“Why isn’t the scale moving faster?”
During a recent check-in, one of my clients shared her frustration:
"I am doing everything right. I haven’t had a drink in 14 days, I track my macros I move every day—and the scale is only down 2 pounds. My husband quit drinking for 10 days and lost 8 pounds! It’s just not fair!"
Sound familiar? It should, I hear it often!
She asked me...
* Should I drop my calories?
* Cut carbs or go full keto?
* Do something, anything, to speed this scale loss up for a week or two?
Her frustration is SO common, but here’s the thing: What feels like “slow” progress is often *exactly* what you need.
Here is what I told her…
Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. (Especially a man!) Her husband dropped weight quickly because men tend to carry more water weight, (more muscle = more stored glycogen in the muscle) and cutting alcohol often causes a dramatic shift for them. But his progress is not her progress.
The scale isn’t the full story. She may be down “only 2 pounds,” but she’s building muscle, improving her energy, and changing her body composition—things the scale doesn’t show.If you lose weight FAST, you are probably also losing muscle. Losing muscle is NOT the goal, if you are over 35 years old this is especially true as it becomes harder and harder to get back.
Extreme measures aren’t the answer. Slashing calories or going keto might nudge the scale short term, but they often lead to fatigue, cravings, and rebound weight gain.Fast results aren’t sustainable results.
I reminded her that fat loss is slow, but the bigger wins are already happening:
* She’s showing up for herself every day, and feels YOUNGER (her own words!!)
* Her energy is through the roof.
* Her strength is improving.
* Her clothes fit better
* And BTW the scale IS moving down most every week!
When you focus on habits instead of quick fix shortcuts, you build progress that lasts.
If you can relate, before you panic and slash calories or carbs, ask yourself:
*Are my habits sustainable?
*Am I giving my body time to adapt to the all the positive things I have been doing for myself?
*Am I noticing wins beyond the scale?
*Am I really willing to give up muscle mass in the same of a smaller scale weight?
Fast weight loss isn’t the goal.
Forever fat loss is the goal.