The Truth About Weighing Yourself
Weighing yourself is wrong unless you do this
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing the truth about weighing yourself and why it’s wrong unless, you do this as well.
But first, I just heard a crazy story about how excited people used to get when they had the chance to weigh themselves on a weight scale.
Yes, I said excited.
The weight scale was first introduced to the public back in the mid 1900’s.
In most cases, the weight scale was only available at the doctor’s office, but some grocery stores actually charged their customers to weigh themselves while shopping for food.
Can you imagine paying someone to use their weight scale?
Oh the times, they certainly have changed.
So what took away all this excitement surrounding the weight scale?
Well, supply and demand is one reason, since weight scales are now mass produced and found in the majority of households.
But more importantly, people became obsessed with the number on the scale, their weight.
Today, in many circumstances, people allow this number to define who they are as a person, if they are healthy or unhealthy, and even worse, if they’re attractive or ugly.
To these people, it didn’t matter how they felt on the inside, or how they looked on the outside, or how much energy they had.
The only thing that mattered to them, and defined how they felt about themselves, was the obsession with a simple number shown on the weight scale.
Here’s the truth about weighing yourself.
The number you see on your weight scale does NOT give you the full and complete picture of your health.
I’m not saying it’s completely pointless, but when it’s the only data point that you focus on, it can often lead you down the wrong path.
Here’s an example.
Have you ever heard of “skinny fat people”?
According to the weight scale, it would show they didn’t weigh a lot, so they must be healthy, right?
Wrong.
Take a closer look at the typically skinny fat person:
- They have tooth picks for arms
- Twigs for legs
- They aren’t strong enough to lift a carry on suitcase in the overhead bin on plane
- They can’t even walk up a flight of stairs without being winded
- And worst of all, they still have a round pudgy belly full of heart destroying visceral fat.
Some of the most unhealthy people I know are “skinny” and weigh next to nothing.
If you’re concluding if a workout program worked for you or not, based on the weight on the scale, you’ve been misled.
Here’s another example.
Most people look at a runway model and think she is in perfect health because she weighs 100 pounds.
Does this mean an athletic soccer player who is the same height but weighs 130 pounds is less healthy?
I would bet my life if you compared the two in a health assessment, the 130 pound female soccer player would far exceed the 100 pound runway model in all health categories.
The reason is, you can often weight less by having more body fat and less lean muscle tissue.
More body fat and less muscle tissue is NOT a good thing.
Excess body fat puts you more at risk for heart disease, cancer, and a whole lot of other health problems.
Lean muscle tissue boosts your metabolism, burns more calories, keeps you looking younger, makes your stronger, and allows you crush life.
There are so many better options for measuring the improvements in your health.
For example:
Focus on improving the composition of the weight on your body by decreasing body fat and increasing muscle mass.
You can calculate your body composition by using a simple body fat analyzer that you can get on Amazon for $30.
By knowing your body fat %, you can then tell what proportion of your bodyweight is made up of lean muscle tissue compared to stored body fat.
This is when using a weight scale can help because it can give you a measure of your total composition of your bodyweight into body fat and lean muscle tissue.
Even though these body fat analyzers are 100% accurate, they at least give you a baseline to measure your progress.
I did a full video on calculating your ideal bodyweight here.
Other best ways to measure your weight loss progress
You can also use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of your waist, your thighs, and your arms.
Also look in the mirror to see how your body is changing and see how your clothes are fitting.
Measure how much stronger you’re getting in the gym by recording how much weight you’re lifting in the beginning of your workout program, to how much you’re lifting at the end of your workout program.
So I’m about to blow your mind.
If you’re following a good workout program designed for your goals and your fitness level, you’re following a nutrition plan, you’re getting proper rest, guess what?
Your weight on the scale may not go down.
Why?
Because you’re adding lean muscle mass.
Muscle takes up less volume even though it weighs the same as fat. This is why it’s possible to get leaner without a weighing less on the scale.
This is a good thing!
A measure of health should be how you feel, how you perform, and to a lesser extent, how you look in the mirror.
The point is, do yourself a favor and stop obsessing about the number on the weight scale.
Focus on improving the composition of the weight on your body by decreasing body fat and increasing muscle mass.
And the best way to improve your body composition is by following a structured workout program.
So if you’re wondering what the best workout program is for you, based on your goals, your fitness level, and your access to equipment, you can find that out by taking the Live Lean Quiz.
Also, one more thing to help, starting on May 1st, 2018, you can receive a FREE 7 day nutrition course from Jessica, teaching you the basics of eating to get and stay lean forever.
It’s 100% free and designed to simplify the concepts of eating to get lean.
Thanks for watching and keep Living Lean.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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