Weight Loss vs. Body Composition Improvements That Last
If like many of my clients you are hyper focused on the weight scale and not really concerned with your body composition behaviors, then I have one tip that is going to change your body faster and keep you motivated for life.
When it comes to body transformation, weight loss is just one of dozens of stats that personal trainers track and it isn’t even the most important one. In fact the scale is of such little value to fitness professionals because it’s not what is going to get you to your long term goal of having a healthy body composition that is not in the obesity and diseases danger zone.
Those Same 5-20 Pounds You Keep Losing & Gaining Are Not The Issue
Sure it’s nice to see those numbers dropping but let’s face facts, most of those daily ups and downs you see on the scale, that you insist on freaking out about, are water weight issues. Not many of us can drop 5 actual pounds of fat in a week or gain 15 pounds of fat on our Caribbean cruise.
The scale is the absolute worse indicator of actual progress. It won’t reflect anything worth noting until all the other things that are worth tracking are on point. So if your goal is to get lasting body transformation results here’s what you actually need to be hyper focused on:
Here’s 15 Things To Focus On & Track for Successful Fatloss
The Exercise Behaviors
Adequate workout frequency
Good balance of workout types, duration and intensity
Workout consistency week after week month after month
Fitness goal setting and workout tracking
Strength gains and cardio improvements
Flexibility and mobility improvements
The Healthy Eating Behaviors
Nutrient dense meals
Adequate calories and macros
Smart eating strategies that don’t revolve around diet culture
Smarter beverage behaviors that detox and heal your body
Self accountability meal tracking with journals or apps
The Lifestyle Changes
Recovery improvements
Health improvements
Mindset improvements
Lifestyle improvements
Goal achievements and upgrades
Go Ahead And Put Your Weight Scale Away for A While!
Did you notice the scale isn’t even on this list of 15 things we track at your training sessions? The scale merely indicates if you overindulged in some salty foods and missed a few training sessions. What it isn’t showing you is the big picture of whether you are truly making an effort in as many areas that matter to reach your goals.
The Scale Doesn’t Lie But…
It’s true that the scale doesn’t lie but also true is the fact that if you don’t begin to focus on the behavior modification more than you do on your scale weight that fat weight is never going to budge. So my big tip for you is to put your scale away for the next few months. Stop weighing yourself daily and get hyper focused on the behavior changes instead. The body composition results will come faster when you focus on the right things.
