Especially at this time of year when you are still carrying some festive (and lockdown) bloat, all dieters, me included, get frustrated.

The cause of this frustration is simply the scales. They don’t move how we want them to, or how we think we deserve them to.

I’ve said this so many times but the scales are rubbish at showing your progress. They measure too many other factors in addition to pure fat loss and this means they do not reflect accurately the progress you are making.

You need to understand that if you stick to your plan, I mean 95%, then you WILL lose fat, period.

No one reading this is a medical or biological freak. Science DOES apply to you, like it does to ALL other organisms on the planet. If you consume less calories than your body requires you WILL lose fat.

YES there’s a whole host of factors that affect how many calories YOU as an individual need in ORDER to lose fat, but the principle remains.

SO if you accept that to be true, which it is, and you have stuck to your plan, which we will assume you have, then when you get on the scales and it does not show a loss, or even a gain, you need to keep your head about you.

For whatever reason, at that exact moment in time, on that exact day, you have other things IN your person causing you to show a higher weight.

Water, extra blood, food in your stomach, poo, whatever it is, your OVERALL weight is showing higher, but that does NOT mean you have not lost fat.

And FAT is what you want to lose, period. Not water, or poo, or undigested food or bone mass or muscle mass or anything else, pure and simple fat.

And if it so happens that this week the scales are not showing that then so be it, you can’t do anything about it. 

You WILL have lost the fat, it’s just not showing on the scales that’s all.

BUT the danger is letting that neg you out and really getting to you. If you allow it to frustrate you and depress you, which then runs the risk of you thinking ‘sod it what’s the point’ then you are doomed.

What exactly are you going to do anyway, go OFF plan, treat yourself, actually REALLY stop yourself losing fat by not following the plan?

Who does that hurt, what’s the point, what a stupid thing to do.

You can’t do anything about it, you can’t change it. IT IS.

It does not mean the diet isn’t working, it does not mean YOU are broken. 

You have to stick a couple of fingers up at the scales, accept that you KNOW you have stuck to your plan and WILL therefore have lost fat and simply CONTINUE.

There is no other choice. Don’t be frustrated, or depressed or annoyed, just BE.

Continue, crack on, it WILL all come good.

I don’t say this lightly, it’s the truth. 

AS LONG as you are 95% ON YOUR PLAN. 

If you are not, or have not been, then using the heat and water retention as an excuse and justification for any gain is just stupid and only kidding yourself.

Frustration at the scales will be your enemy, you need to learn to control it and go with the flow.

For the record, I HATE the scales and WISH there was some other easy way of measuring fat loss!