One thing we repeat at Alaris is that the scale is not necessarily your friend during this program. We say this because it’s true. But we also say this because a scale does not define you, the hard work you have put in, or the progress you’ve made.
A case in point is our client, Raquel (this story is being shared with her permission):
Friday was a “testing day” at the studio – that is, we repeated a workout we did 5 weeks ago to see how much faster the workout could be done. Raquel came in a little nervous. She said she had been listening to our advice, and hid the scale for a few weeks; but the night before, she was really excited that a certain pair of pants were fitting a lot better than they had in a long time. ANYONE would be thrilled to see that their favorite pants are fitting again!
Thinking it would be safe to do so, she broke out her scale. To her dismay, the scale hadn’t budged – she was pretty much the same weight she was when she first started. She didn’t understand it. She was a little frustrated. She had been working SO HARD, so why didn’t the scale say that she weighed any less?
After this conversation, we warmed up and retested our workout.
3 rounds for time:
1/4 mile run
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Dumbbell Thrusters
When Raquel did this workout 5 weeks ago, her time was 14:20. On Friday, it was 11:27. It’s not everyday you pull almost 25% off of a workout time in a short period of time.
So yes, she hasn’t “lost” any weight, but what the scale isn’t telling her is that her body has been changing in a drastically different way – it’s becoming stronger, faster, and far more capable than it was when she first started.
She’s the same weight, but a much better version of that weight.
Never believe that a single number tells your entire story – you’re so much more than a number.