Waging War With Your Scale and How to be Properly Equipped

Waging War With Your Scale and How to be Properly Equipped

Waging War With Your Scale and How to be Properly Equipped

By: Dylan Arseo

I’d be willing to bet that the scale is on par with the treadmill as being the most used piece of equipment at a gym. It’s almost an exercise in and of itself when it comes to stepping on the scale; step on, step off, step on, step off, rinse, wash, repeat.
The only problem is sometimes stepping on that scale is more painful than any piece of cardio equipment you could ever step on.
I’ve been there several times.
5-6 days a week spent slaving away in the gym, drowning in a pool of sweat, gasping for air at the end of each set all in the hopes of the number on the scale changing for the better only for it to not budge whatsoever or even worse, go the opposite direction you hoped it would.
What gives?!
“This scale must be broken.” you think to yourself.
“I’ll wait five more minutes and weigh myself again. That number will be correct.”
Lo and behold, that “new” number staring at you is identical to the last.
And then there’s that sense of dejection that overcomes you as you step away from that god-awful device. This isn’t how the story ends though.
Instead of lowering your eyes to the ground with a sense of disappointment, raise those brows back up and let’s see where the hiccup that’s hindering your progress is occurring.

*Are you eating the right amount of calories?
Losing fat and gaining muscle revolve around your daily calorie deficit or surplus, respectively. If you’re eating too much or not enough, that number will go nowhere or at best, it’ll move very slowly. Go back through your daily calorie logs and determine how much fat, carbs and protein you’re consuming on a daily basis. It’s easy to be pretty liberal and assume you aren’t eating as much as you really are so very honest when calculating these numbers otherwise, your efforts will be in vain and you’ll never get to where you want to be.

*Make little goals a big priority.
You’ve decided you want to lose 50 lbs. by the time summer rolls around. I admire that but I also know there has to be an element of realism attached to your goal. Instead of being dead-set on that 50 lbs., why don’t you focus on making it to the gym no less than 4 times a week? You’ve been sticking with 4 for a while and think you can go up to 5? Excellent! Breaking this big goal down into little short-term goals will be your recipe for success. That do-or-die attitude when it comes to reaching our goals can do more harm than good so approaching it with this mentality could be a major help in really shifting that number you see on the scale.
*Get rid of your scale.
You tried both of the above tips and still no change? I’m going to suggest something that I’ve done with a few clients and it could make a big change for you. Get rid of the scale entirely. Yup, get it out of your house or avoid any potential scale you may have a run-in with. If the temptation is there to constantly weigh yourself and see if that number has gone down even the slightest, just forego any sort of temptation that comes from wanting to jump on the scale. I’ve found that the less hung up you get on the number, the more likely you are to see a change. Less stress and anguish over watching the number will put you at ease and re-ignite the love you have exercising minus the negative reinforcement that can be ever so detrimental.

Any good battle is fought and won with preparation and how you equip yourself in order to come out successful. Losing fat and gaining muscle is no exception. With the right diet in place, proper training regimen and a determined mindset devoid of stress, you can achieve that goal you’re always pushing for. Battles will come and go, even on your best days, but carry out this mission, stay strong and win the war!