Are you on a weight loss journey? Have you been eating in a calorie deficit and working out
regularly? You're feeling like you're dropping inches, but that scale just isn't budging?
In this video, I'm going to quickly explain why you might be losing inches, but not weight,
and in the simplest way, compare weight loss versus fat loss. And make sure you watch this
video right till the end, because I'm going to give you my number one tip for your weight loss
journey and seeing that scale finally go down. Okay. We're going to dive right in,
in two minutes, but if you're new here, my name is Michelle Roots, kinesiologist, certified strength
and conditioning specialist, and certified nutrition coach. I own a fitness studio and
also run an online fitness coaching business. And I've helped hundreds of people lose weight,
lose inches and feel like the best versions of themselves. And this channel is just another
supplement to help people like you, on your weight loss journey, by providing you with information,
fat loss tips, nutrition info, and full follow along workouts. So if you like content like this,
and you found this video helpful, make sure you give it a like, and subscribe to my channel. Hit
that bell to be notified, so you don't miss out on any new videos I'm releasing every single week.
Okay. Now that that's over with, let's dive right in. Why are you losing inches but not
weight? Let's start by saying, most people who are on a weight loss journey are actually most
likely on a fat loss journey. So even though most people are worried about that number going down,
I don't know why society has forced people to care about that number on the scale. And if that's you,
don't worry, I'm going to convince you by the end of this video, that it doesn't matter. But,
that aside, most people are more so looking to lose body fat and we call it "weight loss". It's
just a general term, "I want to lose weight," when really, you're actually looking to lose body fat,
to appear leaner, to appear stronger and possibly smaller.
With that being said, this is the difference between weight loss and fat loss. I will go into
that with more detail in just a few minutes. But let's talk about why your inches are going down,
but the scale isn't moving. So let's talk about weight loss. Body weight is composed of bones,
your muscles, your organs, water, poop, urine, blood. All these kind of things
make up your entire body weight. Whereas body fat, it's just body fat. So, when you're looking at
losing "weight" and seeing that number on the scale drop, the reason why it's so frustrating
and drives everybody crazy, by fluctuations going up two pounds down two pounds, up five
pounds down four pounds, is because there's so many other factors that make up your body weight.
Why is the scale not moving? If you've been strength training, if you've been exercising
more than normal, if you've been eating in a calorie deficit and doing all the things properly,
there's a few reasons why the scale might not be moving. And the best reason of all is that
you're probably gaining some muscle mass. A lot of people say muscle weighs more than
fat. I don't really agree with that, because a pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat.
They're just, one is bigger than the other. Let's use the term, muscle is more dense than fat. So,
if you lose fat and gain muscle, you will appear leaner and stronger, like this.
So if you're on a journey and you are gaining muscle, but at the same time, you're dropping
a little bit of body fat, the scale isn't going to tell you that that's happening. This is where
measurements, how your clothes feel, how you're sleeping at night, how you're getting stronger in
the gym, how your energy levels are, all of these things are going to tell you that you're probably
losing body fat, and you're doing the right things and to keep going. Now, if you use the scale as
the only marker of this progress, it's going to drive you crazy, and you're never going to be able
to stay motivated to keep going, because the scale can change on an hourly basis, let alone days,
weeks. My personal body weight fluctuates around five pounds, depending on the time of the month,
depending on the day. I would never use that as a marker of progress.
A lot of people, I have clients who I have this conversation with on a daily or weekly basis,
who get on the scale every single morning and use that as a determinant to decide how their day is
going to go. They might be feeling great. "Wow. I woke up. I feel lean. I feel smaller. My pants
are fitting better," and you get on the scale, and it's either up a pound or it hasn't moved.
And that will determine your day, your mood. Why not just go with, "Wow. My pants feel better.
I'm making progress. These pants didn't fit yesterday. And now they fit."
That is progress. Who cares what that scale says? You want to know why I don't use the scale,
as the only marker of progress for both myself and my personal training clients, watch this video
right here. I break it all down for you, why the scale is not the best marker of progress, as well
as other ways you can use to track your progress. So getting back on the topic of weight loss.
So basically, if you really only cared about that number going down on the scale,
I would say, do hours of cardio a day, eat in a calorie deficit, and the scale will move.
The problem with that is that, the scale will move, but are you going to keep the weight
off? Is it sustainable weight loss? Because can you keep up, hours and hours of cardio,
every single day, for the rest of your life? The second you stop doing that,
you're possibly going to gain the weight back, because you didn't change your body composition.
Now, where we look at fat loss, you're building lean muscle that is going to raise your basal
metabolic rate, so your metabolism, when you're just sitting around, doing nothing. I talk more
about that, in this video right here. And having that lean muscle, you are then just changing your
body composition. You are going to appear leaner. Other people are going to start to notice that
you're exercising. Your waist is going to get smaller. You're going to get curvy, or you're
going to get lines in your arms, like all of these things that come with fat loss. But maybe the
scale will go down one pound or not move at all. But, does that matter? No, because in the end,
as long as you're healthy, you're eating healthy, you're exercising, you're strength training,
you feel good, you feel energized, you're sleeping good, these are the things that matter.
I actually shared this picture on my Instagram a few years ago, to show my two different body
types, three months apart. One of them is one year postpartum, and then three months after that.
And in the second picture, where I look a little bit leaner, I'm actually three pounds heavier.
So, I'm about 148 in the picture on the left, and I'm about 152 in the picture on the right.
As you can see from those pictures, does it look like I gained three to four pounds?
No. I actually look leaner, which means, after my pregnancy, I gained some of my muscle back,
and I appeared leaner. But, if I was using the scale as the only marker of progress,
maybe I would feel bad about myself. Or maybe I would think that I'm not making progress.
This is where taking pictures of yourself comes into play, in is major
key on a weight loss and/or fat loss journey. But when we're looking at fat loss, a scale is not
going to tell you if you've lost body fat. It's only going to tell you, again, your body weight,
water, bones, organs, muscles, all of these things. So if you're actually losing fat and
gaining muscle, the scale isn't going to tell you that. That's where your pictures,
your measurements, and you can get a scale that actually will tell you your
body fat percentage. They're not 100% accurate, but they're fairly accurate.
This is the scale I use. It's called the FitTrack Dara. Stay tuned. I'm actually going to do a full
review on my channel, coming up this week or early next week. And this scale right here will tell you
your basal metabolic rate, your BMI, your body fat percentage, your muscle mass, your bone mass,
your hydration level, and so many other things about your body, which is a way better way to
track your progress, than just the number on the scale. I got a discount code for this
FitTrack Dara scale right here. I'll put a link in the description, where you can get your own.
Now, with all that being said, it doesn't mean that if you're on a weight loss journey,
that the number on the scale is not going to go down. As I said in the beginning of this video,
my number one tip for you guys, if you're on a weight loss journey, is to be patient.
Keep your head down. Stay in your calorie deficit. Continue to exercise. Keep pushing yourself
in the gym and have fun with it. And don't get on that scale every day, and expect to see a
change. Check in once a week, once a month, and see how things are going. But other than that,
throw it out the window. Focus on how you feel, how you're sleeping, how your clothes are fitting.
If your measurements are changing, if your energy levels are feeling good, these are all great
markers of your progress and your overall health. I have worked with so many clients who have gone
through plateaus and dips and ups and downs. And the one thing that got them through and got them
to their weight loss goal, is being consistent and being patient. So, don't think that things
are going to happen overnight. Don't expect weight loss to happen in a week. If you haven't
been doing anything to try and lose weight for the last year, and you've been eating healthy for two
weeks, don't expect yourself to lose 20 pounds. So if you search for losing inches but not weight,
I really hope that if you're somewhere on this journey, that this video helps change your mind,
and helps you rethink that the scale will go down eventually, but let's focus on some other things
first, and this is why that's happening. And if you're looking for
the best form of exercise to lose weight and to lose inches, and start to do all
of the things that I've been talking about in this video, check out this video right here,
weightlifting versus cardio. Which is the best? I break it all down for you what each of them is
going to do for you on your weight loss journey. And I've also been talking a lot about calorie
deficit. If you're not sure about what a calorie deficit is, check out this video right here. And
if you want to learn how to calculate your calorie deficit, check out this video right here. I've got
all the things to help you guys on your fitness and fat loss journey, and make it the healthiest
and most enjoyable and less stressful possible. Leave me any questions in the comments. I'm always
happy to help you guys out. And again, give this video a like if you enjoyed it. And of course,
subscribe to my channel, because I've got more videos coming at you, next week and week after
that and week after that. So thanks again for watching, guys. I really hope this helps you build
a better relationship with the scale, or possibly just chuck it out the window. And start taking
pictures, start taking measurements. The one thing I always force all of the clients that I work
with, to take their before pictures. And, this is the time that no one wants to take a picture
of themselves. And I always say, "You're going to kick yourself if you don't have these pictures."
So even if you don't feel comfortable in your own skin, and you don't like the way you look,
take those pictures, put them in your own phone. No one else has to see them, but this is how
you're going to track your progress. Every six weeks, take the pictures again, and put them
side by side, and watch the changes happen. I promise you, this person you are right now, you
won't remember what you were six week, six months from now, you won't remember this person. But if
you have pictures, it's not so much for proof to put on social media, it's for your own eyes.
Because we don't know what that scale is going to tell you. These pictures are going to speak a
thousand words on your progress versus the scale. Okay. I'm done rambling. So go do some pushups.
Chuck that scale out the window. And I'll see you guys in the next one.