I love our community! It’s full of amazing people sharing their lives and journey to health. And when I see a post like:
“I stopped eating sugar and lost 10 lbs this week!”
I’m thrilled!
But sometimes, these moments of celebration aren’t so exciting for everyone.
After a few posts of people celebrating their weight loss success, I sometimes see comments like, “I only lost 2 lbs. this week,” or “I ate so well, but only lost 1 lb. Am I doing something wrong?”
The short answer: No!
What you may or may not know is that the average weight loss goal is 1 pound a week. Just 1! It may seem slow, but it’s a healthy way for your body to adjust slowly and it increases your chances of keeping the weight off long term.
Now, sometimes if you try a cleanse or a detox, you’ll lose more than a pound a week. Or if you have a lot of weight to lose, your results might be different. That’s great! But if you’re seeing a steady loss of 1 pound every week, you’re doing everything right and you’re amazing for doing it!
Really, if you’re eating healthy, you’re doing the right thing no matter what the scale says. But when you see such big losses from other people, it’s easy to think you don’t measure up.
So when you feel down about your progress or wonder why you aren’t getting the same losses that you’re seeing in the community, here’s a few tips to help you stay positive.
It’s hard to stop comparing yourself to others. Though it might seem like someone had a huge victory, while you saw much smaller results — you don’t really know the whole story.
Let’s say you’re comparing yourself to someone who lost 10 pounds in a week. Well, what we don’t know about them is their starting weight, what their diet was like before they started a new plan, how much their sleeping, or anything else about their life.
Here’s a different way to think about it. Imagine you and another woman are waiting tables (boy, waiting tables, that takes me back!). Your coworker gets a 50% tip, while you only got 20%. Sounds like your friend had a huge win, right? Until you look at the whole picture. Turns out, she got a $5 tip on a $10 bill, while you got a $20 tip from a $100 bill.
Obviously, my tipping scenario and weight loss aren’t exactly the same, but when you compare yourself to someone else (especially when it’s only based on what they post on social media), you never really see the full picture.
So, say congrats to your friend and be happy for them, and know that their ups and downs really have no impact on your own personal journey.
It’s always tough to step on the scale and not get the results you wanted. But there’s so much going on that the scale can’t measure.
The scale can’t measure how much your blood sugar levels have improved. The scale can’t measure how your estrogen and progesterone levels are balancing out. And the scale can’t measure the cellular changes that happen as your body heals from years of processed and toxic ingredients.
When you eat well, all these amazing changes are happening inside your body all the time. But the scale doesn’t give you any credit! That’s why it’s so important to let the scale be only one tool you use to track your progress.
Instead of just measuring your weight, think about how your clothes fit differently, how you feel in the morning, and how much energy you have. When you think about all the ways you’re feeling better, a sluggish scale isn’t so bad.
And trust me, the scale will catch up eventually.
Usually people think “I’ll celebrate when I reach my goal.”
By all means, celebrate when you reach your goal (I’ve got “Celebrate Good Times” ready to play on my Spotify list just for you!). But in the meantime, you should celebrate all the little victories that get you to your ultimate goal.
Were you able to buy a Medium shirt instead of a Large (even if the scale didn’t really change)? Celebrate! You chose a piece of fruit over the ice cream your husband brought home? Celebrate! You were able to play tag with your kids without getting winded? That’s a huge reason to celebrate (especially if your kids are anything like my boys, they could outrun a marathoner 😉)!
When you celebrate the little things, it makes the journey more fun. And when the journey is more fun, you’re more likely to stay on the path and make it to your final goal (and an even bigger celebration).
Instead of thinking about all the pounds you haven’t lost yet or all the ways someone else is doing better than you, focus on the positive. You’ll be happier and you’ll still see amazing results.
Remember, you’re choosing to live a better, healthier life. Most people don’t do that. So, really - You’ve already won.
In health and happiness,
Isabel
