Rethinking Your Approach to the Scale
Most people are looking at the scale the wrong way. They see the day-to-day ups and downs of the scale, and they allow those fluctuations to dictate their emotional state.
We need to shift our focus from short-term fluctuations to long-term trends. This simple change can transform the scale from a stressful enemy to a valuable tool for informed, long-term decision-making.
Here’s What I Tell My Clients:
We don’t care about our bodyweight changing from day-to-day. We only care about the long-term trend.
This allows the scale to be a helpful tool, rather than an end-all-be-all regulator of our emotional state. Not only that, but it also leads to more accurate analysis, better decisions, and it prevents us from panicking when a random variable causes our bodyweight to temporarily increase (ex. Constipation, Increase in Water Intake, etc).
Let’s consider the case of my client, Garrett.
His bodyweight weight graph showed occasional spikes and noticeable plateaus. But did we panic? Did we change his program overnight? No. We just continued to execute our process, because we knew that long-term trends were more important than the short-term fluctuations. As a result, Garrett lost more than 100lb in two years. His life is forever changed, and a big part of that success was his ability to continue executing our process regardless of what the scale said on any given morning.
How to Approach the Scale
So, how can you adopt a better approach to the scale? Here's a three-step process that we implement with our clients:
1). Morning Weigh-Ins: Track your bodyweight when you first wake up. (i.e use the restroom, then jump on the scale with minimal clothing).
2). Weekly Averages: Calculate your weekly averages. This smooths out the daily fluctuations and provides a clearer picture of your overall progress.
3). Long-Term Analysis: Focus on trends over the course of weeks and months, rather than fixating on day-to-day changes. Look for patterns, and refrain from making large process changes until you have long-term data to support your adjustment.
Conclusion
The bodyweight scale is just like the stock market. We don’t care how the number fluctuates from one day to the next. We only care about the long-term trend.
By taking this approach, you will have better results, you will make smarter adjustments, and you will be much happier in the long run.