This is all about results.  Did you gain weight or lose weight?

Calorie counts, macros, food labels, fitness calculators; all of those things are estimates.  And estimates can be completely and totally wrong.  Unless you’re participating in a lab experiment or have paid to have your RMR tested, you’re guessing.  Granted, some guesses may be have a bit more solid research and experience behind them, it’s all still one great big experiment.  In an experiment, you test, review the results, make corrections and test again.

There are more things to consider than the scale when losing weight.

In the chase for a better body and body composition, the scale is only one data point.  There’s body fat, lean muscle mass, cardiovascular endurance, how your clothes fit, the compliments from your friends and family to consider.  With that in mind, the scale is NOT the perfect indicator of progress, but it is still a valuable indicator.

The scale doesn’t lie, but it also doesn’t tell the entire story.  Remember to use it in conjunction with other, non scale related, indicators of progress.  You have more than one tool at your disposal.

Life comes down to balance and that applies to calories too.

Let’s get back to calories.  You’re either consuming calories and/or burning them.  In fact, you’re burning calories as you’re eating.  That’s called the Thermic Effect of Feeding but that’s another topic entirely.  Eat more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight.  Burn more calories over time and you’ll lose weight.  That’s an extreme simplification of the process but the concept applies.

Measuring your weight tells you how much you weigh at that exact moment.  You’ll need to take multiple measurements over time in order to establish a trend.  For body weight, be sure to weigh yourself on the same day of the week and at the same time.  Take note how much water you drink and do your best to be consistent.  And wear the same clothing (or none at all if acceptable) when you weigh yourself.  Remove as many environmental factors as possible when weighing yourself.

Weight gain or loss is not a linear process and there will be ups and downs.  Real progress takes place over time.  You will likely see your weight fluctuate up and down.  That’s normal life.  Do NOT obsess over one weigh in!  Keep track of your measurements and create an average weight over time.  How about average weekly weight and average monthly weight?  If you compare those numbers over time, are you gaining or losing?

If the trending numbers are not going in the direction you want, it doesn’t matter how clean you’re eating, how environmentally friendly you’re eating, how much you’re fasting or working out, you need to make a change.  Look at your results and adjust as necessary.

Remember the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results?  If you’re not losing weight, change something!

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