found, and I'm sure this'll come as no surprise, that the numbers dramatically affect the subjective commentary of progress, so I figured I'd try to remove that influence by suggesting one making their comments on perceived progress and what not, prior to any numerical assessments.
And you know what? It sure has made a difference in the comments that are associated with certain numbers. For example, I just reviewed a biweekly in which the comments are fantastic – perception of progress includes being more muscular, leaner, dropping body fat, clothes fitting better, etc. All good stuff that should not and cannot be discounted because ultimately what are we training for? To be more muscular (in some cases), to be leaner (in pretty much all cases), clothes to fit better (all cases), and so on.
So then said client weighs in and takes their measurements and in the final comments section makes a comment on the numbers. What's she say? She's very upset and is disappointed she hasn't lost any fat.
Hmmm ...
Do you see any issue here? An apparent contradiction of sorts?
To rewind a bit again. What is it you train for? To look better or just to weigh less? Do you train so that your body will look a certain way when it's staring back at you in the mirror? Or just to see a smaller number on the scale?
I'm sure the answer is going to be nearly unanimous, if not completely so.
How does one go from making note of a number of positive observations; positive changes in what they are seeing in their physique when they look at themselvesk, even other people making note ... to being depressed about their lack of progress and upseet with themselves based on one number? Did that one number suddenly erase all those positive observations? All of them? Immediately?
You can see why I've made the recommendation to write in all the commentary before doing any numbers. Imagine what the commentary might have been had it been done after the numbers? I bet not nearly as positive. So by summarizing what you're perceiving to be happening in your body before stepping on the Random Number Generator, I'm able to get a more accurate picture of what you think is happening.
Reminder – you're training for a look, not a weight. Are we in agreement here? Yeah, I get that many people associate fat loss with weight loss and an end goal number. So what? That's your problem. Of course you'll lose weight over time; the trend will be downward ... over time. Unless you're a superhuman freak who can repartition perfectly months on end. (Side note, you're not.) Focus on behaviours that promote fat loss, observe what's happening and let the numbers take care of themselves. You can't quantify everything and trying to quantify every little thing simply serves as an added source of stress to the individual and detracts from the overall experience of the journey.
I've said this in a number of prior posts, but what does bodyweight tell you? Does it really tell you if you're progressing or not progressing? Are we not after body composition improvements? Bodyweight provides information on one thing – what you weigh. Nothing else. It offers you no insight as to what's happening with body fat, muscle, or changes in body water.
Does a bodyweight that is dissatisfactory to you instantaneously erase your thoughts and feelings on what you were noticing in your body? It shouldn't right? Yet, of course in some (er, many) cases it does. But this is a case of emotion ruling logic and it's important to remind yourself of this. Numbers are great, but they're not the be-all-end-all determinant of progress. No single assessment tool can give an accurate picture of what's happening. Not bodyweight, not measurements, not even simply observation. It's every tool used together that allows us to see what's happening.
We've addressed bodyweight, but let's even take a look at measurements. In our case, we monitor a handful of measurements over the body. But, are you going to lose body fat at JUST these markers? Surely not. It's only a handful of spots on your body. Fat loss can and will occur everywhere. So perhaps these numbers don't move, but if you were tracking a spot a few inches higher or lower, there is movement. See? Any one tool in isolation is of little use.
The biggest thing? Fat loss is not a linear process. There are peaks and valleys. It's rarely a direct beeline from Point A to Point B.
I guess my point is, don't discount perceived progress simply on the power of a single number. Bodyweight is not ever an accurate indicator of fat-loss progress. Ever!
Check out these two links for more:
http://leanbodiesconsulting.com/articles/The+Scale+Lies!+Daily+Water+Fluctuations
http://www.leanbodiesfitness.com/showthread.php?t=15265
.UnlikeLike · · Share
You and 17 others like this..1 share
1 share
Natalie Stirn Another awesome post Erik!! Thanks so much!
March 22 at 10:55pm · LikeUnlike.Alex Cooper great post. What other measurements do you take?
March 22 at 11:27pm · LikeUnlike.Katie Ritz I hate my scale and throttle it on a daily basis even though I know better. Measurements speak volumes to me.
March 22 at 11:34pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting I tend to use about 8 different measurements, plus weight (yep in CONJUNCTION), pictures, and the client's perception of their progress, which can include what they see, what others are saying about their progress, how their clothes are fitting, etc.
You get a better idea of what's happening when you put it all together and use it all ... together.
March 22 at 11:34pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting Katie - you just pointed out that you truly DON'T know better ... otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to throttle your scale on a daily basis. LOL
March 22 at 11:36pm · LikeUnlike · 1.Katie Ritz :) I throttle it for an upper body workout - but the mess that is created in it's aftermath...well...I should know better.
March 22 at 11:47pm · LikeUnlike.Denise Teague Great Post! I know someone who is about 40 pbs overweight and watches the scale daily! She has associated poundage with image and thus has embarked on a very scary pill popping ride. She has every excuse in the book on why she "can't wor...kout", or "it's too expensive to buy good food", or, "I'm too busy to cook", and my favorite "My thyroid won't let me lose weight." It's no wonder why she isn't healthy and she's just going to be disappointed when the pills run out and the weight comes back on.See More
March 22 at 11:52pm · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting That's sad Denise.
March 23 at 12:13am · LikeUnlike.Strength for the Journey; Forging Faith and Fitness Love this...what a great idea to measure your success via how you feel and look in the mirror before stepping on the scale or pulling out the measuring tape. I'm going to share!
March 23 at 12:26am · LikeUnlike.Alison Winkelman Great post Erik! Everyone has different progress as well so you can't compare yourself to others who may be dropping more weight. Like you said there are peaks and valleys and everyone will go through them.
March 23 at 12:27am · LikeUnlike.Cameron Hacault Dude, you should write a book. Call it 'It's not about the DAMN scale"! It would sell.
March 23 at 1:10am · LikeUnlike.Michelle Magoto Baker Thanks again Erik. You know how you can read the same thing over and over again and then you all the sudden "get it"? Thanks yet again for helping me change my thinking... that's true progress...
March 23 at 1:40am · LikeUnlike.Suzanne Germano When i first lost weight i didn't even own a scale or a tape measure it was all mirror and clothes. Can i take a pair of pants and now pull them off while buttoned and zipped. throughout the entire weight loss 180 to 120 i hardly ever knew what my current wt was
March 23 at 1:42am · LikeUnlike · 1.Lisa Rodrigue Brown ZJ I tell women all the time..."what if you woke up one day and looked in the mirror and thought you looked better and felt leaner...then you got on the scale and saw the number was more than you thought it should be, would you still feel you ...looked great? Why should a number change this?" The same goes in reverse as well. It is sad to me that a machine can make someone change their mind when their eyes saw something different.See More
March 23 at 2:42am · LikeUnlike · 1.Leoni Smith In my sport, its needed to be a certain weight range to fight, have put on a couple of kilos of muscle mass from training but I am now out of my weight category to fight..
March 23 at 5:59am · LikeUnlike.Shannon Landquist That is a great read!!!
March 23 at 7:19am · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting The article isn't referring to making weight for sport. It's talking about those training for physique.
March 23 at 8:19am · LikeUnlike · 1.Ashley Stines I am not a fan of the scale! It took me a long time to get over the fact that I weight more than any girls at my size and height given the muscular composition of my body. The scale can help keep a person in check; however, I go by how my favorite pair of jeans fit me, as well as how I look when I look in the mirror. I want the LOOK - - who cares about the number if you're happy with your appearance.
March 23 at 10:14am · UnlikeLike · 1.Shannon Landquist as far as weight goes... just curious your thoughts on the following Erik, how is it that some people, even when eating at a deficit and all clean foods, sometimes wind up gaining weight? Would this more then likely signal metabolic slow down? I've always wondered.
March 23 at 10:45am · LikeUnlike.Lean Bodies Consulting I'd call them liars. If they're TRULY in a deficit, you can't gain weight. You can't gain something out of nothing. It's akin to asking someone to store lots of milk when no milk exists.
Something is amiss there. If you're gaining weight, there is definitely no true deficit there.
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Replies
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great article! I can totally identify myself with those number-based comments... I try to stay positive, but sometimes I do depend on the numbers :grumble:
Thanks for sharing!0 -
Bump
I found this old thread of mine! Hope it will encourage & motivate! 0 -
Great post and a good reminder to stay the course. This is a journey but I find myself obsessing over the scale even though everyone else compliments my progress.
Why can everyone else see it but I cant! #Frustration
Guess its time to hide the scale...focus on the mirror, and take before and after pictures!0 -
Great post and a good reminder to stay the course. This is a journey but I find myself obsessing over the scale even though everyone else compliments my progress.
Why can everyone else see it but I cant! #Frustration
Guess its time to hide the scale...focus on the mirror, and take before and after pictures!
At times neither the scale or my measurements were changing yet my clothes were getting looser and people (who hadn't seen me for a month or 2 were commenting that I had lost more weight. That I was fading away! During these frustrating times this is what encouraged me to keep going. Also taking photos. The mirror doesn't always tell me the truth I'm finding because I sometimes cant see the changes when looking at myself in the mirror but when I see a photograph taken at a party I can see how thin I really am now.
Sometimes to know if you are on track you are going to have to just assess yourself with how you are fitting into your clothes! You just have to keep perservering. Like the article says. The numbers will take care of itself.
If you exercise intensely and weight train you really have to have a steely determination and develop patience because the rate that you lose is going to be a lot slower than someone who doesn't exercise due to the fact that you are retaining muscle mass and retaining water + glycogen in your muscles. Its taken me a good 2 years to lose my 31 kgs and the last 5 kg have taken an eternity lol. I'm close to goal now weighing 60 kg and 26.5% body fat however I am not fussed if the tummy fat that I still want to lose takes another 6 -12 months to come off because I know it is a long slow process. I will chip away at it!
Yep take those pictures! Monthly! I have been taking photos but I wish I took them dressed in bikinis rather than gym gear. 0 -
bumpy mcbump!!!!0
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gday. i edited my reply as you were bumping (just in case you happened to miss out on reading it 0
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Bump
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Wow. Nice NSV today!
Went to my doctor who I haven't seen in 3 months. He could tell how much leaner I am since February and wasn't surprised when I told him that I hadn't lost scale weight. He knows I lift heavy. Pity I wasn't wearing a sleeveless top because he said that my muscles are looking nicely toned and my pants were falling off me lol. I told him I lost 2 more cm's off my waist and 2 off my arms. 0 -
I am training and eating "right" to finish P90X. IF I get amazing results in anyway I will be happy but at this point I only want to say I am P90X grad.
So sick to telling people I am "Doing the program" only to quit a few weeks later. I even joined a gym and quit going the very next week because I still had an unfinished P90X program sitting in teh box at home.
At one time it was about weight, at another time it was to look good.....right now its what my count down chart says. In 85 days I will be DONE!!!!
Denise0 -
At one time it was about weight, at another time it was to look good.....right now its what my count down chart says. In 85 days I will be DONE!!!!
Denise
Good for you
For me:
My goal was to lose the 31 kg for footy. Now that I achieved that goal apart from the health benefits its aesthetics now. I want that flat tummy. I know that it took 2 years to lose all the weight and I know I'll have to be patient to get the desired look I'm after. I'm not fussed if it takes another 6 - 12 months. I've come so far and I keep reminding myself its not going to happen overnight. Thats ok 0 -
Bump for Melp music0
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Found this handy article0
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Found this handy article
You bumped your own thread 2 YEARS later? :huh:0 -
Yeah I was reading my old threads to see what worked for me in the past as I'm cutting ATM and haven't visited here in months & came across that handy article. What's the problem??0
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I'm doing well on my cut... I'm refreshing my memory re reading old posts. It's kinda like my journal.0
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Huh? Like a blog?I'm doing well on my cut... I'm refreshing my memory re reading old posts. It's kinda like my journal.0
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