Many people who start a fitness program get discouraged early in the process when they don't see the scale moving in the right direction.
And while healthy, sustainable weight loss is a specialty of ours, we also educate our clients from day one that healthy, sustainable weight loss takes time. Rather than a “quick fix” we provide a “unique, transformative experience.”
As a general rule, men lose about .056% of body weight per week, while women lose at a bit slower rate (.05% per week). So round numbers, a 150-pound woman would lose an average of .75 pounds per week (if following a well-designed exercise and nutrition program about 80% of the time). That may not seem like much, but it would be considered excellent progress. Thus, a 20-pound weight-loss goal would take approximately 6 months to achieve in a healthy, sustainable way.
But are there other ways to measure progress, other than what the scale says?
Of course there are!
-- Body Composition: Weighing 150 pounds at 20% body fat is clearly healthier than weighing 145 pounds at 30% body fat.
-- Strength: Increasing your relative strength is one of the single most beneficial things you can do for your health and longevity. Prioritize strength training.
-- Mobility: Becoming more flexible and better able to execute foundational movement patterns with improved range of motion and no pain is going to be incredibly helpful -- both in your workouts, and in your ability to age in a pain-free way.
-- Cardiovascular Health: "Cardio" has gotten a bad name in the fitness industry. It's often presented (i.e. sold) as the best way to "burn fat" by trainers and gyms that don't know their stuff. The best way to burn fat and develop a stronger, leaner, more functional body is to focus on resistance training (i.e. lifting weights), with proper doses of "cardio" sprinkled in throughout the week. But don't avoid cardiovascular training, as it has many health and performance benefits. Just don't overdo it.
Would you like some help tracking your fitness progress? Shoot me an email: michelle@lucky13fitness.com and let me know.
- Coach Michelle
And while healthy, sustainable weight loss is a specialty of ours, we also educate our clients from day one that healthy, sustainable weight loss takes time. Rather than a “quick fix” we provide a “unique, transformative experience.”
As a general rule, men lose about .056% of body weight per week, while women lose at a bit slower rate (.05% per week). So round numbers, a 150-pound woman would lose an average of .75 pounds per week (if following a well-designed exercise and nutrition program about 80% of the time). That may not seem like much, but it would be considered excellent progress. Thus, a 20-pound weight-loss goal would take approximately 6 months to achieve in a healthy, sustainable way.
But are there other ways to measure progress, other than what the scale says?
Of course there are!
-- Body Composition: Weighing 150 pounds at 20% body fat is clearly healthier than weighing 145 pounds at 30% body fat.
-- Strength: Increasing your relative strength is one of the single most beneficial things you can do for your health and longevity. Prioritize strength training.
-- Mobility: Becoming more flexible and better able to execute foundational movement patterns with improved range of motion and no pain is going to be incredibly helpful -- both in your workouts, and in your ability to age in a pain-free way.
-- Cardiovascular Health: "Cardio" has gotten a bad name in the fitness industry. It's often presented (i.e. sold) as the best way to "burn fat" by trainers and gyms that don't know their stuff. The best way to burn fat and develop a stronger, leaner, more functional body is to focus on resistance training (i.e. lifting weights), with proper doses of "cardio" sprinkled in throughout the week. But don't avoid cardiovascular training, as it has many health and performance benefits. Just don't overdo it.
Would you like some help tracking your fitness progress? Shoot me an email: michelle@lucky13fitness.com and let me know.
- Coach Michelle
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