Ditch the scale & embrace the tape

Ditch the scale and embrace the tape

You see, for many people, the weighing scale has defined their worth.

The weighing scale has made them doubt themselves

Doubt the hard work they are putting in, 

Doubt the progress they can see and feel

The scale gives them all kinds of feelings ( usually terrible) Sad, disappointment, angry, frustrated you name it. 

And for years, many women have let the scale define their worth, 

And I was one of them. 

I'll be the first to admit I did not have a food relationship with the scale many year ago. If I did not see a certain, specific number on the scale, I felt horrible, i felt like a failure, I felt like I was doing things wrong! 

Can you imagine this? If went over 128 pounds, I would be upset and think I needed to lose weight! I freaking 28 pounds! That's 58kilos  I mean think about this! 

That just shows you how much power I had given to the scale.

But let me also give you some background, 

When I was getting married I recall being at my friend's house ( Christine) and she has the scale, I remember stepping on it and I was the smallest I had been in a long time weighing 117 pounds about 53Kilos

My dress size then was size 6-8 American. ( there is a reason why this is important keep reading) 

I was also getting married so I was trying to look my best... ( hey ladies.. y all know how we do it right?) 

Anywho... fast forward, I have our first daughter, i gain a lot of weight and start working towards losing the weight. 

After hiring a nutrition coach who helps me understand what a sustainable lifestyle should look like, I started losing more weight. Mind you, I also had a fitness coach.  

In another blog post, I will share how other coaches I had hired tried to get me to follow restrictive meals and meal plans... 

back to my coaches who got me. 

I enjoyed group-type workouts and so  I used to drive about 30 minutes to Tyngsboro Massachusetts to TNT Bootcamp owned by Robby Blanchard which later became Cross Fit Reach in Acton Massachusetts. I have become disciplined enough that I would attend 4-6 times a week Yap! It was addictive. 

So when I signed up with Robby and committed for a whole year, after I finished my trial class, Robby asked me what my goals were and I had to put them down on paper. I wanted to lose 20 pounds, about 9 kilos. 

And so the work started. 
A month into my training, Robby got the scale out and I had gained 5 pounds.

Hmm. 

Now, this was interesting.

I thought when we go to the gym we lose weight. How is it that I had gained a whole 5 pounds? 

I don't remember being upset but I recall being curious. Robby told me it's because I had gained LEAM MUSCLE MASS.

You see You start working out HIIT (high-intensity interval training) the body starts building lean muscle. And this is a good thing because lean muscle mass helps 

1. Burn and decrease Fat

2. Strengthen your bones 

3. Increases overall strength

4. Increases mobility and balance

5. Increases performance output 

6. Improves blood glucose control and insulin sensitivity. 

7. Creates a leaner physique

8. Improves energy

And so I continued working out. I did not let the increase in weight deter me. I trusted what he told me and continued to show up. 

And I started losing weight slowly but what I noticed most is that my dress size was going down. 

Fast forward to about 8-9 months, we were going for a wedding and I needed to buy a new dress (all my clothes were big at this point) 

At this point, my weight was 130 pounds. 

So based on the past, i figured my dress size would be around 10-12,

So i go to the dressing room to try on a dress and i asked for size 10. It was too big

I asked for an 8 - It too was big

i asked for a 6 - wait, how can this be big on me? This is the point i started doubting the dresses

I asked for a 4 and this particular cut was also big. 

Oh, I will not lie I was jumping up and down in the dressing room that all my work was paying off. I was elated! 

Long story, I bought the size 2 dress but  I left there with a lot of questions. 

How can I weigh 130 pounds and be a size 2? 

(Depending on the cut of the dress I oscillated between size 2-4 for over 12 years ( fyi this is being honest about my journey and I encourage you not to compare yourself or feel less than or feel the need to change you and your beautiful self. I was comfortable there)

So I went back to do more research on how one can weigh a lot on the scale but be small and that is when I learned about the difference between lean muscle mass and fat and how they each occupy the body differently. 

Fat takes up more space, 

Muscle takes up less space 

And that is when I decided never to use to scale to judge how I feel.

Yes the scale can give you good data if you know how t read it 

To know that the body is not static or linear

It will change day by day, hour by hour based on many factors

For instance.

Do you have PMS? Expect your weight to change.

Did you eat salty food or processed foods with sodium in them? Expect your weight to change 

Did you drink water, or did not drink water, Expect your weight to change

Did you eat?

Did you poop or not poop?

DId you eat out? 

Are you sick?

All these factors can affect your weight. The key is to notice how you respond to the scale when you step on it. 
If you get emotionally or mentally  perturbed, then consider ditching the scale and using other methods to track how your progress,

DO what works best for you 

You can use 

1. The scale

2. Your cloths

3. A tape measure 

4. All the above 

5, Non of the above.

Mostly consider the number on the scale is just data.