Don't Believe the Scale

Many women seem to have a mutually dependent relationship with the almighty scale We trust the scale enough to actually stand on the mechanical device much more than we really need to

Many women seem to have a mutually dependent relationship with the almighty scale. We trust the scale enough to actually stand on the mechanical device much more than we really need to. What?s even more hilarious is that we spend the rest of the time finding excuses and reasons not believe what the scale tells us.

Here are some popular ones?

The "it''s broken" excuse: "Oh geeze this thing must be broken cause there?s no way I weigh that much!

The rounding down method: "Hmmm..the scale says 154 pounds. I really weigh 150."

The natural fluctuation excuse: "I?m bloated today that?s why I weigh that much."

The accessory excuse: "My clothes (shoes, hair tie, underwear) must weigh at least 2 or 3 pounds."

The wet hair excuse: "I just a shower. I''m still soaking wet. So I weigh a lot more."

When it comes to making progress, the scale is probably the least accurate tool to use. When you?re exercising you might not lose that much weight on the scale. But this doesn''t mean that you aren''t making considerable progress. You?ll actually find that your clothes are looser fitting because you?ve replaced the fat with muscle; you?ll feel lighter, stronger, and sexier. All these little things add up and prove that you are making progress physically and emotionally.

The scale it self measures your weight as a whole, and doesn?t take in the fact that you have fat weight and lean muscle weight. This is the big difference here. And this is also why you should not rely on all your weight loss statistics to be from the scale. It will just frustrate and annoy the heck out of you.

Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. But it''s more compact and tight. So an accurate exchange of a pound of muscle for a pound of fat will obviously make no change in your actual weight, but it will make your body look slimmer and defined.

When it comes to your health, don?t focus too much on how much you weigh. Fatness is measured by the percentage of fat you have to lean body mass (muscle, bones, organs, and so forth).

Using body fat standards, someone who weighs 120 pounds but with 35 percent fat could actually be considered fat. At the same time the same woman at the same height who weighs 40 and has only 15 to 18 percent fat could be considered lean.

You can find out your fat status by getting your body composition tested at your local gym, your doctor, or just ask your trainer.

Alternatively you can use a tape measure. As you exercise you?ll replace every 3 ? pounds of fat with every 2 pounds of muscle you gain. So for every 1 ? - pound loss on the scale, you should lose about an inch in your waist measurement simply because the muscle is more tight.

There are numerous ways to track your progress, don?t just use one method. When you have a bunch of ways to track your progress you?ll be able to get a broader idea of what exactly is changing in your body other than your weight.

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