If you are someone who is struggling to lose weight on the scale, even though you are eating healthily and have a good exercise routine, then you need to read this.
The scale can be very misleading, so you shouldn’t let some meaningless number stop you from making progress towards your goals. If you feel you are spending your life exercising and dieting, but the scale doesn’t want to budge or it keeps going up, just remember that the scale can be very misleading.
I know that it is difficult to move away from the scale, however weighing yourself everyday can be counterproductive. Getting rid of your scale could be the best decision you will ever make.
So even if you are in the process of transforming your body, here are some reasons the scale might have gone up.
Reasons You May Be Struggling To Lose Weight
Working Out
When you workout, you put stress on your muscle fibers. This causes micro tears and inflammation in your muscles which is normal. Also muscle weights more than fat, so as you build more lean muscle, it is only natural that your weight will go up, even though you are making positive progress ane transforming your body.
In this case you need to throw away your scale as the number you will see now means nothing.
You Ate Carbs
Carbs retain water which can show as weight gain. It is not actually weight gain, it is just your body holding onto more fluids. This does not mean you should cut out carbs, but rather focus on high quality carbs most of the time.
You Consumed More Salt
Salt is another thing that retains water which shows on the scale as weight gain. Again it is not actually weight gain but merely the body holding onto fluids.
You Ate Later Than Usual
Eating later at night isn’t always a bad thing, but it can cause your weight to go up in the morning.
Once again, this doesn’t mean that you are gaining weight. Just keep following a healthy meal plan and you will be fine.
Periods
Right before your period, your body holds onto more water and “gains” weight. Don’t worry about this… AT ALL!
Just keep working hard with your exercise plan and eat wholesome foods and you can throw your scale away…..
Did you know that having a scale and weighing yourself constantly is the number one reason that people quit trying to lose weight?
What Should A Healthy Day Look Like?
Here are some reasons that you don’t need to worry about what the scale says:
- You felt amazing during your workouts this week.
- You did three more pushups than you did last week.
- You crushed your squats.
- You had a tasty healthy breakfast
- Your jeans fit better than ever.
- You went for a nice long walk with your dog.
- You had a co-worker compliment you on how great you look.
- You enjoyed a delicious and nutrient dense lunch and dinner.
So if you now decide to step onto the scale and it says you gained two pounds you would feel very discouraged wouldn’t you?
And you will forget all about the progress you have made.
So try this…..
For your own sanity, start looking at other forms of measurement aside from using the scale.
Can you answer yes to the following questions:
- Do you feel energized throughout the day?
- Are you making progress in your workouts?
- Are you sleeping better?
- Are your clothes fitting better?
- Do you have more energy while you are working out?
- Do you see a difference in your before and after photos?
- Are you moving more easily?
- Can you keep up with your kids?
So, as you can see there are so many ways to measure your progress without the use of a confidence sucking scale.
Start looking at your wins and don’t let a number on a scale dictate your success or the progress that you are making. The scale could after all be the only reason you are struggling to lose weight.
Every time I see a scale, I would weigh myself and each one would give me a different weight. This is good advice get rid of the scale. The carbs are my downfall when trying to lose weight and especially snacking on a bag of potato chips late at night before going to bed. I found your article useful, I have bookmarked it and will use it as a guide. May I share your article with my social media followers?
You may Jannette. And just a word of advice. Try and swap the bag of potato chips for a bag of nuts and then go to pretzels or fruit. It will soon become a habit and you won’t even miss the chips.
Hey man, your article definitely touched on a few points that I need to work on so I can lose a little bit of this weight. Lord knows I’m struggling. Especially when it comes down to carbs and eating late at night. You explained a lot of points in great detail that my fat tale needed to know, and need to put into practice. I will aim to get healthier and not worry too much about what my scale is doing, although it is difficult. Your blog is now book marked into my web history for me to refer back to later. Great job on this and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Thanks for stopping by Hassan and good luck with the life style changes. Don’t wait until New Years, the sooner you start the better.
Can sleep help you lose weight? I have been trying to lose weight on my stomach for years now but it seems like everything I do does not seem to be working. I would greatly appreciate it if you could please help me out. I will try the methods mentioned in this article.
Getting enough sleep is important, as lack of sleep promotes weight gain. However, I wouldn’t say getting enough sleep will make you lose weight. A good diet and exercise plan is the only way.