Muscle matters
You've ramped up your exercise with some
resistance training, and you're feeling great - that is until you step onto the
scales. It's frustrating watching the numbers climb or remain stubbornly
unmoving even though you've been exercising more. So why does it happen?
Strengthen muscle tissue and you create tears in the muscle fibre that your
body repairs making the muscle stronger and a little bigger, explains King.
"When you exercise your fat cells get smaller as you burn up more energy
but your muscle tissue gets denser and heavier, resulting in little movement on
the scales," she says.
Muscle
matters
Be patient and wait it out. "Exercise
is such an important part of long term weight loss – building up your muscle
mass helps to burn up to five times more calories than fat mass," says
King. As your body shape changes your clothes will fit you better. And before
long that gorgeous dress you've been dying to wear will shimmy right over your
newly sculpted body.
Being a slave to the scales
For some people, scales can be a
double-edged sword. On the upside, research shows those who are a healthy body
weight usually do weigh themselves regularly, according to Lisa Renn, an
accredited dietitian. "But there are also those who jump on the scales
every single day and if their weight has gone up, it sets the mood for their
day and they feel like a failure," she says.
Don't
be a Slave to the Scale
Andrea Poole, manager of Fitness Matters in
Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast, agrees. "People certainly can become
obsessed by the numbers," she says. "If you're determined to stand on
the scales then do so no more than once a week - that way if the numbers are
slowly climbing you can look at your diet or increase your exercise
accordingly."
When you step on the scales each week,
weigh yourself at the same time of day. Not after you've eaten a huge meal -
you'll weigh more because of the actual weight of the food you've eaten. And
avoid jumping on the scales directly after you do aerobic exercise - you won't
get a true reading. "Some might find they get increased numbers on the
scales, others an immediate decrease which will creep back after a drink of
water," says Poole.
Measuring your success!
If you are doing all the right thing,
eating well and leading an active and healthy lifestyle, a small blip on the
scales is nothing to beat yourself up about. The reality is scales aren't
always the best measure of your success if you are trying to lose weight.
Noting down your measurements each month (especially your waist circumference),
and looking at the way your clothes fit and eel are far better indicators. Look
at your body in the mirror, do your muscles look more toned? Does your face
look thinner? re your arms firmer? Compare photographs from the start of
your weight loss journey to where you are now. Have friends been commenting on
how fabulous you look?
If you do find yourself constantly wanting
t take a peek at your weight, be brave, tough it out and step away from the
scales - you'll feel better for it.
