Weight Loss Tips: Is It Really All About Weight?
I’ll be completely frank with you, the #1 question I always get over and over again is that “I’ve been working out and dieting but I am actually getting heavier! What gives?”. Well this question is not without merit…
The marketing angle of so many “weight loss” products and programs is that you achieve success by losing weight on a scale simply because it is the easiest thing to measure. However, in my humble opinion this is the worst measure of your health possible! Why?
There are a number of reasons why most health experts and I believe the focus should not be on the weight because that simply is a trap for failure…
Fact #1: The More Muscle You Have the Heavier You Will Be
Obviously one pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle, but if you are looking at two people who weigh 150lbs and one is 12% body fat and the other is 26% body fat who would you say is the healthier one?
With that said I don’t want you to get obsessed with body fat compositions either. One thing that was startling during my education in Kinesiology is that most body fat measuring devices have an error percent of +/- 8-12%! In other words, the device can tell you that you have 10% body fat when in actuality you have 22%!
Forget all these numbers they simply will lead you down the wrong path. You may be exercising and eating healthy but noticing that your weight is actually going up simply because you are gaining more muscle than you are losing fat. Let’s change this focus…
Fact #2: Focusing on Positive Is Always Better
The best and most effective advice I give all my clients is that you are much more likely to succeed if you focus on the positive.
In this case, the positive is how good you feel after your workout (Ok, well maybe after you have showered after your workout!). The same goes for how good you feel at the end of a day where you have ate super healthy.
Try and change your outlook on this and everything will change for the better, I guarantee it. This directly relates to my next point…
Fact #3: Psychology is Everything When it Comes to Health
Have you ever asked yourself why it is that you break down and eat processed, fatty junk foods? Are these foods giving you any nutritional benefit or enhancing the way you feel about yourself? Are you eating simply because you are bored? How can you replace these junk foods with healthy and tasty alternatives?
Think healthy food can’t be tasty?
Seriously? Come on, it’s the year 2010 and this excuse just doesn’t fly anymore!! Not with the variety of goods we can find at all the local supermarkets and grocery stores.
It’s time to take control and educate yourself with healthy recipe ideas, you can check out the healthy recipes section of this site or find a number of healthy cookbooks from Amazon.com for under $20.
I’ll be honest with you, if you keep pushing yourself to learn more about healthy recipes the more you will enjoy healthy food. I like chocolate, ice cream, and chips as much as the next person but ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you how surprised they are by how good my healthy dinners are so delicious!
Take a few weeks and experiment, buy tons of different spices and herbs, make fresh salsa and low fat salad dressings and you’ll be really happy you made the effort.
Conclusion: Weight Loss Tips – Is It Really All About Weight?
I hope you appreciate my frankess with you here. Focus on the awesome feeling you get after a killer workout and after eating a yummy healthy meal and just have fun with it all. This is the path to success with your health and you shouldn’t let anything get in your way!
Think there’s more to it then this? Leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to follow up with you!
Sign up to the weekly Weight Loss & Training Newsletter & get a 50 Smoothie Recipes PDF for FREE!
Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.
amazing article sam ! I always had that question in my mind.. and you just answered it ! 🙂
Excellent Prerna, thank you for your great feedback!
Hi Sam, i think this one is fr me haha well i would like 2 know tht today my trainer gave me a circut traning of 40 min.followed by tredmill of 20 to 30 min incline @ about level 11 speed 5.5 max he said in traning u will burn 600 to 700 calories depending on yur speed, well usually i uses to do cardio of 1500 calory burn daily fr 6 days in 90 min but seems my weight was not coming down currently it is 77.5 and stuck over der i m bit confused with both these ideas burning 1500 calories daily or circut traning which can give maximium results
i will be gland if u can guide me i tries ur exercises often i just luv tht it has given me fantabulous result of loosing 12 kilos almost and same more i hv to go any suggestions much appreciated
thnkz in advance nd hv a fantastic day
shweta
Hi Shweta, same thing goes for calories, don’t focus on that so much. Focus on increasing intensity at each workout for best results!
tis e-mails are really very supportive, coz when i work out always i weight heavier thanx very much
thanx very supporting really i always weight heavier after work out and this were very disapointing
Hey Sam, I totally agree with your article. Time after time I inform my clients and my peers that numbers on a scale mean squat!
I tell them your best measurement of success is how your clothes fit and how you feel about yourself.
I appreciate your article very much.
For a year, a nutritionist helped me to change some bad habits I had in regards to food, and I lost weight. (18 lbs in a year, with no exercise). With my nutritionist and my doctor behind me, I decided to kick it up a notch and to incorporate a gym membership and regular physical workouts.
I enrolled a personal trainer, who has greatly helped educate me in how to workout. (Build the muscles, then do a Burn phase, and repeat …) However, sometimes, I find the trainers rely too much on the scale readings or the body composition meters they have….to the point where it stresses me out.
I know when my clothes are getting loose, and when they are not.
I think I’ve reached a little plateau, after an additional 17 lbs loss in 8 months. I’ve been reading your articles about VARIATION in eating habits as well as exercise routine, and can’t wait to apply HIIT for one thing, and to include green tea in my day.
I’ve printed out several of your workouts and intend on using them, as soon as I finish my term with my personal trainer.
Awesome Jo Anne, thanks for that comment! Keep me posted on your progress, I’m sure you’ll make it through!