Everyone measures success differently, particularly when it comes to weight loss. I have a friend that obsessively weighs every morning to see if she’s gained, lost, or maintained. Usually after her morning weigh-in we see something on facebook along the lines of “woot! lost a pound and a half last night!” or “OMG, gained 4 POUNDS, MY LIFE IS OVER!”
Yes, that is somewhat exaggerated but… not really. The problem here is that the scale is her end-all-be-all. Her day begins with her stepping on the scale and the outcome of that one moment determines whether it will be a good day or a bad day. That hunk of plastic and metal had complete contro over her and it’s not even a sentient being!
I admit, I used to weigh daily. It was less about obesessing and more about collecting data. Every day I would put my weight into an Excel spreadsheet and weekly I would make a graph and look at it to see what it showed. There were fluctuations (which is to be expected) and I noticed trends like the fact that I can gain up to 10 pounds of bloat before my period! Over time, I decided that while the data was interesting and helpful on a small level, the most important thing it had to show me was that the scale was not an accurate measure of fitness and health.
I still have a scale and I still weigh though I have limited my weigh ins to weekly at most. It’s tempting sometimes to get on the scale when I feel particularly light but even then, sometimes it’s not what you expect. I remember once after a very vigorous day – lifting, hard cardio, a run, and even a krav maga class – I decided to weigh thinking that I’d have dropped at least 2 pounds. I actually GAINED which was incredibly disappointing. I know now that I was likely bloated because my muscles were healing but still, what a shocker! So instead, I weigh on Friday mornings and that’s it.
Why Friday? I picked Friday because previously I weighed-in on Mondays and realized quickly that weekends were not my best “diet days.” I was more likely to muck up on the weekend and then my Monday weigh-ins were skewed. So I changed to Friday and found things to be much more even.
I also don’t place the same level of confidence on the scale as I used to. For example, I’ve gained a few pounds since my Whole30 ended, mostly because I’ve been sick and indulging in lots of non-Paleo comfort foods. I take full responsibility for that and I’m working to get back on track ASAP. But just because the scale says something, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.
I am going to Hawaii at the end of October. It will be a bittersweet trip because it’s partly for vacation and partly so we can go spread my grandmother’s ashes at her favorite place on earth. Either way, I needed a few new things to wear – the most important being shorts. Aside from my workout shorts, the only three pairs I had were a little loose before the Whole30 and after… Well, they’re HUGE! I know, I know – pics or it didn’t happen:
See? I told you so. They were literally falling off me which wasn’t cool. Shortly before the hurricane, I ordered 2 new pairs from the Gap in a smaller size… I was scared. For me, shorts are the true test of weight loss. I have big thighs so if I haven’t “really lost weight” shorts won’t fit. I’ve bought a few new dresses and a pair of jeans since the weight drop but not shorts.
They were delayed but came yesterday and I was secretly terrified to try them on… But when I did, they fit PERFECT. I couldn’t have asked for better. My husband came in and I had tears in my eyes because I was so happy. Best NSV (non-scale victory) in a long time!
So how my shorts (and other clothes) fit is how I determine my weight loss success. How do you determine yours? Have you found the scale to be just as much a lying bitch as I did? Either way, keep on keeping on!
Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!” – TBA
Paleorific! 