Putting the Number on the Scale in Perspective

Most of us probably don’t make drastic changes to our eating habits without at least some motivation to change our weight and/or physical appearance.  So it’s natural that we are going to look at the scale and we’ll have emotional ups and downs – usually inversely proportional to the ups and downs on the scale.  However on some of the forums I frequent, I see a lot of posts that start out something like “So discouraged, I’ve ONLY lost 4 pounds.”  or “This doesn’t work, I’ve been eating right and even started working out and I actually gained 2 pounds!”

I’m not saying that what we weigh isn’t part of the story.  It’s just not the whole story.  For those of who haven’ started exercising yet, I highly encourage you to do so.  I truly believe that it was a big part of what helped me focus, de-stress and keep myself mentally on track.

I’ve posted this video elsewhere, but if you haven’t seen it, this is a quick 2 and a half minute video showing the size difference between equal weights of muscle and fat.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozt-V0PPJaw

And I’m not saying you have to be hitting the weights daily to increase your amount of lean muscle.  As a matter of fact, if you’ve been mostly sedentary (like I was prior to October 2011) then just small simple starts like walking will start to stimulate muscle growth.

Start in small increments (especially if you are starting out with a lot of weight). Don’t hurt yourself.  Just … move.  As always, you should consult with a professional (doctor, trainer, etc) prior to making any drastic changes in your routine.  But the whole point of changing your diet is tell your bodies to start burning fat as fuel or to tell your muscles to grow.  Get moving and burn some of that fuel!