If you’ve been losing and gaining the same 10 kilos of fat for years then these simple concepts may change your life.

Checking your weight on the scales every time you go to the gym could be the single most fattening thing you do. Despite millions of dollars being spent in the effort to help people lose weight worldwide most of these efforts have been ineffective. The unfortunate reality is that most people regain all the weight they lose within five years of a weight loss diet. This leads to hundreds of people undergoing repeated cycles of weight loss and weight gain.

Most people weigh themselves in the hope they are controlling their weight, sadly the number on the scales usually only end up controlling their self esteem. One of my clients would get on the scales at the gym every day- even in the evening and if the number hadn’t gone down he felt like a complete failure and would then either throw an in towel and give up and spend the rest of the week depressed. So what are we measuring when we hop on those scales? Our willpower or our stupidity? We’ve had clients who take off every scrap of clothing or restrict meals in anticipation of a weigh-in, in fact the whole process can lead to failure as the number on the scales has little to do with tracking success short term.

The wrong measure

When you weigh yourself on the scales you are weighing bones, muscles, organs, water and fat. Interestingly fat is one of the lightest tissues you are weighing. You will also have large fluctuations of your weight over the day caused through fluid changes, hormonal changes or just related to the types of food you’ve been eating. It’s not uncommon for many people to gain 1-3 kilos on the scales over the day. The weight gain is caused by hormonal water retention not fat.

Fat goes on slow and comes off slow

The only way to permanently lose fat is slowly, never expect more than a kilo per week, a realistic goal would be between half a percent to one percent of your weight a week. If you weigh 75 kilos this would be a loss of between 350g – 750g of fat per week. Tracking a loss of 350 grams of fat on the scales daily is impossible when you take into account the weight fluctuations that occur due to fluid changes.

You can lose up to 5 kilos of fat without a change on the scales

It is not unusual for many athletes or gym goers to lose 5 kilos of fat or 6 percent body fat without a reduction in their weight. You typically lose up to 500g of muscle mass per year through lack of activity or through yo-yo dieting. More when we age. When you start getting your nutrition on track and losing fat, your muscle mass starts to increase in weight as your waist becomes slimmer.

Change your goal

Is your goal weight too extreme? Many height weight tables are based on old weights that are far to low and unachievable. Having goals is important for weight loss success but the goal should be to make sustainable behavior changes. Weight loss is always a side effect of finding out what behavior led to the weight gain in the first place and setting daily goals to change those behaviors. Take the focus off your weight and start judging your success by how you feel about your self, what your waist measurement is, and your new healthy habits.

Find a different measure

Use the scales as an indicator every two weeks or even monthly. Your waist measurement will be a more accurate guide. How you feel in your clothes and how much energy you have will be a much better measure of success.

Plan for success

There is a better way. Try not to be persuaded by clever marketing of diets that offer quick fix programs and fast weight loss. The best plan of action is to work out why you are over weight in the first place and slowly work on eliminating unhealthy habits and replacing them with more activity and healthier food choices.

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Phone 09 476 0011 or email us here.