10/24/15: The winner of our free DietBet game entry is…Lisa!!! And since I had several Lisas enter, the winning Lisa’s email address has something to do with stars. Lisa w/ stars, please check your inbox for instructions on how to claim your free entry. And for everyone else, thank you so much for entering! You have set some amazing goals for yourselves?you got this! 🙂
Here?s a question I?m asked frequently: ?Heidi, I?m following my diet so carefully, working out hard five days a week, and the scale is not budging! What am I doing wrong??
My answer? Nothing…You?re very possibly not doing anything wrong! In fact, you?ve been doing so many things right. It?s kinda? sad how we let that dumb number on the scale make us feel either over-the-moon elated or like a total failure.
Here are seven ways you can tell that all your hard work and dedication are paying off?no matter what number is on that darn scale:
- Do your clothes fit looser? If so, you’ve changed body fat into lean body mass (muscle) which will burn more fat. That?s a win!
- Have you lost inches? If you haven?t taken your measurements yet, go do it right now! And retake your measurements each time you weigh. You might be surprised at the results. 😉
- Do you just feel better? Do you have more energy? These are sure signs of a healthier body.
- Are you sleeping better? Again, another sign of a healthier body.
- A small weight gain or no weight loss could be due to what you ate recently. Sodium and carbs (yes, even the healthy ones) can cause water retention, so keep that in mind.
- Ladies, is it around that time of the month? Along with all the other ?lovely? things we get to experience during this time, temporary weight gain can be one of them. Remember, the key word here is temporary.
- Only weigh yourself once a week. I know. It?s so tempting to step on that scale more often just to see…but…if that number on the scale is not what you’d hoped, it can be pretty disappointing and lead to making some not-so-great choices. Your weight naturally fluctuates from day to day, so why set yourself up for some totally unnecessary frustration? If you?re carb cycling, weigh yourself weekly on the morning of day 6 for most cycles (most number of days post Reward Day and after the most number of low-carb days).
And here’s a bonus tip: Chris and I are hosting another DietBet game?”Thanksgiving Slim Down”?that begins on October 27th, and I’m giving away one free entry right here! To enter, leave me a comment below telling me one thing you’re going to do to keep your transformation goals front and center during the holidays AND share this post on social media. And I want to be able to find you, so please tag me and use the hashtag #thanksgivingslimdown. You have until midnight, Friday, October 23, to enter, and one winner will be randomly chosen and announced right here on Saturday, October 24. And don’t forget to sign up for our game: DietBet.com/ChrisPowell.
So there you have it…my sure-fire tips for winning that battle with your scale. 🙂
Xoxo,
Heidi
Want more awesome tips just like this? Check out Choose More, Lose More for Life, now available in paperback!
186 Responses
Help I am addicted to chocolate bad I do great during the day it is my night time is where I have the problem … I do workout 5 days a week thank god for that .. need to lose 10 pounds due to my addiction….Thanks Tammy
Hi Tammy: Here’s Chris and Heidi’s #1 transformation tool, and I think it could really help you: https://heidipowell.net/8679. Give it a try – it works!
I’m giving up soda. I know it sounds easy but I am completely addicted! I’m just taking it one day at a time and I know I’ll get there!
Hi I have started my first slingshot week today, but have barely lost any weight during the first 3 weeks, like barely 2 pounds, while I would want to loose between 11 and 20 pounds:/
I?m 25 and workout regularly 4/5 times a week, 2/3 of resistance training and 3 times LISS training. 3 years ago I screwed up my metabolism by eating 600kcal/day for 2 months, then I followed with very little carbs for a long long time, but its been more than a year now that I have gotten back on track eating 5 meals a days and carbs and all and am trying to gain the muscle I had lost/never had due tue the fact that my body was burning it instead of the carb I was not giving it but have never gotten results. I have always been very healthy and attent to what I eat but never got good results in loosing the kg I have had on since young?I have lost 4 kg over the past year, but nothing really worked for good ( mening I would follow a certain dietm but I wouldnt loose because of it, the weight just came off for no real reason in the past months.) so I was hoping to find an anwser in Carb cycling but so far I havnt seen much results.
What should I dom keep on trying? Maybe its early to see changes ( even if in Chirs?s choose to lose he was talking about 13lb in 3 months and I don?t see me getting there) or should I change to another cycle or try some of the solutions in the book already?
Tanks a lot, sorry for the super long message!!!
Hi Elis: Thank you for your post! A couple of things: 1) Your weight loss rate can be slow in the beginning as your body gets used to a new way of doing things. And since you’ve been on several diets in the past, this can also slow your weight loss rate. 2) The fewer pounds you have to lose, the slower your rate of weight loss can be. Even a 1 lb a week loss can be awesome – the important thing is to continue to add in these healthy habits and incorporate them into your life for the rest of your life. 3) I’m not sure which cycle you’re following, but you can change cycles at any time. 4) No matter which cycle you’re following, be sure and follow the daily calorie recommendations for low- and high-carb days, drink all your water every day, watch those portion sizes, get in up to an hour of cardio/Shredders 5 days a week, do your 9-Minute Missions every morning, and stick to those promises you make to yourself. And remember, baby steps are the key to lifelong transformation! You can do this!
Aww thanks for your anwser!!I’ve tried for a loong time, but this time I’m really hoping for results and I do see the potential in the whole plan! Just another things….I’m doing the classic one right now, I’ll give it a try for another couple of weeks, then,if I still don’t see any change, should I switch to the turbo one or adapt by cutting carbs for the last two meals of the HC days at Chris says in the book?
About the 9min exercises, is it on the LC mornings or should it really be every morning?
Thanks again!!
You are so welcome! And if you need to make a change, you might try the Turbo Cycle before cutting carbs on HC days. The Turbo Cycle is awesome! As for the 9MM, you’ll do one every morning, Monday-Friday. 🙂
Hi. I purchased the book as an e-book. I find myself to be a visual person and would like to know if there is somewhere I can get copies of the Turbo Cycle worksheet.. I am not able to print them from my nook. Is that possible?
Thanks!
Hi Linda: I’m so sorry, but we don’t have any copies of the worksheets available.