Hello my lovelies! 👋🏻 So…in an attempt to not sound like a broken record and go on about the “topic of the moment” too much (body confidence or lack of it), I’m going to go at this from a different angle.
Recently a colleague of mine told me she’d just bought one of those body fat percentage scales so she can see what her stats are. As curious as some people are with this – I myself, have also fallen victim to purchasing one of these contraptions – they can also be quite detrimental for many reasons.
As soon as she told me I was shocked. It may surprise you to hear that this woman has had two children, is a size 8, is petite and weighs a mere 58kg – yet these scales told her that her body fat percentage was putting her at risk of developing serious health problems…
…Let me leave that there while it sinks in.
It may come at no surprise that off the back of this she informed me she was now going to stop eating certain foods and go on a diet. I mean…the woman needs to do no such thing! Regardless of the fact that she is a beautiful person both inside and out, she also eats well, does yoga regularly and moves her body – you may be thinking, “what more could she possibly do?!”. The answer is simple. Nothing.
The problem – that society has taught us to believe we are only worth what the number on the scales says we are, and that being skinny will make us happy. Despite being generally fit and healthy myself, I will never been the societal version of “skinny”. I weight train so have muscle, have always had “bigger legs”, have no “thigh gap” because of my bone structure – plus my frame really isn’t built to be much smaller than I am now and I’m OK with that. It’s taken me a while to “come to terms” with my body and love it for what it is. I mean hell, it does a lot for me!
So, to cut a long story short, she’s deleted the app and has promised me she won’t step back on the scales for a while. Now I understand for some, knowing what you weigh and having a rough idea of what your body fat percentage, bone density, visceral fat and muscle mass is can be useful – hell I thought it helped me for a while. It turns out it didn’t. And here’s why…
1. Your body composition is changing
To understand why the number on the scale doesn’t move sometimes, despite believing you’ve lost weight, you need to look at your overall body composition; muscle to fat ratio. If you’re training or working out in some way, when the scale doesn’t move, you’re losing body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even if you’ve lost inches from your body.
Learning the difference between losing weight and losing body fat can totally change how you look at yourself. My best piece of advice? Take progress photos at the same time every week and compare them.
2. Your weight fluctuates every single day
If you weigh yourself daily (WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT BE DOING), you will notice that the number fluctuates each day. This could be due to water retention thanks to those pesky hormones or you could be on your period. There are way too many factors to go into as to why your weight is different each day, but just bare this in mind.
3. Weight does not always equals health
Just because you know someone who is super slim, doesn’t mean they’re healthy by any means. Ever heard of the term “skinny fat”? It may surprise you that a heavier person may actually have better overall health because of their lifestyle choices like working out and “eating right” (more nutrient dense and less processed foods). Don’t let the scale be your health indicator and practise healthy habits every day.
4. Muscle weighs more than fat doesn’t it?
You may have heard many times that muscle weighs more than fat right? But surely a kilogram is a kilogram? The truth is that a kilogram of fat simply takes up more space than a kilogram of muscle.
OK, let me make this simple – 1lb of fat is bulky and fluffy and around the size of a small grapefruit. 1lb of muscle is hard and dense and around the size of a tangerine. Make sense? Your total bodyweight is not a clear indicator of how you look and how healthy you are. If two people weighed in at 60kg and looked very different, it could be that one has a higher percentage of fat and the other, a higher percentage of muscle.
5. Your clothes speak the truth
Instead of stepping on the scales, why not shift your mindset and determine your results on how your clothes fit. If your clothes fit the way you want them to, then surely the number on the scale doesn’t matter? If you’re trying to “lose weight” (lose body fat), then let your clothes decide if your hard work is paying off.
6. It can mess with your mental health
It really can. I’ve been there many times. I’ve been training hard and eating well and BOOM – the scale has gone up! But like I said earlier, this is a muscle vs fat thing and while you are losing fat, you’ll also be gaining lean muscle. So stop focussing on your weight and just live your life.
7. A number on a scale does not define your worth
You are worth so much more than a number on a scale. You are a human being, with so many fantastic qualities and things to offer the world other than a measly number on a scale. If you’re on a fitness or wellness journey of any kind, remember to focus on how you look and feel, not just your weight.
Brutal note; there will always be someone skinnier, fitter, prettier/more handsome than you, but you are you. You are unique and you are special. Never forget your worth lovelies! 💙
If you are on a health and wellness journey and need a little guidance, you can download the Tone & Sculpt app and grab yourself a free 7 day trial! Available on iOS and Android, the app has a wealth of information from workouts, nutrition, challenges, meal plans and helpful advice.
This is such a great post, I had to share it on my Twitter.
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Thank you so much! And thank you for sharing x