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Despite being named “Math Student of the Month” for my terrific performance in Algebra II my junior year of high school, I’ve never been much of a numbers person. Despite having a seemingly above average aptitude for math, I always gravitated more toward words. My favorite subjects were History and English, and I dreaded Geometry and Trigonometry. I even work in quantitative asset management – which literally means investing using math – but I stay firmly planted on the marketing side of things, as far away from the math nerds as possible.
Despite my aversion to all things numbers related, they can’t be totally avoided, particularly on this journey. When it comes to weight loss, there are a lot of integers involved. Calorie counts, grams of protein and carbs, inches lost, minutes of cardio, reps of weights – I feel like all I do is count things. At the forefront of it all, there is the number that I have a biggest love/hate relationship with: the one on the scale.
There’s plenty of advice out there telling you to not focus on the numbers on the scale when you are trying to lose weight. Even MyFitnessPal cautions against using pounds as a weight-loss ruler:
To help track your progress, you should record your weight periodically. We suggest once a week because your weight fluctuates daily due to uncontrollable factors like water. Try to always weigh yourself at the same time of day – we suggest early in the morning before breakfast.
Taking your measurements can be an even better gauge of your progress because when you burn fat and build heavier muscle, your weight may not change or even increase even though your body is tighter and smaller. We suggest taking your measurements every 2-4 weeks.
While it’s all well and good to judge your progress by your pants size (down 8 sizes here) or inches lost (a bunch in my hips, none in my boobs), there’s something particularly addicting about watching the number on the scale. I figure it’s because, despite the fact that we are told not to use the scale as the single measure of weight loss, everyone does. What’s the first thing they do at the doctor? Weigh you. How do they calculate your body mass index (BMI)? Height and weight. The question everyone asks when they see you after a long time and you look fantastic? “Oh my god, have you lost weight?” In general, no one is asking how many sizes you’ve gone down or inches you’ve lost.
Given everyone else’s obsession with the weight number, it’s no wonder that it’s super easy to get caught up in it yourself. When I first started losing weight, I weighed myself every.single.day. I would agonize if the number I saw didn’t move or – god forbid – went up a little bit. It didn’t matter if my thighs were a half an inch thinner, that my jeans were getting baggy in a not-cute way, or that I just felt better in general. Instead, my entire perception of how I was doing losing weight hinged on the number I saw every morning.
As you can imagine, I started to make myself nuts. As a person who is relatively self-aware she needs to manager her crazy, I knew that I had to stop. So I dialed way back, only weighing myself once a week and taking measurements once a month. While it seems like a relatively small thing, it required a shift of focus from the daily number on the scale to how I, and my pants, felt every day.
So am I a little bit upset that the scale creeped up a little bit this week? Sure. But the pants that felt a little bit tight last week are now hugging my ass gloriously, so as long as it doesn’t become a regular thing, I’ll be ok with it. For the moment, anyway.
Starting weight to Lose: 30 pounds
Week 1 Results: – 1.1 pounds
Week 2 Results: – 2.1 pounds
Week 3 Results: +0.4 pounds
Remaining weight to lose: 27.2 pounds
Also, if you want to follow along with me, friend me on MyFitnessPal or FitBit !
Also, I’ll be chatting weekly about my progress with JR Hickey on our podcast, “Don’t Take It From Us.” New eps will be released every Wednesday, so check it out on Soundcloud below or subscribe on ITunes!.
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
As number-oriented as you are, the mirror will be more accurate than the scale can really ever be. 130lbs of muscle and 130lbs of fat are two very different looks. Keep up the good work!
I don’t normally advocate these, but mirror selfies are probably the best option for long-term or week to week comparison.
Nothing wrong with a mirror selfie in the privacy of your own home that keep for yourself
I agree with Cube lb’s should not be your sole standard of measurement on your progress to getting in shape. A lot of women do this. I’ve always just done the “my clothes fit too big” guide to measuring fitness.
100% agree. I’ve put on 15 pounds in the last few months (attempting to put on more) and haven’t had to get my dress pants let out at all. For me, as long as I’m not putting on weight in the gut, I’m good.
Me to woman who sits next to me: “Is 8 women’s pant sizes a lot?”
Woman who sits next to me to me: “Uh, ya.”
Congrats on the progress!
BMI is all bullshit. Focus on body fat percentage
^^^THIS is so true. Percentage of body fat is such a better indicator of how healthy you actually are. Also, as someone who used to work at a gym & has had multiple consultations with certified fitness & nutrition professionals, knowing your overall level of health is so much more important than just your weight on a scale. I’ve met tons of stick thin girls who were very unhealthy because they weren’t exercising or eating right. I recommend finding a Fitness Professional or Phlebotomist who can measure things like your triglyceride levels or hormonal factors that could be contributing to your body fat percentage.
I know numbers can get overwhelming/obsessive/annoying and can drive you crazy if they aren’t the numbers you’re wanting – just remember that how you feel is always more important. If you feel good, rested ,energized, happy etc., then its safe to say you’re on the right track. Congrats on staying committed!
I haven’t gone to that extreme (yet), but i have hired a personal trainer and it’s definitely worth it. I just use a tape measure to measure my waist and hips and input that into a body fat calculator thing online every once in a while. It turns out the BMI calculation is decades old and if it were to be used on NFL players, they’d all basically be considered obese. The main point is, don’t let the scale determine your success.
Also, Sup?
I put on about .4 pounds in brisket last night, so I’m right there with you
Not nearly enough brisket then
Pre- or post- dump? It’s an important distinction.
Girls don’t do that man. Don’t ruin this for me
Here’s what you do: cut out all grains, sugars, most fruits high in sugar, legumes, dairy, and reduce alcohol choice to clear liquids and mix with soda water. Eat grilled chicken, eggs, fish, and lots of vegetables/avocado. Since you’re cutting out carbs, you’ll need to get your energy from healthy fats. Cook with coconut oil. Put coconut oil in black coffee each morning. Workout 5 days a week (light lifting/running ratio). All of this will work within 3 weeks if you believe in yourself and stuff. Most things in life are complete fabricated lies, this is not one of those things.
He’s right! Been doing this since July (with the occasional cheat) and I’ve lost 75 lbs, or as I like to call it, a suitcase and a half. Body fat percentage went from 52% to 28% and is still going down. It sucks SO BAD but it is SO WORTH IT.
Hell yeah, Sallie Mae! Can you forget about the huge amounts of money I owe you? We all know that most of the money is getting reallocated to defense contractors and military operations instead of education. If education was as good as they tell us it is, more people would know this shit, right? Lol oh god this place is fucked, good thing I like salad
It sucks for the first few days then your gut bacteria adjusts and you start craving all the right stuff.
yes, but what do you do the rest of your life? i don’t feel like it’s realistic (note, i didn’t say impossible) to eat like this forever.
I’m just used to it now. I’ve been doing this for over a year now. You learn to cook really well and often plus a lot of places have these type of food options on their menu and if they don’t, I usually stick with the salad with meat. You feel like you’re on adderall all the time because your mind is clear/focused and not cloudy and you have tons of energy. I need like 5 hours of sleep a night and I’m good. It’s cleaned me out. Don’t get me wrong I still drink a good amount on weekend but it’s vodka now instead of beer and I haven’t had a hangover since doing this shit. Pepper in some few and far between acid trips and it’s a pretty cool ass life
i hate cooking and like baked cheetos, so i don’t think this is the diet plan for me. 🙂
It’s all good, Phil Kessel. You’re having a solid season so far so keep doing what you’re doing, man.
Junior year of college I gave up sodas, and fast food. Cutting out carbonated drinks alone, I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks. Started to workout on top of it it and went from from about 205 to 145 overall. I gained a little of it back over Christmas so cut out bread for lent. I’ve lost another 6 pounds just doing that. Also @PhilKesselForPresident, sup?
I cut out all processed foods from my life a couple of years ago and it’s been amazing. I feel so much better all the time. Of course I’ll have something here or there, but if you can stick to it most of the time it makes a yuge difference.
“Here’s what you do:…reduce alcohol choice to clear liquids and mix with soda water. Eat grilled chicken…Pepper in…acid trips”
Done and done. Thanks for the advice.
This sounds just like whole 30
Lots of inches lost in the hips, none in the boobs? Congrats girl, keep doing your thing. * finger guns *
In all seriousness, weight really is a really tricky thing. The scale doesn’t always reflect the changes that are going on. Keep grinding, and you’ll get to wherever you want to go. Slow motion is better than no motion. Pulling for you, JC!
This is why I have a “fat shirt” that I’ve kept and a picture of me in said “fat shirt” from when it fit (realistically a little snugly). Nothing puts you in a good mindset to keep pushing like seeing how far you’ve come.
I’m going through the same process right now. I think when anyone embarks on a “lifestyle change” to lose weight, you want to see concrete results that you easily wrap your head around and a lower number on the scale does that better than “my clothes fit better”. For me personally, I’ve felt like focusing on the process instead of the result has worked better. I can control the process, I can’t control the result.
Honestly felt like cheating on my diet today after the gym this morning and this was much needed for me to decide to get a salad for lunch while everyone is already contemplating pizza.
“Question that’s been nagging me: You said you don’t normally drink casually but that you have several huge nights a year. How does eliminating say, at most 6 nights a year, help your calorie count in the long run?” – RicoRumRunner