Mindset ... it's such an interesting thing, especially when it comes to nutrition/dieting, etc.

I'm often reminded of the difference in people's mindsets when looking at client biweeklies. For the sake of example, I'll use myself at one end of the spectrum and a random female client at the other.

So, I'm dieting right now. I'm about two months or so in and the good news is that one, I'm ahead of last year's pace and two, thanks to an unusually effective last two weeks, I'm leaner than I've been in a long time. This should be a good thing right? Yeah sure, but ... I'm losing 'weight'. I woke up at 219 (albeit due to being very depleted) today, which is the lightest I've been in a long time. I like getting leaner, seeing all the vascularity and definition ... but I hate losing 'weight'. If I could drop fat and not change bodyweight at all, I'd be satisfied. Anything less? Typically unsatisfied. Not exactly realistic over the length of a diet though is it?

Contrast ...

Female cleint - submits a biweekly and her observations based on what she's seeing, tell her that she's getting leaner, harder, smaller, maybe even a little more vascular. Basically bodyfat must be dropping and progress is there. Measurements are even down. Clothes fit better. However, there's a problem - she didn't lose weight, or at least not enough.

Now, when I see this, my first thought is 'AWESOME'. However, when such results are reported to me, they're often alongside a feeling of disappointment that the scale didn't drop. So, I'm happy about this, but the person in question appears unhappy about it.

To me, this is the ultimate result

To her, it's far from it.

What's it mean though? It means muscle gain in the face of fat loss - the sweet spot. Does it get any better than this? Muscle gain in a caloric deficit? Sure, it might not be significant gain (as compared to eating in a surplus) but hey, we set out to maintain muscle while dropping fat. Any gain is great. If you're obviously leaner, by way of observation, pictures, measurements, clothes fitting differently, etc., and you're weight stable then this is what you're experiencing.

So it comes back to my point about mindset. Me? I want all the changes associated with getting leaner and losing fat ... but do not want the scale to drop, or at least, drop as little as possible. Her? Sure, she wants all that too ... but wants to see a big drop on the scale instead.

Interesting isn't it? Is it a gender issue? A 'girls want to be small and guys want to be big' thing?

In my head, even though I know better, if I see a significant drop on the scale over time (even though all other signs of muscle retention are there), I sometimes feel like I'm not getting the right results.
In her head, even though she knows better, if she doesn't see a significant drop on the scale, even though all else points to progress, she feels like she's not getting the right results.

In both cases, flawed thinking.

Again, take the focus off the scale.

If you're after maximum physical changes, you technically don't want the scale to change much. Losing fat? Improves how you look. Gaining muscle? Improves how you look. Composition of weight is what matters ... not weight itself.

Posted May 10, 2007 by Erik Ledin.
This entry is filed under Contest Prep, and Motivation.