Fat loss isn’t a straight line. You won’t lose weight every day. You won’t. That’s just how it works. If you’re expecting to lose weight daily, or even weekly, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. 

This is a picture of my scale weight when I was trying to lose a bit of weight.  There are days it stays the same, there are days the scale goes up, and there are days it goes down.

What matters is the overall trend. Over time is the number going the direction you want it to?

2. Slow and steady wins the race.

When it comes to weight loss, being the tortoise is going to work to your advantage.

You don’t need to lose 10lbs every week or even every month, actually you don’t really want to do that.

Losing 1lb a week on average is amazing.  Usually this means you’re eating and moving in a way that you can sustain long term. Adding to the likelihood you’ll maintain weight loss long term. And typically that is the whole point right?

Now right when you get started, you might see a big drop, and that’s okay, I’ll tell you why shortly.

3. You need to be consistent to make the scale as useful as possible.

Ideally you want to weigh yourself at the same time of day, in the same spot, with the same scale, and after you’ve used the bathroom but before you’ve had anything to drink or eat.

Different times a day means you’ll have different amounts of food and drinks in your system meaning you’ll be weighing that too. This is why weighing yourself in the morning after the bathroom but before eating or drinking anything is best.

If you chuck a huge glass of water you can make yourself weigh way more in about .5 seconds.

Different scales will show different numbers. Keeping it consistent will help you track progress, which the progress matters more than the exact number.

Maybe you’re noticing something here? Like wow the scale moves around for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with body fat?

Yeah. It does. Let’s get to the next point.

4. The scale has its limits.

Yup, even though I am all for using the scale it does have limits.

It weighs everything. Not just body fat. It weighs body fat, muscle, bones, water, your stomach content… so everything.

If you gain a bit of muscle, the scale will go up.

If you ate a big meal the scale will go up.

If you worked out hard and your muscles are retaining some water, the scale will go up.

If you ate more carbs than normal and your muscles are holding on to more water than normal, the scale will go up.

If you gain body fat, the scale will go up.

The inverse is true too.

If you lose some muscle, the scale will go down.

If you ate less than normal, the scale will go down.

If you ate fewer carbs than normal and your muscles aren’t holding their normal amount of water, the scale will go down.

If you lose body fat, the scale will go down.

The scale can go up and down for many different reasons. It can be helpful to have the info the scale provides overtime but it isn’t the ONLY way to measure progress.

And that brings me to my next point.

5. The scale is just 1 tool.

There are multiple ways to measure progress and the scale is just one of them.

The best thing to do is to use more than one!

Pictures, or simply how you look in the mirror.

You can see changes and typically how you’re looking (and feeling of course) matters more than the number anyway. 

How your clothes fit.

Not seeing the scale move but your pants are feeling a bit loose? Yea, that is an indication that you’re losing body fat even if you can’t see it on the scale. 

You can use body measurements, how you feel, and maybe you’ll even notice more complements coming your way.

Using a combination of tools is going to be better than any one tool. 

6. Be patient.

We talked about weight loss not being linear. You will not lose weight daily. Or even weekly. 

Just because the scale hasn’t moved for a few days doesn’t mean anything. If it’s been 2, 3 or 4 weeks with no change, then it might be time to take a closer look at what is going on, but not seeing changes daily or weekly is normal.

It doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means your body is acting like a body and you’re normal. Don’t get antsy. Don’t give up because ‘it isn’t working’. Keep moving forward and reevaluate when and if needed, but don’t rush it.

7. Don’t let the scale run your life.

Yes the scale can be helpful. It can be a useful tool to collect useful data, but the number on the scale isn’t what really matters is it?

If you feel great, if you love the way you look, and you’re living a healthy life really overall it doesn’t matter.

The scale isn’t evil. The scale isn’t good. It’s just a tool.  And maybe using it often is ideal for you or maybe it isn’t. 

When used properly the scale can be helpful but if it is hurting more than helping maybe it’s time to ditch it, at least for a little while.

To sum up, the scale can be a useful tool when losing weight and when wanting to maintain that weight loss. It is great for measuring general progress over time.

The key is to learn what the scale can offer and its limits.