Your Weighing Scale May Be Lying To You - Why Weight Loss is Not the Holy Grail of Fitness
Mar 17, 2023 ∙ 5 mins read
So the new year came by, you decided this is going to be “the year” and started to hit the gym and not eat junk. Within a month, you lost some weight - congratulations! But the real deal starts now - to not gain it back. How do you do that?
It’s easy to lose weight. It’s harder to maintain it - There, we said it!
You lost some kgs. You’re happy you’re at the weight you’ve always wanted. But soon, you start going back to your old ways - the gym got too boring and that diet was not sustainable. Without even realizing it, you’ve regained the weight - and then you start all over again.. And this goes on and on and on…
You lose weight, you fall off the wagon, and you gain your weight back. We’re here to tell you that this yo-yo effect is dangerous in the long run. But how does one get unstuck and out of this yo-yo effect? How can you lose fat and not gain it back?
How can you lose weight without losing your mind? Is it possible?
Yes, without a doubt. Absolutely!
What Does Your Weight Say About Your Health?
Our fat-phobic society has convinced us the more you weigh, the more unhealthy your body is. But that’s not true. The unidimensional number you see on the weighing scale is not an indicator of your health.
Yes, obesity indeed increases your chances of joint pain, heart attacks, and cancers. But fat doesn’t always mean unhealthy, and placing all your self-worth on the weighing scale is not going to help either. What we need is a balanced approach to weight loss, one where we focus more on the process, find sustainable methods that work for us and don’t get too stuck on a weight goal without understanding from a coach if that’s the right goal for you.
Here Are 4 Ways In Which You Can Manage Your Weight Sustainably
1. Start Strength Training To Build Muscle and Lose Fat
You may think you don’t need to work out anymore now that you’ve got some kgs - You couldn’t be more wrong about this! While walking is a hugely underrated way to burn fat, walking alone isn’t always enough.
Strength training is more than just building your muscles and making them stronger - It is an extremely sustainable, fun and an effective training method that doesn’t just help you lose weight, but also maintain it!
Any form of strength or resistance training will not only help you keep your weight in check, but it will also boost your energy levels through the day, improve your cardiovascular and joint health, and help you build valuable muscle that will help you stay strong as you age.
If you’re someone who’s well experienced with strength training, you can continue with the routine. But, if you’re new to this, find a professional trainer and get started with a tailor-made exercise routine that suits your weight maintenance needs.
2. Don’t Just Diet, Fix Your Relationship With Food For Good.
Any article on nutrition on the internet is going to tell you that to lose weight, you need to eat more vegetables, more protein, moderate your starch intake and increase your fiber intake. What it won’t tell you is this - people do not fail diets, diets fail people. Any kind of diet plan usually aims to RESTRICT what you eat and thereby bring down your total calorie intake. Some ask you to avoid entire food groups like fats or carbohydrates, while others tell you to avoid sugar, gluten etc altogether. This ends up ruining our longer term view on these foods and builds a fear-based relationship between you and food.
The goal is to understand food, not fear it.
To develop a more balanced relationship with food and avoid yo-yo dieting, incorporate a balance when it comes to the foods you include in your diet, including the occasional treats and fun foods that aren’t necessarily considered healthy. Learn more about how to eat mindfully, rather than focussing on what to avoid at all costs.
3.Get Serious About Your Sleep
It doesn’t matter if you’re killing it with your workout routine or watching what you eat - if you don’t get your sleep, it’s all in vain. But wait, what does sleep have to do with weight loss? Everything!
Lack of sleep messes up with your hormone signaling (specifically ghrelin, leptin and cortisol), which in turn messes with a lot of the natural signaling your body is supposed to do when you’re hungry or full! Sleep is truly magical in terms of everything that it offers your body.
Make it your mission every night to get at least 7 hours of sleep. The world's biggest athletes, CEOs and high-performing professionals prioritize sleep because it won’t just help with respect to fat loss, but so many of your body’s processes are controlled by the quality of your sleep. So we can’t emphasize this enough.
Start by finding out WHY you’re not able to get your sleep. Is it that routine end-of-day scrolling on your phone late at night? Set it aside and read a book instead to make yourself fall asleep faster. Too many thoughts running through your mind? Try practicing yoga or any form of stretching or meditation to relax your mind. You’ve gotta start somewhere, and even the smallest step towards better sleep is a win.
4. Evaluate Your Life’s Stressors
We can write another entire article on this! It’s near impossible to lead a life without stress. In fact, some amount or rather, the optimal amount of stress in your life can be beneficial. But for almost all of us, it’s usually overboard, especially if you haven’t been able to figure out what a fit lifestyle means to you. But when it comes to weight loss, that’s a whole new level of stress! One of the things that often make people stressed on their weight loss journey is weight fluctuations. Understand this - Sometimes your weighing scale may tip here, and there and that’s completely normal. You don’t have to obsess over it. Just stay focused and continue making lifestyle improvements because that’s the only way you’ll see sustained progress.
Trying to be “perfect” in your weight loss journey will lead to short term results and disappointment. It’s not the end of the world if you indulge in your favourite foods once in a while and miss a workout. In fact, we encourage it because that’s the only way you can sustain your progress.
What’s most important is to evaluate the WHY. Why are you unable to sleep on time? Why do you crave for an unhealthy snack? Why were you too tired to get to the gym? This is usually where your stressors show up and those are the real fixes which will eventually help you fix your health and lose weight.
The Bottom Line
So, there you have it - 4 ways to manage your weight and not lose your mind in the process. Making these four interventions in your life won’t just help you lose weight and stay fit, but it will also help you develop a lifestyle you love, allowing you to live your best life!