Why is it that women are constantly battling with the scales and weighing themselves? Cue the morning ritual at 6:32 am sharp, naked, after going to the bathroom, making sure the scales are facing east whilst “thinking light thoughts” every single day, with the result determining whether or not today will be a good day, a fat day, a commited day or the day you just give up on your dream of a lean, toned, healthy body. As I have come to discover, this is obviously important business.
As a part of any initial consultation whether it be for training or diet I always ask women what the number one goal for their body is. 95% of the time they say “I want to lose x kilos so I then weigh xxkg”. My response is always the same, “why!?”
The conversation could then play out a number of ways but this is the general story:
“Ok so why do you want to lose 11 kilos Esmerelda?”
“I’m not really sure I just think that’s how much I have to lose as according to the BMI thing I should weigh xx kilos.”
“Have you ever weighed 11kg less than you do now?”
“No”
Just quickly, BMI (body mass index) testing is outdated and has various deficiencies as a measure of bodyfat and obesity. BMI does not reflect changes that occur with aging, between sexes nor does it account for muscle mass. For example I am currently at 8.7% (caliper tested) bodyfat however according to the BMI equation I am on the cusp between overweight and obese.
So put very bluntly, whether or not you are working from a “magical number” in your head as a goal or have been given an inaccurate BMI target, you have no idea what BMI is and why it says you must weigh xx kilos, which, in turn means, you have no real idea why you want to weigh xxkg, nor do you even know if it is physically possible! (and if it is, it was back in high school, after you had a horrific flu, didn’t eat or drink for 3 weeks and all the feng shui in the universe was working in your favour that day you stepped on the almighty scales of fortune).
Lets just stop and think for a moment, what does that number on the scale ACTUALLY mean? Does is really give us a good indication of how healthy, fat, thin or how fit or unfit you are? Your weight on the scales is obviously the combined total of all your bits; your bones, organs and organ systems- circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive organs just to name a few. There is also blood, connective tissues, cartilage, ligaments, fluids (h20 and all other), MUSCLE and FAT.
Out of all of the above the two that we, as everyday health conscious gym-goers really want to control, are muscle and you guessed it FAT. If I carry more fat am I going to weigh more? Yes, obviously. If I hold more muscle am I going to weigh more also? Well derr. And doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat??
RUBBISH! Lets debunk that myth right now. The weight of muscle vs fat is of no real relevance whatsoever. 5kg of muscle is going to weigh the exact same amount as 5kg of fat….FIVE KILOGRAMS!! What IS different is the way you will look, feel and how healthy you will be, depending on which you choose to carry.
Muscle is heavier by VOLUME than fat. The way you LOOK carrying 5kg of muscle as opposed to carrying 5kg of fat is what actually matters.
A woman weighing 65kg with 19% bodyfat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 65kg with 35% bodyfat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat, the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller.
Just this week Esmerelda and I did a re-assessment of her body composition, taking weights and measurements (cm’s @ bust, waist, hip, thigh and arm) as well as a bodyfat pinch test (skinfold mm’s @ tricep, suprailiac, abs and thigh). It had been a period of 3 months since our last “official” check in. The results were interesting to say the least.
Initially Esmerelda came in at 21% bodyfat, weighing 53.3kg, so she wasn’t a big girl by any stretch, size 10 fairly lean without any really defining features. After 3 months of 2x weekly weights sessions with me, Esmerelda is now looking and feeling better than she ever has before. Her arms are lean and toned, she is shapely around the shoulders with taut triceps, her bum sits higher above leaner defined thighs and her midsection is flatter with the old love handles nowhere to be seen. Do you think it came as a shock to her when she got on the scales and the reading was 55.4kg! SHE HAD PUT ON OVER 2KGS!!
After laughing out loud, I figured I should try and calm my now hysterical client down a little. We took her measurements and sure enough they had gone down in all the right places - waist, hips, and arms. And up in the right places also; bum (this was a personal goal for Esmerelda) and her flexed arm reading. This didn’t mean anything to the now distraught Ezzy, “cause the scales don’t lie!”
I then measured her bodyfat percentage using skinfold calipers and as expected, her bodyfat had dropped to 16.76%!! (picture a super athletic fit, strong woman, someone that you can tell works out alot J) Again, this didn’t mean much to Esmerelda so I tried a different approach…
Do you feel stronger? “Yes definitely,”
Do you feel leaner? “Yes,”
Do you notice it in your clothes? “Yes, I had to get new work pants,”
Are other people commenting on your new body?
“Yes, people are always telling me how much better I look and my husband won’t leave me alone,”
Ok, so how does this new (larger) number on the scale affect how you look and feel right now?
“Well, um I suppose it doesn’t.”
LADIES this is my call to you to STOP weighing yourselves religiously! Particularly if it has any sort of negative effect on your mindset or goals. Sure, for clients with +15kg of fat to lose a representation of weight will have some merit. However, weighing yourself daily will rarely serve any useful purpose. FACT: the weight of a large glass of water is 648grams. This alone will obviously alter your weight reading, yet has no part to play in how you look. Take into account your menstrual cycle (which again affects your weight), the food you eat, time of day, and so on and the number on the scale becomes more and more blurred.
Instead, go by how you feel and look in the mirror, take measurements, take fortnightly photos, use your clothes and how they fit and feel as a guide to how you are progressing with your goals. Body composition is the only really accurate guide when it comes to how you will look. This can be done by getting your bodyfat percentage tested, the only real viable option being skinfold calipers, with pinches taken by the same person each time.
When was the last time the assistant in your favourite clothing store asked how much you weigh when helping you choose something? Or when did you last hear someone comment “She’s hot, she must be a 52kg girl”?. How much you WEIGH (within reason) plays no significant role in how you feel, look, what you wear or how you live on a day to day basis. My advice is to forget the scales, if you must, once a week at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM should you weigh yourself and even then this should only be used as a secondary indicator, following your clothing, mirror, and measurements. Not only will you have a clearer representation of yourself but you will no longer have to battle with the dreaded weigh in.
If you are currently battling with the scales and not seeing results come and see myself or one of our trainers at http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au
With specific meal plans and workout schedules tailored to you and your personal goals, as well as regular body fat caliper testing- measuring and tracking progress, I guarantee you can achieve your best body ever…a truly EXQUISITE PHYSIQUE.
Contact me: anthony@purehealthcubs.com.au
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