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Weighing yourself immediately after wearing a “sweat” suit, getting into a sauna, or finishing an intense workout might (or might not) show a loss on the scale. But that is temporary water loss that will come back after you rehydrate yourself by drinking. Remember—you’re trying to lose fat, not simply “weight” or water weight. This is a good reason to not weigh yourself more than once a week. The Fitness Resource Center has several articles that expand on this idea, including Body Composition Measures Results and Measure Progress Without the Scale. Setbacks Are Normal No one is perfect. You can expect to hit some bumps in the road, no matter how hard you’re trying. The important thing is not to let those bumps get you totally off track, but to learn from them and move forward. The article ”1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward”, located in the Motivation Resource Center, offers tips for dealing with setbacks, and Coach Dean’s message board post about staying motivated includes even more helpful advice. Eating Less Isn’t Always Better A lot of people assume that the less you eat, the faster you will lose. One of the biggest mistakes dieters make is not eating enough. Your calorie range is based on your current weight, goal weight, how aggressive your goal is (whether you want to lose weight quickly or slowly) and how much exercise you are doing. Your recommended calorie range might seem like a lot of food—especially if you are accustomed to fad, restrictive diets. But if your body is not getting enough nutrients and calories (especially if you eat less than your recommended calorie range), your metabolism will slow down. This is called “starvation mode” because your body thinks it is experiencing a famine, so it starts holding onto every calorie you give it, making weight loss much slower or impossible, and weight gain more likely. That's why it's so important to eat within your calorie range. If you aren’t, you could be doing more harm than good. Hopefully these tips will help you avoid many of the common pitfalls dieters face, and deal with the ups and downs of weight loss more easily. Hang in there! It’s not always easy, but you can do it! |
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Motivation Articles › Picking Yourself Back Up6 Weight Loss Mistakes to AvoidSmall Changes for Big Results-- By Jen Mueller, Certified Personal TrainerSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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About The Author
Jen Mueller
Jen received her master's degree in health promotion and education from the University of Cincinnati. A mom and avid marathon runner, she is a certified personal trainer, certified health coach and advanced health & fitness specialist. See all of Jen's articles. |
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Member Comments
Another thing I learned was to wear the same clothes for every weigh-in; it can be surprising how much a different pair of shoes, or even a shirt, can weigh. Since as others have said, weigh loss can vary so much from week to week, a fraction of a pound in clothing can obscure the true amount lost. Of course if you're weighing yourself in the privacy of home, probably wearing nothing, or next to that, would be easier. - 4/30/2013 8:01:14 PM
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I will remember 'I am trying to lose fat!' next time my scale shows that I've not lost any weight. Thanks SparkPeople, this site is fantastic! - 7/12/2012 3:53:58 AM
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