Let’s (Not) Talk About Weight

n my line of work, there is A LOT of talk about weight -- too much talk about it in my opinion.

We, as a society, are inundated with talk about weight -- specifically how to lose it. With all the daily messages we receive through ads and commercials about losing weight to feel better, look better, be healthier and more, it's no wonder that many people are convinced they "need" to lose weight.

But do they, really?

My professional opinion, after nearly 10 years as a certified personal trainer, is that we actually do not "need" to discuss weight as much as we do, if at all.

Earlier in my career, I dutifully put people on the scale and tracked their "progress," but I now only weigh clients if they request it, and I no longer take part in any programming that prioritizes weight loss.

Here's why:

A person's weight is simply the measure of the force of gravity on their body.

That's it. Really.

We humans -- especially we modern day American humans -- have attached a whooooooooole lot of other layers of meaning to that definition that were never intended and are not entirely necessary, because there are a whoooooooooole lot of other factors that determine someone's health and well-being.

In the world of fitness, health, and nutrition, weight is the most common biometric to track because it's easy to get, just step on a scale, but there are many more insightful and important markers to consider and address.

Someone's weight according to the scale does not indicate:

• how active they are

• how balanced their food intake is

• whether they're well-hydrated

• if they're consistently getting enough sleep

• if they're mentally well and able to effectively manage stress

• how well each of their major body systems is functioning

• whether they're in normal/healthy range for health markers on normal bloodwork

• how strong their social and emotional support networks are

All those factors are exponentially more important than a number on a scale (a number that, by the way, will absolutely fluctuate multiple times each day based on food intake, hydration status, menstrual cycle, digestive and excretory systems, etc.)

Many times, when people tell me they want to "lose weight," they're either doing so on doctors' orders, or they don't actually want to lose weight as much as they want to change their body composition.

Let's talk doctor's orders first:

If you are seeking weight loss because your doctor suggested you do so, I encourage you to make sure you understand WHY. What is the goal your physician hopes weight loss will accomplish? Lowering blood pressure or cholesterol? Alleviating digestive discomfort? Easing knee or back pain?

Many of the common reasons people are told to lose weight are actually helped more by the actions someone takes to lose weight -- moving more, changing their diet, managing stress -- than by simply losing weight.

A person can incorporate healthier habits into their lives, massively improve their health status according to blood work and how they feel, and not ever see changes on the scale. Focusing solely on the number on the scale makes this seem like a failure, when in reality, it's exactly what the doctor ordered.

(Note: Some doctors just look at a number on the chart and prescribe weight loss without diving deeper. That's why it's important to ask them WHY, because scale weight on its own doesn't equal health.)

Speaking of not seeing changes on the scale....

A person can change their body composition, or the percent of fat, bone, and muscle in the body, without their scale weight moving much at all.

Muscle tissue is more dense than adipose (fat) tissue, which means it takes up less space. Increasing the proportion of lean muscle compared to adipose tissue can make someone appear smaller and leaner without impacting the number on the scale.

This is why it's important for coaches like myself to ask lots of questions and really get to the heart of what a client is seeking.

Many people come in wanting to "lose weight," when what they actually want is to look different, feel better, and improve their health status -- and none of those things require stepping on a scale.

Our cultural obsession with losing weight is dangerous and consuming for many people, and pursuing weight loss just to see the number on the scale go down often leads to unhealthy behaviors and mindsets.

If you truly want to be fitter and healthier, pay less attention to a single number on the scale and more attention to just about everything else, like your movement, food, hydration, sleep, and mental health.

Not sure where to start? Email me: coachjustineh@gmail.com