1 May, 2016
When someone says this:
“I’ve been weight training now for 5 weeks and I have put ON weight instead of losing it! This isn’t working!!”
OR
“I’ve been training now for 8 weeks and I am still the same weight! What gives??”
This is what I see in my head.
The ugly confusion of weight loss rears it’s head.
Yes. It’s weird but to counteract the frustrations of the job – sometimes I like to imagine that certain problems are recurring villains in a badly acted TV show. You know the ones – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a favourite in that one of the main recurring villains is so melodramatic and somewhat useless yet she consistently causes issues for the stars of the show.
Constantly focusing on what the scales say and using that as the baseline for progress looks like Rita Repulsa from the original Power Rangers. That connection is ridiculous one might say. Yes. It is ridiculous because the focus on the scales is ridiculous.
I have nearly had an all out yellfest with a client because she had lost 2 dress sizes, reduced in her girth measurements, felt healthier and looked healthier but she was also the heaviest she had ever been. The reaction and focus on what the scales said was completely irrational yet there I was insisting that it didn’t matter because all the other factors trumped what the scales said and my client was having a meltdown because the scales went in what they perceived as the wrong direction.
Needless to say.. this client is now completely on board and understands that the scales tell you simply what your relationship is with the ground – courtesy of of gravity. Your weight does not tell you about body composition and it should not be a primary focus for tracking progress towards you goal.
Why?
Let’s consider someone who is 120kg and they want to lose 40kg. They have done no physical exercise previously and led a sedentary life. When we start training them, we will make sure they are aware of how eating the right food must be in line with their goals. In turn, their training will make them grow muscle. For this particular client – as to how much muscle they grow, it will initially be quite difficult to see given their starting point size. At Epic Win PT – that is why we are so OCD about writing your lifts down so that while you may not initially SEE results – we can show you that after 6 weeks of training, the weights you are lifting have increased. These increases don’t happen by magic – it means you are growing muscle.
So – if this client’s weight stays the same and yet their lifts are going up, we can only assume that they have grown muscle. Now – if they have grown muscle and yet their weight has stayed the same – it is fair to assume that they have lost BODY FAT. After those 6 weeks we take measurements to show shift in girth measurements and some locations may not shift at all (Shoulders, calves, biceps) but others may start moving in the right direction (chest, waist, hips).
To be completely fair, given the size of our example client, we would expect to see some change in their weight if they were eating correctly and training consistently too. The point remains though that if you are growing muscle – you are increasing your potential for a higher metabolic rate. Higher metabolism = more potential to burn body fat in a resting state. What the scales provide is but one small semi useful piece of data that provides insight into someone transforming their body. If you dropped dress sizes, looked and felt better and the weights you were lifting were increasing – would you ultimately care about your relationship with the scales and thus gravity? No.
When was the last time you heard ANYONE say ” Wow.. you are looking slimmer and so fit and healthy but you still look really heavy?”
I mean seriously? Who would say that? If anyone did say that.. they would be met with the ridicule and admonishment they deserve.
Let me make it clear – so clear that I made a picture of it.
Is it likely that our example client will hit their initial 40kg loss? Perhaps. But to be completely realistic, that is a major, longterm goal and if this client does everything right with regards to their nutrition, sleep, stress and training.. not to mention their re-education on the important focus points of transforming your body; that 40kg figure won’t really mean much if they drop clothes sizes and are much healthier overall.
So do yourself a favour – Tip the scales – Into the bin. Leave the weight tracking to us. It will save you anxiety, stress and confusion.
Jon 😉
Jon is a Metabolic Precision Transformation Specialist working from his Studio EPIC WIN PT in Newmarket, Brisbane. Follow all the fun and adventures by liking the Facebook page here