I’m sure, like most of us, you’d like to see progress by measuring some kind of metric (eg losing weight). When we think that we aren’t making good progress, it can be quite discouraging. But, if you’re putting in the effort, and making changes without seeing measurable ‘progress’ then you probably need to look at the metrics you are measuring.
Weight loss is one of those metrics and it can be particularly frustrating when we see little progress in this area. After all, it’s what most people talk about.
When assessing progress, there are many more important metrics to measure than weight loss and probably some societal expectations to get over.
Consider these metrics:
- Energy
- Sleep
- Fitness
- Body feel - skin, body tone
- Mental health/life balance/anxiety
- Happiness
If I go on these metrics, I am kicking goals.
- I have more energy despite the amount of energy I am expelling.
- I am sleeping better for sure, in fact annoyingly waking up earlier.
- I am certainly fitter.
- I see changes in my skin, I feel I look healthier.
- I am less anxious, and my body seems to handle stress better (heart rate, fatigue)
- I am happier - Partly because I am less stressed.
Now, if I were to go on a weight loss measure alone, I’m a failure so far. I’ve had to battle with this in my head. I would like to shed some weight, I have some to shed, it would also make exercise easier if I did lose some. But, I haven’t.
It’s left me a bit frustrated. But I need to remember how far I have come. In terms of minutes of exercise per day, I’ve only really been at 30 minutes of moderate exercise for the past 4 weeks. Before that, I was building my foundation. And I can now do so much more than I could before. I also have gained muscle. Wonderful, wonderful muscle that now aids me to move more and better. My visceral fat (fat around the organs) has reduced also.
So, in summary, I’m smashing it.
I need to consider the weight loss metric as far less important than all others, because it is. And I need to understand the role of media in ‘making’ me feel bad about not losing a kilo a week. After all, we are aiming for sustainable wellness, not society’s idea of a beach body by Summer.
