Throw.Out.Your.@#%$.Scale

Alright, challengers…ALMOST there!

Be sure to remember these dates as you amazing ladies and gents finish up:

March 25th – After photos must taken BY THE PARTICIPANT.

March 28th – The post Paleo challenge workout must be completed and recorded by a trainer. Paleo challenge food points must be turned in. An email must be sent by this date by the participant to beau82nd at gmail dot com. The email must include both before and after photos, total food points, number of days you made it to CFR during the challenge and Paleo challenge pre workout times and post workout times.

Now that the details are taken care of, lettuce get down to business. (Just seeing if you are paying attention!)

Turns out, as awesome sauce as we try to be at CFR, there was something missing from the most recent paleo challenge. It’s our bad, really. We forgot to tell you back on Feb 23rd to…

THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE

“Um…how will I know if I am making progress if I don’t have a scale?!?”

Good question. Fair question.

Right now, many of you equate the number on the scale with your health and fitness. Clearly, to have better health and fitness, the number on the scale must continue to go down.

CONTINUOUSLY FALL

Right?!?! Without that number, how else could you possibly know that you:

can now run a 200m sprint?!?

….lift heavier weights?!?

… have gained days, months, maybe even years of healthy living?!?

…cured your eczema?!?

…have a firmer backside and less jiggly arms?!?

…have less acne?!?

…fit back into your sexy pants?!?

Wait a minute…what is this blog-lady talking about? My scale only has NUMBERS. None of that other mumbo-jumbo!

You guys are so smart…you hit the nail on the head. Your scale only has NUMBERS. Your scale DOES NOT tell you any of those things listed above. I mean, come on now. Who even likes NUMBERS, anyway!?!? (Sorry, math teachers and accountants…and bankers. And anyone with a checkbook (smartphone?). Maybe you guys like NUMBERS. Lettuce exercise your imaginations and pretend NUMBERS are your new frenemy.)

Fat≠Muscle

5lbs vs. 5lbs

Does anything about that picture look equal to you?

You can make EPIC changes in your health and fitness, speaking in terms of your body composition from here on, WITHOUT LOSING WEIGHT. True story. There could be very little change, no change, heck-even an INCREASE, on the NUMBERS on that stupid, stupid scale, and your body composition could be steadily improving.

Improving Body Composition!

I’m not trying to hurt the scales’ feelings by calling it dumb. It just is a poor, POOR representation of the changes you are making by: lifting heavy weights, doing smart WODs, and eating a diet full of protein, healthy fats, and delicious, natural carbs (er…sounds familiar, what is that called? OH yeah: PALEO).

Read this, and tell me after if you don’t think your scale is a dumbass afterword:

Someone weighing 200 pounds with a body fat percentage of 25 is carrying around 50 pounds of extra fat. That same person weighing 200 pounds with 10 per cent body fat would be carrying around only 20 pounds of fat.

What would the scale say for each person weighing 200 pounds?

Correct. It would say “200″ pounds.

Would those 200 pounds look the same?

No.

Would your scale still say 200 pounds?

Yes.

Do you think your scale is stupid yet?

Why waste precious time daily -before you shower but after you’ve worked out and gone to the bathroom (twice, just in-case) and crossed your fingers on your right hand only-or weekly, or twice daily, or WHATEVER- on a measurement that is stupid and leaves you feeling like you aren’t making any progress, when you CLEARLY are moving right along?!?

The Moral of the Blog Is:

Instead of getting frustrated by what the stupid, no-good hunk of plastic and metal that lives on your bathroom floor tells you; pick a smarter way to judge the ‘body composition’ area of your health and fitness. Not NUMBERS.

You could:

Check out your before and after pictures from the paleo challenge…what differences do you see? The proof will be in the puddin’ on that one. (Didn’t participate in the challenge? No problem, your camera works even on non-challenge days; I checked with the manufacturer.)
Look at how your dead lift, bench press, or back squat has gone up in the past few weeks. That means your lean muscle mass is increasing!
Wear your sexy pants, sans muffin top. (Used to seem kinda weird that the NUMBER on the scale didn’t move but those pants went back on, didn’t it? (The fat must have transferred somewhere else, right?!!?) Now you know better than to be duped!)
Wave hello and goodbye without fear of the ‘jiggle’!
Wonder who’s good lookin’ arse that is in the mirror you just walked by…oh, that’s right…it’s YOURS!!!

Do whatever. Just stop getting sucked into a NUMBER on a stupid scale.

Everyone stops counting their age at 29. So, new challenge rule:

You can keep your scale if you weigh less than 29 pounds. Otherwise,