To Sara of Fit by Sara: “I’ve been working out regulary and eating healthy. I noticed that my clothes are loose and friends are complimenting me on losing weight, but the number on the scale has barely gone down. Am I REALLY making progress?”
From Fit by Sara: “YES you are making progress! I always tell my clients that the best way to gage weight loss is by measurements versus the number on the scale. The reason why I do not recommend the scale is it can be discouraging for clients to not see a big drop in their weight. The reason why the number doesn’t drop much is as we put on muscle tone, we lose body fat, but not necessarily a lot of weight. This is do to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat.
If you’re eating healthy and exercising consistently progress is happening, it just may not show on the scale as quickly as you like too. Typical healthy weight loss is one to three pounds of weight loss per week. One pound equals 3,500 calories! So that means you have to either burn 3,500 calories through exercise or by changing the way you eat…or both. Also our weight can fluctuate depending on how much fluid is in our bodies when we weigh ourselves.
I recommend taking measurements of your right upper arm, bust, above the belly button, below the belly button, around your hips, and the right upper thigh every 3 to 4 weeks to see your progress. Most of all notice the difference in how your clothes fit, acknowledge the compliments (they are real!), and notice the energy you feel from your healthy lifestyle changes!” –Sara Holliday MFT, CPT