Is the scale weighing you down?  

What does the number even mean?

As summer winds down and we get back to routines, I know that for some of you, weight loss is on your mind.

Recently, I’ve been hearing from friends and family that they’ve gained x amount of weight.

In the past, I’ve had pilates clients ask for more crunches or ab work as a way to lose belly fat.

I’ve heard this so many times I’ve lost count.  

You can’t spot-treat the body.  

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.  

Sit-ups and crunches won’t fix belly fat.  

It’s a nutrition issue.

The challenge with weighing yourself is that it doesn’t tell the whole story.  

You have no idea how much of the number is lean muscle and how much is body fat.

Time and again, I’ve seen women become obsessed with the number on the scale and believe that if they just lose 5 or 10 pounds, everything in life will be different.

I worked for a private club that purchased a machine that measures your lean muscle and body fat.  

It’s a fantastic tool for really understanding your body composition vs just looking at and obsessing over a number on a scale.

For the past 10 years, I’ve only paid attention to my body composition by using the In Body machine.   

I don’t weigh myself.  

My body fat has ranged from as low as 22% to as high as 35%.  

Two years of gyms being closed in Los Angeles during the pandemic had me trading lean muscle for body fat.

According to the National Institutes of Health, women should ideally have a body fat percentage between 20-30% and men between 12-20%.

Muscle is the fountain of youth.  

It’s what will safeguard your independence as you age.  

The most common cause of accidental death in people over 65 is a fall-related injury.

Most women I work with don’t eat enough protein to help maintain their lean muscle.

Reducing stress can be a significant help, especially if you’re dealing with stubborn belly fat.

Walking every day is another way to help move the needle.

Most of all, you need to be in a calorie deficit.

As you know, I don’t teach people how to diet.

I teach people how to eat whole, real food.

Now that summer is over, consider removing the alcohol, chips, snacks, ice cream, desserts, etc.

All those fun treats add up.

For a week, write down everything you eat in a day.

Are you getting enough protein (30 grams per meal)?

Are you eating enough non-starchy vegetables?

These help you to stay full and feel satisfied.

Are you eating enough healthy fat, but also being mindful, since fats are calorie dense?

Track to be curious, not to beat yourself up.

It’s just data.  

I encouraged you to focus more on building muscle rather than losing weight.

Muscle also helps to balance blood sugar.  

It’s where excess glucose can be stored.  

I hope you’ll consider ditching your scale and instead determine your body composition by using the InBody machine or undergoing a DEXA scan, which also assesses your bone density.  

These tools are far more helpful than a number on the scale.

I hope you'll think about how you can add muscle and whole, real food.

Rather than just trying to lower the number on the scale and shrink yourself.