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
My 8 year old and I made “goal posters” with 3 goals we want to achieve by the end of the year and three steps on how we will stay on track for each goal. My goals are weight loss and fitness, whereas her goals are more along the lines of grades, etc. We hung them on the bathroom mirror so each morning we are reminded of what we are focusing on each day to meet our year end goals.
I am a registered nurse in CT’s largest and most acute hospital. I am truly blessed to work on the organ transplant floor, which means I take care of patients (and their familes) after organ transplantation. Since I started working as a nurse I’ve gained 25lbs on my small 5′ 5″ frame.
During the holidays familes bring in all sorts of goodies for us nurses and fellow staff members to enjoy as a thank you for all that we do for them. It’s so tough to resist temptation sometimes (especially when it’s crazy and I haven’t had time to eat breakfast OR lunch) but this year I am determined to stay on track. I’ve started packing healthy lunches and snacks to work, so on crazy days (which is most days) when I can’t make it down to the cafe, I know I have something to eat. I’m also going to set a goal of drinking 2 large bottles of water during my 12 hour shift. If I’m not starving and I’m hydrated I can resist the temptation to eat 5 cookies and 3 brownies.
For the holidays, and really for whenever I’m tempted, I always like to tell myself that whatever it is that I want is not going away. There will be another Christmas and someone will make delicious Christmas cookies again and I can have one then. I do this a lot when I just want junk food and I tell myself Cheez-its isn’t going out of business I can have them again, I just don’t need them right now. I’m hoping I can use this same mentality to be on the nice list throughout the holiday season!
Focus more on conversations with family at parties rather than hanging around the food tables.
Track food daily and allow myself some treats on guilt free days!
START working out again after baby number 3. Have not found that motivation yet!
I am planning to stock to my workout schedule and healthy eating but on the actual holidays, I am going to allow myself to indulge a little but inly on the actual day and then I will be right back on track. I have lost 40 lbs since mid February with this mindset.
I am on week 6 of working out at least 4 days a week. It’s the most consistent I’ve been since before my little girl came into the world over a year ago. To stick to my health goals over the holidays I’m signing up for two 5k races- one on Thanksgiving morning and the other in the middle of December. I am training now to be able to run each race. I also am in a challenge with friends to keep track of our fitness and nutrition. I would LOVE this opportunity!
I am working toward weight loss for our January cruise vacation and for our upcoming wedding. I want to look better at 48 for my second wedding than I did at 20 for my first wedding 🙂
going to learn how to cook more HEALTHY but tasty food, and always keep the fridge stocked with heathy options
Workout 6 days a week lost over 120 pounds have 65 more to go! Not eating enough! sometimes not eating the right thing! weighing every day! My goal is to eat more and not weigh in every day! This would be a Awesome way to keep me on track! #thanksgivingslimdown.