With summer nearly here, people start to focus on weight related goals and think about how they will look on the beach. There is a temptation to regularly jump on the scales to see how much weight has been lost, but when this doesn’t go well it can create a negative impact. Today I wanted to highlight why being a slave to the scales might not be the best way to monitor your weight loss goals and give you some facts about how to do it sensible controlled way.

 

When focusing on weight loss the scales can feel less like a friend and instead become an enemy to be feared! Scales can often reflect small weight gains which are due to an increase in muscle mass and it will take time before they start to show any substantial loss of fat. According to a natural health organization, it is physically impossible to lose more than 2lbs of pure body fat in one week. This demonstrates that, without exercise, the majority of any weight loss over 2lb will be down to the loss of muscle and lean tissue.

 

As muscle burns calories through your metabolism, losing this is not ideal. When you combine healthy eating and exercise the scales can often show an increase or a plateau in your weight. This is due to the fact that muscle is denser than fat and therefore until the fat has reduced the scales will not differentiate between fat and muscle.

 

The most effective way to monitor your weight is by how your clothes feel on a daily basis and by keeping track of circumference measurements at key areas on the body, such as around the biceps,  around your thigh muscles and just below your navel for your abdominals. Try to measure the same area each time for more accurate results.

 

As your muscles develop your body will become leaner and replace the previous fatty deposits. Your metabolism will rise and therefore at rest you will start to burn more calories, making your body more metabolically active.

 

To keep you focused try to avoid too much jumping on the scales and instead focus on monitoring how lose your cloths are feeling!

 

Increasing your exercise, with the nicer weather here what better way to exercise outside and you don’t have to pay for this, a power walk, bike ride or a jog will all help to keep you active, But not forgetting our outdoor Bootcamps on Monday Portchester and Gosport, Wednesday Stokes Bay or Tuesday and Thursday Fareham all starting at 6.30pm every week.

 

Watch what you are eating, try to cut down on starchy foods, fizzy drinks and caffeine, Drink plenty of water throughout the day, eating three good protein enrich meals per day with lots of greens.

 

So many of us keep up with regular exercise but are you actually eating the correct food after or do you reward yourselves each time to much. ?????

 

Get in touch if you need my help.