The Scales Are Not Always A Good Guide Of Your Progress

Blake Bakkila

16/05/2018

Consider this proof your self-worth should never be measured by the number on the scales.

Earlier this week, UK fitness blogger Victoria Winterford took to Instagram to share a side-by-side snap of her body transformation. But unlike the before-and-after pics we’re used to seeing, this one had a twist: Not only had she gained 10 kilos, she’d stayed the exact same size.

“How??” she asked in the caption. “Yep that little thing we call muscle. ITS ONLY A NUMBER! 10 kilos different yet I’m the same size ….. how?? …. yep that little thing we call muscle! Muscle is actually much denser then fat! So when you gain muscle you will in turn gain weight too!!! We all get so paranoid over those numbers on the little step we obsess with, we let it control us, how we train, how much we should be eating etc, when really we need to be focusing on how we LOOK and how we FEEL! When you start training and eating properly you may wonder why you’re not losing weight, you may actually be gaining muscle which is why the scales aren’t moving (or going the other way). So stop focusing so much on the numbers and as @thebodycoach says “step off the sad step”.

“Muscle is actually much denser than fat so when you gain muscle you will in turn gain weight too!!”

“We all get so paranoid over those numbers,” she continued. “We let it control us, how we train, how much we should be eating… when really we need to be focusing on how we LOOK and how we FEEL!” Speaking with Health, Victoria admitted she’d struggled to maintain healthy habits in the past and as a result, became “very underweight.”

Everyone’s journey is different, whether that be weight loss, weigh gain or just becoming a more healthier, happier and positive person. We all have goals, we all have a vision that we want our selves to look like, but being the best version of yourself is the most acheivable goal you will ever reach. Focus on you, learn to love yourself before you choose the idea of trying to be someone else, we’re all different, we’re all unique, and all beautiful in our own way, and as soon as your realise that I promise you, you will be the happiest you’ve ever been. “I would restrict myself from eating too many calories, obsessed with weighing myself in case I put on weight and definitely overtrained my body. I was very body conscious and always wanted to look like someone else.”

Now that she’s learned how to find balance with her diet and exercise regime, she hopes her message will inspire others to change their perception of themselves.

“The pressures of social media these days make people think they have to look a certain way, but realistically we should just be the best version of ourselves no matter what,” she added. Are you Happy? (Cheesy but seriously ask yourself that one question) If the answer is ermmmm yeah (sense the hesitation here) then ask yourself it again! …. if you’re not happy than you need to work out why! And then guess what?? … CHANGE IT. I spent too long doing things that didn’t make me happy, helping other people be happy without working on myself sometimes, yes it made me a nice person but realistically it got me nowhere, so what did I do? I CHANGED IT! I changed my job and now I’m doing something I LOVE, something that doesn’t feel like work, something that makes ME HAPPY .YOU are in charge of your own decisions, what happens in your life is down to YOU! … so make it count).