Mid Week Motivation: I'm Not Losing Weight, Am I Still Making Progres?

I have to apologize right up front.  I realized today, after thinking a little deeper on the issue, I may have mislead and confused some people. I claim that I want to give all of you accurate, practical information that will help you achieve your goals.

So for the record, let's get this specific issue clear.

Over the past week I have received several questions asking, "If I'm not losing weight (on the scale) am I still making progress in my training?"  This is an excellent question and a great one for Mid-Week Motivation.

The short answer is Yes!

Remember, a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of fat, which both weigh the same as a pound of muscle. 

The difference is one of space.

Think of body fat as taking up the space of a grapefruit, while the same weight of muscle would only take the space of a tangerine.  So while you may not see the numbers change on the scale, you should notice a difference in how your clothes fit -- because your muscle takes up less space, you should see the progress in inches first, not weight.

What I mean by that is, you may not see your loss of body fat on your typical bathroom scale, but that does not mean you haven't gotten rid of some unwanted body fat.

When you begin a good nutrition and exercise program it is not unusual to initially see the overall body weight number on your typical bathroom scale actually go up. 

Why?

Because if you're like most of the population, chances are you've been under-eating.  Meaning, you've probably been consuming way too many carbohydrates and not near enough protein to feed your muscles properly.  So when you start eating properly, your muscles soak up all those extra calories because they have been starving all this time.  And in most cases, the muscles soak up the good nutrients a bit faster than you are able to burn off the extra body fat (stored sugar for energy).

To take it one step further and hopefully make this a bit more clear, think of it this way.  From what I've gathered from my research, we are all born with a certain number of fat cells and a certain number of muscles cells.  The amount of each of these does not change!

What does change is the size (volume, amount of space they take up) of each of those types of cells.  You can shrink your fat cells through exercise and good nutrition, thus creating a "smaller", healthier you.  While at the same time slightly increasing your muscle cells (which take up less space) which thus allow you took look smaller, feel better, and live longer, all without seeing much change on your typical bathroom scale.

So again, YES, you may still be making progress even if you don't see the number decreasing on your typical bathroom scale.

Lastly, I've been saying "typical bathroom scale" throughout this blog, because technology has now advanced to a point where you can buy a bathroom scale that will provide you with a body composition number (body fat compared to lean muscle).  They are relatively inexpensive and do a decent to good job of giving reliable information on which to base your progress.

So don't get down on yourself just because you don't see the number decreasing on your typical bathroom scale.  Instead, get a better bathroom scale, keep planning your meals in advance to stay on track, and get your exercise in consistently with no excuses.

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Mid Week Motivation: 3 Easy Ways to Change Your Body

Over the past couple of months we've gone through some pretty deep stuff; getting in The Zone, finding your Big Rocks, etc. This month let's keep it simple and to the point. 

Today I want to share with you some basic and to the point ideas to help you create a successful weight loss and keep it off program.  It's largely about the planning.  Funny thing is, so is gaining quality muscle -- it's all in the planning and consistency.

Check out the video below to get your 3 Critical, Ready to Apply Strategies to Transform Your Body.

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness discusses the 3 Most Important Points to changing your body. Simple and to the point. http://www.energyfxfitness.com

Mid-Week Motivation: 3 More Easy Ways to Change Your Body

I'm feeling a little bit down today.  I don't know exactly why, but I guess I'm really seeing the other side when it comes to the advances in technology.  I mean don't get me wrong, I appreciate the multitude of features on my cell phone, the vast TV channel selections, the advances in medicine, and our ability to create more green technology.

The problem that has me down is, it unfortunately seems as though people think that fitness and body transformation should happen at the same speed as technological advances. And what really sucks about that is. . . . . . The Body Doesn't Work Like That ! I like to call it Spray Tan Fitness (more on that next week). It seems people believe you can just show up at the gym, talk most of the time they're there and expect to get results. Kind of like getting a spray tan (which is not a bad thing, since it keeps you away from ultraviolet rays, it just doesn't work when it comes to fitness).

Sure you can drop a few pounds quickly by cutting out certain food groups for a short period of time. But it's not a lifestyle you can maintain and so the weight comes back. Sure you can get certain surgeries done to get you to lose weight, but from what I read you risk your life by having the surgery. Sure you can even take certain pills to assist you. But low and behold, when you come off of them you have to do the work of proper nutrition consistently and daily exercise.

I want you to understand, if there was a quick fix to weight loss, or avoiding pain, an easy way, I'd have found the book or product, found out where they sold it and for how much, and sent you an email each day to tell you about it.  Sadly the truth is, it will take some level of work and effort on your part to change your body.  There are no quick fixes, no magic pills, no creams, no potions.

However, on a brighter note, the ways to lose weight, keep it off, get out of pain and stay that way, are all pretty simple. You commit to doing the simple tasks on a daily basis and you will get results, 9 times out of 10.

So in keeping with the theme this month, here are 3 More Easy Ways to Change Your Body. They are straight and to the point. And guess what?  If you apply them, they work like magic.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness shares 3 more critical points to changing your body quickly. Simple and to the point. Apply them and they work. http://www.e...