It's All About the Scale...Or Is It?

I'll be the first to admit, I am scale obsessed. I weigh every morning, looking forward to seeing that number drop! Unfortunately, there isn't a drop daily. In fact, there have been many times when the scale, (GASP!) actually showed a higher number than the day before.

I have to admit, those "increased weight" days really upset me. I would sit and wonder what I could possibly have done wrong. I measured/logged all my food. I drank all my water. I stayed within calories. I got in my physical activity and yet the scale went up instead of down.

So if this is happening to you, know that you are not alone! I have learned from all my reading and communicating with fellow weight loss buddies that weight loss is not linear...it does not always move in a downward motion. There are many factors that can contribute to water weight gain, and some of these include:

• Excess sodium in your diet
• Level of exercise (your body retains water while repairing muscle)
• Ovulation and Menstrual Cycle
• Not drinking an adequate amount of water
• Medications
• Low Potassium
• High carb diet

There are so many daily fluctuations in diet and activity alone that can contribute to water weight gain. So, if you are eating well and not blowing your calorie allowance, eventually that weight will come off!!

I have learned I need to focus on things other than the scale. Known in the weight loss world as NSV's (Non Scale Victories), these little victories are nothing to sneeze at! They can anything from having more energy, sleeping through the night, walking faster/further, being able to bend over and tie your shoes, the list is endless! I've shared  my NSV's on my blog recently, but have added a really important one to my list that I'm just sharing now:

The other day, I was able to put on and wear my wedding ring again after YEARS of not being able to do so! How cool is that? When I shared this with my weight loss buddies, one of them came back and said, "Can you imagine how your husband feels now that he sees you are wearing that ring again?" I am so happy it still makes me teary eyed! It was a real boost for my confidence!

Today, I had another wonderful NSV! I have been "stuck" at only being able to run 7 minutes or less for the past several weeks. This morning I got to 8 minutes straight. This afternoon, I went out again and was able to run 11 minutes straight through! I'm very proud and excited! My goal at this point is to be able to run for 30 minutes straight, which will allow me to run a whole 5K!!!

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share with y'all today!