Why You Can't Trust the Scale

So, I bit the bullet last night and asked my son to take some progress shots of me. I probably should have put on better pants as these don't quite fit me anymore, but, alas, such are the woes of "weight loss".

We've all been told a million times that the scale is not a good measure of weight loss. We can fluctuate from day to day. Water retention. Bloating. "Muscle weighs more than fat." (BTW - if you don't already see the flaw in logic behind that one, look harder. The correct phrase is - "Muscle is more dense than fat.") Ya-de-ya-de-ya.

Trust me, I, like so many of you, thought it was nonsense BS fed to people like us that are having trouble staying motivated when we aren't seeing progress on the scale.

Which I haven't.
Like, at all.

The past few months...okay, basically all of this year and the better part of 2011...has looked like friggin' sketch for a very boring roller coaster at a local amusement park when plotted on a graph. My yo-yo plateau has become the source of many "inside jokes" in my family. "Ooh, you're eating a carrot! You're going to gain two pounds!" "Ooh, you went pee?! There goes 5 pounds!"

It's kinda funny...until it's not.

But I'm going to take all of those doubts and worries right out of your pretty little heads right now and tell you the one most important lesson I've learned that you don't want to hear again.

That scale of yours doesn't know JACK!
He's a liar!
He likes to cheat you and trick you and steal from you.
He's only trying to get you down.
He's the worst emotional abuser I've ever had the displeasure of meeting.

And he means NOTHING. I promise.
And I have proof.

What you are about to see are progress pictures from January 2012 to yesterday, May 2, 2012. The weight loss difference displayed in these two pictures is miniscule. About 2-4 pounds, tops...according to that friggin' liar with his little beeping dial of doom.

(And, for the record, I tried to weigh myself today, just for the purposes of this blog. I feel bloated today and I'm likely ABOVE the weight of the January pictures...but three tries on the scale and it was a no-go. Even Mr. Scale knows we're taking a break...and apparently he's none too pleased. Ah-well. Time for him to feel the emotional sting! HAHA!)

Now... on to the photographic evidence.
Before Pictures - January 2012, Weight: 306 pounds
After Pictures - May 2012, Weight: *shrug* Last I checked it was 302 (Sunday)











Be sure to check the waist/hips area, as that's where I've seen the most improvements (well, my legs too, but you can't see them for my poor choice in attire).
There you go. Enjoy!

I would also like to note that the progress you see before you was mostly achieved through strength training in the form of heavy lifting and body weight exercises. LITTLE to NO CARDIO WAS INVOLVED.

Yea, I heard you gasp. Go ahead, don't believe me.

In December of last year I started to develop serious plantar fasciitis in my right foot. It remains to this day (although, thankfully, it has been healing since I've basically sworn off most forms of cardio exercise...even walking). So I stopped running. And Zumba was a no go. And not long after I had to give up most walking workouts as well. Everything bothered my foot (and still does to this day). Yes, even the rowing machine and the bike tweak it, though not as much as the treadmill or the elliptical. So I did the only thing I could...I started lifting and working on building lean muscle.

So for those of you firmly under the belief that you MUST do cardio in order to "lose weight"...well, maybe you're right. Remember, I've only lost, at most, four pounds in 4 months. But, even so, I'm sorry you had to see those pictures...because they might just prove that you can get lean without running 20 miles on the treadmill. *shrug*

(For the record, I'm not saying running is bad. In fact, you can ask most of my closest friends and they'll tell you I miss running so much that it hurts my wee 'lil heart sometimes. I'm just saying that there might be truth in what every figure competitor and bodybuilder has ever said -- Cardio is not necessary to slim down.)

Just in case you've forgotten...here are pictures from exactly 2 years ago today, when I was weighing 403 pounds and just really starting out.



And, just for fun and because we were taking pictures last night...here's my progress on Dancer Pose and Standing Split Pose.

Dancer


Standing Split


For the record, the kids and I only completed one round last night of my crazy homemade circuit. We're going to try to amp it up on Saturday and do 2 or 3 in a row. We've made a competition out of my May "Iso" Goals as well. Each of us put $2 in a jar on the kitchen counter. The person who does the most of the pushups, planks, crunches, burpees, mountain climbers, etc. that I have mapped out for May will win the entire $6 pot. Should be a fun challenge for all of us! I love getting the kids involved (and am SO happy that my oldest, Logan, decided to join Ethan and I in the challenge)!

Stronglift Workout B scheduled for after work tonight...then maybe a late dinner with a friend. We shall see!