Isn’t it just the worst feeling when you’ve smashed a week in the gym, you’ve eaten so well, you hop on the scales with a smile on your face, only to find your weight has GONE UP?! All of a sudden the fireworks stop, we’re knocked, left feeling disappointed and demotivated and income the bag of cookies and crisps because all we can think to ourselves is ‘what is the point?’.
GET OFF THE SCALES. Keep reading…
My weight goes up and down on the daily – and I’m not talking small changes. I’m talking like 3kg up and down day by day, it’s crazy! I would be the most miserable human being if I looked at the scales every day. Water retention allows you to feel swollen, bloated, uneasy, heavy and is hugely related to 1. stress, 2. what you eat/drink, 3. period. The more water you drink, the less water you hold, so make sure you get it down you! (and just so you know, it won’t feel great right away, but give it a good week or 2 of 2-3L+ to see results). And a side note, if you are training weights regularly, you’ll be growing muscle which weighs significantly more than fat so again, the scales are no clever way to measure your progress! Step away from those scales and stop focusing on the numbers.🙏🏻🙏🏻
Here are some more reliable and healthy ways to measure your progress:
TAKE PICTURES EACH WEEK:
Rather than looking down and relying on the numbers that may or may not be right… PICTURES DON’T LIE and you can actually see for yourself! Get someone to take pictures of you every week, front on, side on, and behind, at the same time each week fully relaxed. This is a simple way to track your progress, and it shows you how far you have come and what to work on. Honestly, there is nothing better than looking back at your photos from the start and seeing how much you have changed!🙌🏻
TAKE MEASUREMENTS:
Just after you take the picture of yourself each week, get someone to take your full body measurements for you, this will keep it as accurate as possible. This seems so longwinded but it literally takes 5 minutes and is so worth it! Record it on in a table that allows you to track your progress easily and accurately. Take all measurements when you’re standing up tall and relaxed and take note of where you took the measurements. Columns should include: waist, hips (bum area), chest, upper arm, upper leg (largest section of thigh), upper calf (largest section). Just MAKE SURE you’re taking your measurements in the same places on your body at the same time of day. PS. if it’s your time of the month, you’ll be bloated and swollen due to hormones, water fluctuations and increased appetite but DON’T PANIC! It’s completely normal to feel the size of a house at this time girl, just listen to your body and give yourself a break.
TRACK HOW YOU FEEL EACH WEEK:
Not all progress is physical. You’ll feel a boost in your energy and confidence levels. How do you measure this? Ask yourself how you feel at the end of the day, and what you have achieved that you didn’t do last week (you might now fit into a pair of jeans that were slightly too tight before! You might be feeling more confident! You might have cracked the code with your motivation! A win is a WIN! Celebrate it! Woooooo!), write it down on a note pad so you can look back and read through it to remind yourself how far you have come and how much you have achieved. Especially if you’re feeling low and your lacking motivation, it’s important to look back and see how amazing your doing.💕
YOUR ATTITUDE TO WHAT YOU ARE EATING WILL CHANGE:
Why? Eating well will make you realise how sh*t unhealthy food makes you FEEL, and how it has a negative effect on your weight, your skin, your attitude, tiredness, productivity etc. So if you used to binge on chocolate or McDonalds before, and now you feel guilty when you eat it, or if the craving has gone completely… now that is progress. YES! Why? Because you’re understanding the effects on your body.👏🏻
If the scale hasn’t moved, don’t give up. DO NOT WEIGH yourself each morning, get that tape measurer out and take pictures weekly instead. Don’t lose focus on what you want to achieve and go smash it!💪🏼