If there is one thing that over the last 10 years has been my biggest headache hands down its the argument that scale weight means nothing! On a daily basis I have to remind Punch members and boot campers that when you step on that scale the number you see is relative and therefore not an accurate measure of results.
The simple fact of the matter is if you are doing everything right your scale weight will not change much, at least in the beginning of your weight loss journey. What I mean is as you begin taking steps to improve your health and increase metabolism by weight training and eating 6 small meals throughout the day you will begin gaining muscle. This is a necessary process if you want results!
So what occurs is as you are losing inches and body fat you are also gaining necessary muscle mass which offsets your losses on the scale giving the appearance that you are not getting results! Remember that muscle weighs more than fat and that in fact is what you see when you step on that scale. The problem is as human beings we are neurotic…especially woman about what the scale says! Sorry ladies….You know its true!
I ask everyone the same question when they come to me with this question. Have you lost inches..? Do you feel better..? Has your strength and endurance improved….? Has your clothing become looser..?
In almost every case the answers to all of those questions are “Yes”, however they always are followed by the word “BUT”. No but…if you answered yes to the above questions then you are doing exactly what you need to do in order to achieve results! Yes the weight will come down eventually as long as your doing everything correct but it takes some time.
The key to getting the weight off and keeping it off is a safe slow loss in body fat as you gain new lean body mass to stimulate metabolism and give you that “tone” everyone wants. Its the people who want a quick weight loss using some fad diet program or diet pills that lose all that weight very quickly then before you know it gain it all back! Its the people who dedicate themselves to a lifestyle change and put in the hard work and long term commitment that will succeed every time and enjoy their new body for the rest of their lives. If you want a quick fix weight loss program then Punch Kettlebell Gym is not for you, I ensure that what we teach here is the correct way to lose weight and get in shape which is why we give our clients the lean fit bodies they have always wanted and the quality of life they deserve!
I can show you hundreds of my clients records from our monthly testing proving that what I say is absolutely true. To show you an example I present to you a case study showing the results of one of my most dedicated Punch Gym members Dawn Creasy. Dawn started with us here at Punch in the first week of January since that time she has lost over 27 pounds of fat! Please focus your attention on Dawn’s monthly results listed below.
January 2010- 38% body fat/193.4 pounds/73.4 pounds of fat/120 pounds of muscle
February 2010- 34.6% body fat/191.6 pounds/66.2 pounds of fat/125.4 pounds of muscle
March 2010- 30.7% body fat/191.4 pounds/58.7 pounds of fat/132.7 pounds of muscle
April 2010- 28.3% body fat/188.8 pounds/53.4 pounds of fat/135.4 pounds of muscle
May 2010-28.2% body fat/181.2 pounds/51 pounds of fat/130.2 pounds of muscle
June 2010- 25.7% body fat/181.2 pounds/46.5 pounds of fat/134.7 pounds of muscle
So as you can see from Dawn’s results her scale weight only dropped about 12 pounds during her time at Punch but whats more important is the significant amount of fat she lost. Dawn now has lost more than 27 pounds of fat off of her body and gained over 15 pounds of quality fat burning muscle!
What I have shown you here is the correct way to safely lose body fat once and for all and never have to feel bad about yourself again! These are the results I see day in and day out at Punch!
The big point I want everyone to come away with her is the scale is not an accurate way of measuring results. As you can see from Dawn’s results she could easily be discouraged if she only looked at the scale weight, and many people fall into this trap!
Have a professional take all the necessary measurements to reveal your true results because if your doing things correctly the muscle you gain will offset the scale weight giving the illusion that your not getting results. You must throw the scale away and measure body fat and muscle mass to get your true results.
Chris Gray
President, Punch Kettlebell Gym, Dover
Thanks Chris for that very important blog about the scale. I am one of those people who has looked at the scale to “define” my results of my working out and dieting. Whenever I saw the numbers going down I really felt I was doing something. However since I have joined the Boot Camp, I have noticed how much stronger I am getting.When Katie handed me a heavier weight, I looked at her like she was crazy, but I thought well she saw that I was getting stronger so now I needed to see if I was. I am really enjoying myself, but my biggest hurdle is the Nutrition, I am terrible with what I eat. So that is going to be a real challenge throughout this whole thing. Keep the letters coming. thanks
Hi Michelle im glad this helped you, its a biggie for most people! Your exactly right the nutrition is the toughest part but its also the MOST IMPORTANT!
Dont set yourself up for failure Michelle….If you need help get it ASAP. My nutrition course at Punch Kettlebell Gym starts tonight but I also have many other ways to help you with your nutrition but you have to reach out!
Stay focused and train hard!
Chris
So true. Get rid of the scale! I always go by the way my clothes fit. Dawn you look great! Keep up the great work! 🙂
LOL!! I laughing at myself because just on Monday, I was VERY frustated that I have not lose any pounds. I was about to fall face first into the “scale trap”. Friday, I was tempted to go on the scale when in my head I heard Chris say “get of the scale because it does not matter”. I work out so hard at the gym and Iam very committed to my nurtion. It just seems like I am doing all of this hard work for nothing. Being a repeat boot camper, I know that the scale does not matter. Yes, I feel great, my clothes fit better, and I have increased strength and endurance. I did so well in the previous class. But in my mind, I need to see results ASAP. I guess it is a mental thing for me. Thanks Chris for keeping my mind on the right track. I know that it is not easy 🙂
Everytime I go in for my monthly weigh-in, I’m wondering how bad it’s going to be, there are times that I feel like I haven’t budged at all, and times when I can see the inches going away. The last time, I was feeling pretty frustrated, could not notice a difference even in the mirror. We did all of the measurements and found that in exactly one month, I’d lost 4 1/2 lbs of fat! It is slowly starting to sink into my head that these changes are going on inside of me, even if I can’t always see them, and if I’m honest with myself, even if I can’t SEE them, I definitely FEEL them.
Yes Dawn! Exactly! Your body sometimes has to heal itself from the inside out!