There is something I constantly have to remind myself of.
And I've been training people for a couple of years now.
The scale is not the only way to measure progress.
Actually, sometimes...
The scale can be the least interesting thing happening.
I was working with someone for quite some time, and we noticed that their weight wasn't changing as quickly as they expected.
And honestly?
I wasn't too concerned.
Because I knew what we were doing.
They were getting stronger.
They were drinking their water.
They were moving every day.
They were eating mostly whole foods.
They were being consistent.
But they were still looking at the scale thinking:
"Why isn't my weight changing?"
So we started looking at everything else.
And that's when things got interesting.
Their clothes had changed.
They had gone down almost two clothing sizes.
Their sleep had changed.
Their sleep was significantly better than it had been before.
Their body had changed.
They had noticeably less fat around their arms.
They used to wear baggier shirts because they didn't want their arms showing.
Now?
They were wearing vests more often.
And their strength had changed.
They were getting stronger.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But the scale?
It wasn't moving nearly as much as they thought it should.
And this is something I think a lot of people need to understand.
Your body can change before the scale does.
If you're resistance training while eating appropriately, you can lose fat while maintaining or building muscle.
That means your body composition can improve even when your body weight doesn't dramatically change.
This is why I don't want you obsessing over one number.
Look at:
Your strength.
Your clothes.
Your measurements.
Your sleep.
Your energy.
Your consistency.
Your body.
The scale is useful.
But it is only one piece of the puzzle.
And this is why I keep coming back to the same three things.
1. Drink your water.
At least 2 litres every day.
Don't overcomplicate it.
Build the habit.
2. Move every day.
Walk.
Increase your steps.
Then incorporate resistance training.
And most importantly:
Get stronger.
3. Eat mostly whole foods.
Build your meals around:
Protein.
Carbohydrates.
Vegetables.
And drink water with your meals.
No need to live on snacks and cooldrinks.
Keep your food simple.
Keep it consistent.
The interesting thing about the person I mentioned earlier is that there wasn't some magical trick.
There wasn't a new diet every Monday.
There wasn't an extreme cardio routine.
There wasn't some secret supplement.
They simply kept getting the inputs right.
And eventually...
The outputs started showing.
That's something I want you to remember.
You don't always need to do more.
Sometimes you just need to keep doing the right things long enough for the results to catch up.
So if your scale hasn't moved as much as you expected...
Don't immediately assume you're failing.
Ask yourself:
Am I getting stronger?
Am I drinking my water?
Am I moving consistently?
Am I eating mostly whole foods?
Are my clothes fitting differently?
Am I sleeping better?
If the answer to those questions is yes...
Keep going.
Your body is telling you much more than the scale ever could.
Talk soon,
Thando 💧
A quick note about 1-on-1 coaching
We’ve just finished going through the first batch of coaching enquiries, and as a result, I now have a limited number of 1-on-1 coaching spots available.
Because I want to make sure I can give each person the attention they deserve, I’m keeping the number of clients intentionally small.
Long-time followers and members of my email list will receive priority.
If you’re interested, send me:
Your name
Your goal
What you’re currently struggling with