Weight watchers alternative - should I trust the scales?

Hi there, this is Jonathan Clark from Lose Weight For Scotland – it’s my mission to Crush Obesity, Add Years To Your Life & help you to Look Good Naked!  I challenge Scots to lose 10 lbs of fat or gain 10 lbs of muscle, even if they’ve tried everything else, and it’s guaranteed.

One of the questions I get asked all the time is “Is the bathroom scale the best way to measure the fitness I’m gaining and the pounds I’m losing?”

Here’s my opinion – the answer is No! Many people get frustrated when they step on the scale after weeks of exercising only to discover they’re the same weight. What they’re forgetting is that they very likely have gained muscle while they were losing body fat—a more positive health change than simply losing pounds.   Especially if you’re using weights or bodyweight resistance exercises like push ups and crunches.

Like in my last 90 day challenge, I gained 10lbs of muscle and lost 7 lbs of fat.  So the scales say I’m only 3 pounds heavier, but overall I’m much leaner and healthier.  Trust me = The more lean muscle you build the more fat you’ll burn – so it’s a generative change.

There are other, more telling ways to track your progress. You can use low cost calipers to track body-fat changes. Take the measurement about one inch above your right hip. Taking your waist, hip, and thigh measurements on a weekly basis will help you quantify exactly how many inches you’ve lost. And how are your jeans fitting? 

Every so often, try on that old pair—the ones you wore when you were at your feel-great weight. Once they fit, you’ll know you’re at a healthy weight. And use a belt. Counting the extra belt holes you move up is an easy way to get daily feedback on your weight.

You can also get scales that send a small micro current of electricity through your body, and they measure not only your body fat, but your lean muscle too.  That way you can see BOTH week by week.  You’ll get them in stores like Argos for under 20 quid.

To be honest most people care MORE about the inches than the numbers on scales.  Like I always say, if you weighed 20 stone but you looked like Jennifer Lopez, would you care?  So measure inches and not weight.