Has there been a time in your life when you were totally focused on losing weight and after a period of time that focus waned? Most of us can relate. Many of us go through periods where we are ready, motivated, and feel we are armed with the right information to finally lose that weight!

Whatever the initial reason for your motivation, why did that motivation fade?

Perhaps it was that you weren’t getting results despite hours of added work in the gym and significant dietary restrictions. Perhaps you were checking your weight scale at home with baited breath only to be disappointed with the results. It’s completely understandable and quite human to abandon your efforts if no perceived results are forthcoming.

The reality is that you may have lost a significant amount of body fat but also gained muscle leading to almost no weight loss but a significant improvement in body fat percentage.

Another common scenario is the individual in which weight seems to melt off without much effort. They gain confidence and motivation as it seems as if they are reaching their goals. Then the weight loss stops with only a portion of the goals achieved. After a short time, the weight comes back…and then some. In reality, they may have lost just as much muscle as fat. This can lead to a plateau effect as their metabolism slows.

This is why the scales could be deceiving you and this is why I say throw that weight scale in the trash. You’re better off without it!

There are other ways to measure your body fat percentage including calipers, hand-held body fat analyzers, and water-displacement methods all having varying degrees of accuracy. All of these methods are more useful than checking the home-weight scale.

The industry-wide gold standard in body fat measurement is the DEXA densitometer. A full-body scan can provide total and regional information for lean muscle mass, body fat, and body fat percentage. This scanning technology regionalizes the body fat and lean muscle information for the abdomen, pelvis, arms, legs, trunk etc. providing real and actionable information that you can use as you continue your efforts.

Accurate body-fat data is essential for anyone who has found the motivation, is ready, and willing to embark on health and weight-loss plan. Even if you don’t have access to one these methods, don’t be distracted by your weight scale!

Just throw it away!

Here’s to your health!