8 Non-Scale Weight Loss Victories to Keep You Motivated
Losing weight isn’t easy, and the challenges are often more mental than physical. While you are making a drastic change to your physical body, the real change has to start from within.
The number on the scale is an important aspect of weight loss, but it’s not the only thing you should focus on. In fact, focusing too much on this number can actually be de-motivating.
Your actual weight is not always a reliable measurement for success. Many people experience plateaus during weight loss for many reasons.
Plateaus can happen because your body is gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. It can also occur because your body is adjusting and compensating for changes in diet and exercise.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that even when you feel like the scale isn’t reflecting your efforts, big changes are happening within you that are worth celebrating.
Importance of Non-Scale Victories
You can measure success in many ways that have nothing to do with the scale. While seeing that number go down feels like the most important milestone for weight loss, there are actually many other non-scale victories that are worth celebrating.
Taking stock of these non-scale milestones is important to help you stay motivated. Like we mentioned before, plateaus happen for many reasons, and are totally normal and even expected. You need to have other reasons to keep going.
When you are taking note of other ways your body and mindset are changing, you will be better able to stay on the right track even when you hit a roadblock.
Non-scale victories are also important because they are often much better indicators of success and transforming your health than the number on the scale anyway.
8 Ways to Measure Success Off the Scale
You are in less pain.
Carrying extra weight on your body can lead to joint and muscle pain as well as being more susceptible to injuries. When you start to improve your diet and increase exercise, you may notice that this chronic pain begins to get better.
Many of my patients note that one of the biggest indicators that their health is improving is that their chronic pain gets better or even goes away.
Science backs this theory, showing that chronic pain can be improved by eating an anti-inflammatory diet and getting regular exercise.
Your blood panel shows improved health markers.
Weight loss through improved diet and exercise can have dramatic effects on your health markers, one of the most important and compelling reasons to improve your health.
When you lose weight and gain muscle, you see improvements in your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and cardiovascular health.
Health is one of the biggest motivators for weight loss according to he National Weight Control Registry and focusing on these improvements can serve as a reminder of the deeper motivations behind your lifestyle change, or your why.
You are sleeping better.
Being overweight can disrupt sleep in a few ways.
High inflammation can disrupt your sleep. High blood sugar, a side effect of diabetes, can cause restless leg syndrome, keeping you up at night. Sleep apnea is also much more common in overweight and obese people.
By improving these health markers through weight loss, you might find that you are sleeping more soundly. Exercise also helps you sleep better at night, but avoid exercising too close to bedtime.
You have more energy.
Having higher body fat is draining on your energy. First, just carrying excess fat around necessitates your body to spend more energy on simply moving as well as putting a strain on your heart.
Losing weight also helps to improve your body’s oxygen efficiency, making it easier to breathe and helping to move that oxygen throughout your body.
Finally, that improved sleep comes back into play resulting in more energy throughout the day.
Your mood has improved.
Like Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde, “Endorphins make you happy!” It’s true that exercise releases endorphins which improve your mood, but that’s not the only way that weight loss impacts your mental health.
Higher body fat can also elevate your cortisol levels, so losing that weight can decrease stress hormones, making you feel less anxious.
The improvement in your self esteem shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Feeling confident is an important motivator for losing weight.
Your clothes fit better.
While your weight loss isn’t always reflected on the scale, you may notice a bigger change in the way your body looks and how your clothes fit.
Body recomposition happens when you lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. Since muscle weighs more per volume, you might feel like you are stagnating when you look at the scale.
You might also track your body measurements, and even just notice how you feel in your clothes as your health improves.
Your skin is healthier and more vibrant.
Losing weight can reduce inflammation, improve blood circulation, and reduce oil production, leading to clearer and more vibrant skin.
Body fat is stored in the face as well as the rest of the body, and reducing these fat pads can give you smoother and less puffy skin.
Finally, losing weight improves your body’s collagen and elastin production. These proteins are responsible for preventing sagging and wrinkles, giving your skin a smoother appearance.
You are stronger and have more stamina.
Like we mentioned earlier, it takes more energy to move around a body carrying excess fat and your oxygen efficiency is higher when you lose weight.
These are two reasons why you might see improvement in your exercise performance when you lose weight.
Maybe you notice you can run longer, lift heavier, or complete movements like pushups without any modifications. You should celebrate these wins just as much as the numbers on your scale.
Keep Up the Great Work
When you are focused on losing weight, it can be easy to hyper-fixate on the number you see reflected back at you on the scale. However, plateaus are normal and you might not always see big changes as you get closer to your goal weight.
There are so many other important markers of health from better sleep to simply feeling more confident. Finding other reasons off the scale to keep you motivated will help you stay on track and feel great about your progress.
Weight loss can impact your life in unexpected ways. We have had patients mention things like being able to wrap their bath towel around themselves, being able to ride a roller coaster at a theme park, and even being more comfortable taking family photos.
Think back on where you started your weight loss journey and see if you can notice any big improvements in any of these 8 health makers, or maybe find your own improvements we haven’t even thought of yet.
