Stories from MY Scale {Why YOU Need to Ditch Yours for GOOD!}

I decided to do this "scale project" after hearing some of my friends and my clients complain about how much they weigh and how their weight fluctuates. I never quite understood this because I never weigh myself. I just never have - I never picked up that habit as a teenager. The only reason I use 157 lbs for the "starting weight" of my transformation is because that is what I weighed when I was weighed for the first day of boot camp the summer I got serious (I randomly found the piece of paper with my weight and measurements on it). I actually do much better when I don't focus on any number - the scale, calories burned, calories consumed, macros, clothing size, measurements, etc.

RELATED: How getting into fitness ruined my body image.

THE PROJECT:

So, against my own advice, as my own little "project", I weighed myself EVERYDAY from February 17 - March 24. My plan was to weigh everyday until my photo shoot (May 1) but mentally I couldn't handle it so I quit early. The stress it was causing me was unbearable. I started weighing myself weekly after March 24. I am proud to report that I haven't even stepped on the scale since May 2 (the morning after my photo shoot - before we left for our beach trip).

BEFORE STARTING:

The week before I started this "project" I took this picture of myself and I was pretty pleased with it even though I was a little bloated from traveling.  I'm not super lean in this picture - I had just returned from my trip to Miami where I spoke in front of 20,000 people. This was also after traveling to 3 different places over Scott's Christmas break and all of the holiday festivities. I knew I had some work to do just to get ready for this photo shoot but for "everyday" life, I was good with it. The Saturday BEFORE I started weighing myself everyday I told Scott that my jeans were getting too big and I couldn't hold them up...Now, enter the scale...

THE RESULTS:

I weighed myself on February 17, 2014. I started journaling my food, supplements, and water again preparing for my photo shoot. I weighed myself the next morning and had magically lost 1.4 lbs. Next day the scale went down again .4. But then on that 3rd day it went up .6. The first week was a roller coaster ride to say the least but check out the chart below - overall I ended up losing 1.8 lbs. Keep in mind that I am weighing myself on the same scale at approximately the same time each morning. The graph below is pretty much how each week looked...up and down...up and down - taking me on a roller coaster of emotions.

I also journaled how I was feeling and what other people told me. The days that the scale went up were days that I was grumpy and unhappy. I said that scale didn't effect me but that wasn't true. Even though I considered myself a strong person physically and mentally it still took control over me.

Thought: Why do we only "believe" the higher number on the scale?

Below is a graph of my overall weight throughout the entire time period...as you can see still the roller coaster up and downs.

I weighed myself daily but only took my measurements once a week. I found it very amusing when I graphed out my measurements and looked back at the numbers. Never ONCE did my measurements increase. Some weeks they would be the same as before but they didn't increase even as my weight did.

I love it - it's like my hips are saying "Nope...not gonna change anymore!".  I have a really small waist and larger hips (which my small waist makes appear even larger). I used to hate this but I've learned to embrace it because I have an hour glass figure that most people don't have!

I obviously blocked out my stats because they don't matter. I don't want anyone comparing their stats to mine. But I will share with you how I did it. I basically did my own coaching program. About 4 weeks before the photo shoot I tried to focus on eating more whole foods and tried to get away from the multiple shakes a day and protein bars. I still had shakes and bars but not as many. I also tried to hit my gallon of water per day. Then 2 weeks out I went to the Masters and the next day to California with Scott. Not an ideal situation when preparing for a photo shoot but it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I packed as much food with me as I could. We made healthy choices for our meals but we also allowed ourselves a few treats. With traveling and hiking as much as we did I did eat protein shakes and bars on this trip. We also ate out at least once per day. Once we got back from California I basically did my own 21-Day Jump Start but a shorter version. I followed everything that I outlined in this post. I switched to only whole foods and eliminated those that bloat me. The entire time leading up to the photo shoot I was doing the She Sweats Extreme workouts (there were a few workouts where I went back to the 12-Week Transformation since the photo shoot date kept changing). I didn't live in the gym but I made sure to make my time in there count. The Extreme is just that - Extreme...which is why it's only 4 weeks. This consisted of me still lifting weights but circuit style with HIIT as my cardio. As many of you know, this is not the way I prefer to train on a normal basis so it's been awesome to be back to heavy lifting and incline cardio! As far as supplements, I used the supplements that I take on a daily basis (Daily Essentials Kit, CLA, Fish Oil) and added in a few extra towards the end. I'm picky about supplements though because most of those on the market are loaded with junk!

You can see in the picture below just how much change happens over the last few weeks!

I've said this numerous times but this year has been really rough for me body image wise. With the rise of Instagram and "fitspirations" it's hard to not compare yourself to others. Almost every female that I speak with has some sort of body image issue. It doesn't matter if they weigh 120 lbs or 220 lbs. If they are a size 0, 4 or 22. This is a MAJOR issue that I see. I try to be transparent and not only show the good but also the "bad". I'm not lean all the time. I usually vary in weight 5-7 lbs but always wear the same size clothes. It's not that I "quit living this lifestyle" for part of the year but it's just that sometimes I don't care about abs or lean legs. Sometimes all I care about is traveling, hiking, and living life. I'm not going to sit back and tell you that you can drink and eat whatever you want and still be lean because I do not think that is the case but you can live this lifestyle, enjoy your life and still be healthy. You might not have a six pack but who said that having a six pack is healthy? Who defines that? To me healthy is when you are eating healthy the majority of the time, staying active, and living life to the fullest. Don't get caught up in girls who post pictures of themselves partying and eating and drinking whatever they want and then the next 5 pictures are pictures of their abs. Everyone is different. There are different body types. Metabolism is different. People have different LIVES. Do you work in an office but compare yourself to a trainer who is in the gym all day? You can't compare yourself to others - it's like comparing apples to oranges. You could have 2 people, same height and starting weight, eat the same things each day, drink the same amount of water, workout the same each day and still get different results! I'm not telling you to come up with excuses for yourself but DO NOT compare yourself to others.

I feel like I bloat and hold onto water weight as soon as I eat something with too much salt or have too many treats but some people (because of their body type or a million other reasons) don't do this. You have to find out what works for YOU. This isn't a quick process. Maybe you can indulge in a treat a day and it doesn't have any effect on you. Maybe you can indulge in a treat per week or maybe just one per month to feel your best...just be patient with the process!

For the sake of your sanity, relationships, body image, and overall well being - get rid of your scale!

If you insist on weighing yourself I would try to only weigh once a month and once a week - MAX!

I have been reading articles on the Miss Indiana stories and I LOVE this quote from her...I really can't say it any better! “You can’t worry about the girl standing next to you because you’ll never be that girl,” Diehl said.  Your body is a gift and you have to love it and have that confidence because that’s the only thing you can do. You can’t worry about being somebody else,” she said.  “You have to be yourself.”

Let us be your personal trainers with our detailed 4, 6 and 12 week She Sweats Workout plans! We guide your workout each day, telling you exactly what to do and what intensity to work at. We have everything you need! Find out more!

Eat Clean Meal Planning - Sample Meal Timing

Confused about when to eat? We transformed our lives eating every 2-3 hours like the schedule below (you can read about our transformation story here)! This schedule shows when we normally eat each day. Of course, you would need to adjust if you wake up earlier and/or go to bed earlier but typically you will want to eat within one hour of waking and continue eating every 2-3 hours during the day. Eating every 2-3 hours will help you from reaching that "starving" point where you want to eat every single thing in sight! Don't skip meals. You don't necessarily need to eat less - you need to eat right!

The basics:

• Eat every 2-3 hours
• Protein and fiber at every meal

Not sure about how much you need to eat? This article "Clean Eating: How Much Should You Eat" will tell you what you need to know!

These additional resources may help you:

• Clean Snack Ideas
• Clean Food to Keep at Your Office

Don't forget to check out our recipes in order to plan your meals for the week! We have you covered from the main dish to dessert!

Need personal coaching? Check out our coaching options here.

Thigh Gaps, Six Packs and "Barbie" Bodies

Thigh Gaps, Six Packs and "Barbie" Bodies. Out of all of those, the six pack is the most attainable, but for 99% of us, it's just not realistic. So WHY do we put so much pressure on ourselves? 

Here's a few things to note: 

Trends are trends. Why do you think everyone jumped on the bandwagon of the "thigh gap?" It's trendy and was mainly popular among the younger crowd (as if any of us are "old" - we are not, but I mean high schoolers, people!) who number one, haven't been riddled with female hormonal issues, the aging process and the thought of having babies, and number two, follow pop culture and celebrities like they are their best friends. Whatever way you slice it, the thigh gap REALLY isn't attainable for 99.9% of us and some might even argue that it's not that attractive. So why are we fascinated by it?

The media turns heads and influences our minds. Do you have a personal graphic artist who airbrushes your pictures? We didn't think so! Neither do we (not even when we get photoshoots done, except for the occasional blemish here or there)! So why do we think for one minute that the women in these magazine advertisements, television commercials and movies really look like that? Because we buy into the fantasy!?! Why?!? Media influence! DON'T fall victim! The media has an opportunity to pump someone or something up and dump it like a hot potato five seconds later.

Let's STOP wishing we were our favorite doll from our past and start focusing on the person we ARE and the body we were given. If you have a surgical scar - embrace it. You can't change it! Don't hate it. If you are doing everything you know how to do, including eating clean, working out and living a healthy lifestyle but your waist size doesn't budge on the tape measure, love every inch of it! You work for the body have - yes, you want to improve it, but ultimately, you are YOU! Don't look to change it - embrace it! 

Reaching for the stars and constantly seeking better for yourself should be one of your top priorities, but be REALISTIC! Thigh gaps, 6-packs and "Barbie" bodies just aren't realistic for most of us!  

How do you work for the body you have?