I would like to encourage you to throw away the scales and measure your
body fat instead.
I don't mean literally throw
them away, but getting on a scale and measuring your total body weight doesn't tell you the whole story. Measuring your
body fat and tracking body composition is a better indicator of a healthy body.
A body composition analysis by a professional trainer, or doctor is an important step to take
before you start an exercise program, not only does it tell you the ratio of fat to muscle, it will help you to define
a clear goal to work towards. It's very encouraging to know as you recheck every few months that you are
making a healthy change.
Your body weight
may change but is it muscle or fat that you are losing? This is why using a scale alone can throw you off by giving
you a false impression.
Diet plays an important
role in your ability to hold onto muscle and lose fat. As you may know already, muscle is
active tissue and requires calories to exist, fat is just stored excess calories. When you lose calorie burning
muscle (by eating too few calories) you will end up storing more fat when you start eating your normal diet again. You
may lose weight temporarily, but now you have set yourself up to gain more fat as your calorie consuming muscle
is lost.
