Tip #39
from the e-book
"113 Tips for Permanent Weight Loss"
by Pat Barone, CPCC, PCC,
"America's Weight Loss Catalyst"
39.
The scale measures weight, not fat.
Here are some basic facts. The body is made
up of fat and non-fat (lean) tissue – this includes bone, muscle, organ
tissue, interstitial and connective tissue. All of this lean tissue is
mostly water – 73.2%.
If you weigh 200 and you have 35% body fat,
then you have 130 pounds of lean tissue and you are about 95 pounds of
water. A gallon of water weighs 8 lbs. The average person is almost 12
gallons of water.
Most diets (especially Atkins and high
protein) cause you to lose water quite rapidly. Once the kidneys begin to
try to deal with the excessive protein waste in the body, they call forth
large amounts of water from the muscles, cells, etc. in an attempt to
rid the body of poisonous ketones. Then, the body fights to put that water
back into the body to balance its electrolytes!
Do you see how most diets could cause you to
lose water… which might show up in a change on the scale but means
absolutely nothing in terms of burning FAT?
Don't be fooled by the number on the scale.
You want to burn fat and only fat. Fast weight loss is mostly water, but
can also be the result of burning parts of the body, including muscle, that
you CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE!
Scale Use
One of the reasons you don't want to rely totally on the scale is that it
can fluctuate with water weight, hormonal shifts and chemical interactions.
If you were to weigh yourself continually, every day, for months and months,
you'd actually find that you have a "range of weight." These numbers might
be 165-169 for months, then, after changing your behaviors and habits, you
might notice a new range of 159-164 for a while. Again, numbers on the
scale aren't an accurate reflection of fat content within the body.
If you judge yourself harshly when you see
169 on the scale, it'll be almost impossible to do the work necessary to get
into the 159 range.
