The Battle of The Bugle!

Ladies and gentleman, let’s get ready to rumble! Here is one of the oldest questions since the health and fitness fad has hit mainstream. What is the best way to determine your results? Is it what the scale is telling you or is it how your clothes are fitting and how good you are looking in them.  This, in my opinion, has been one of the more difficult measurements to establish accuracy. We all know muscle weights more than fat, and the scale doesn’t exactly tell you that. It just shows that one number that will either make your day or not. So how do we measure with accuracy?

                The scales now days are coming out with body fat readers and BMI calculators. I want to make one point before continuing by saying do not ever go by BMI. In my opinion, the BMI (Body Mass Index) is not only horribly inaccurate; it is very out of date. This is a sure fire way to lose motivation and just increase frustration. So never do that. Let’s take a look at what the scale provides. A body fat reader can be accurate, but it is based on hydration of the body. So it will misread if you’re dehydrated or have eaten a lot of salty foods and such. To be honest, the only way to be the more accurate body fat measurement is by doing a Hydro Static Weight in a laboratory. So unless you want to pay that much money for an accurate body fat measurement, then let’s just do our best with the reader as we can. Muscle weights more than body fat. When starting a new weight training program, you will experience an initial weight gain due to the body acclimating to the stress it is dealing with. This is normal and the weight will go back down soon, depending on your own metabolism.  Now after this, you will experience a progressive weight loss. A healthy weight loss is averaged to 1-2lbs per week. That’s on a healthy average.

                I always tell my clientele that the scale isn’t something to go on all the time. The best way to determine if you’re losing or gaining is by referring to your pants sizes. You can lose inches and sizes without dropping a lot of weight, hypothetically. Again, this is because the muscle you’ve developed and the fat you have lost are basically,” Meeting in the middle” or “Cancelling each other out” so the scale remains the same but the pants are getting baggy or loose. The mirror is a good side reference when it comes to the pants and shirt sizes. If those are getting smaller, then you’re most likely looking way better in the mirror. Give it a look and see for yourself.

                So when you start a program, do lean towards one side only. Use both to your advantage. Again, if you aren’t seeing the scale change much but the pants are falling off of you, then you’re doing a good job. Keep going! Happy training. 

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