How Important Non-Scale Victories Are In Your Keto Journey
Let me tell you a secret– one that is more valuable in your keto journey and overall fitness goal than it seems. What’s the secret? The number recorded on your weighing scale isn’t as helpful as you think. And as such, that number shouldn’t hold so much power over you.
Of course, your scale weight is one powerful indicator that you’re shedding off weight or improving your overall health. But guess what? That number only forms part of the entire framework behind what’s going on in your body.
If you put all your focus on the number you see in the weighing scale, you’ll frequently meet frustration along the way. That is why it’s equally important to value non-scale victories as much or even more than your scale victories.
If you’re starting on the keto diet and can’t help but feel frustrated about the number you see on your weighing scale, this article is for you. This article will help you explore other non-scale victories you need to consider to measure your fitness results and help you keep track of your overall health.
What is the Keto diet?
If you’re starting a keto diet, you’ve probably subscribed to the diet because of its astounding effects on weight loss. If you’re not experiencing any health conditions requiring you to shift on a low-carb diet, then you probably want to size down by following the keto diet.
The Keto diet is one of the most popular diets known for its effect on weight loss. The keto diet started in the 1920s primarily as an alternative treatment for epilepsy. Thorough studies over the years led to the conclusion that the keto diet has a wide range of benefits, including managing diabetes, insulin levels, and blood sugar.
The keto diet works by restricting your total carbohydrate intake and increasing your healthy fat intake. The goal of your keto diet is to put your body in a metabolic state of ketosis. Ketosis is reached when your body doesn’t have enough glucose through carbohydrates to fuel your body. Instead, it uses fats converted into ketones to fuel your body.
Because of this significant slashing of your carbohydrate intake, weight loss becomes a normal consequence of the keto diet. Now herein comes the potential problem. Because of the promising effects of the keto diet on weight loss, the tendency is, you will then measure your real fitness results based on numbers. That’s not how it should be. The number recorded on your weighing scale is one thing, but it can’t be everything.
That is why you need non-scale victories as you go along your keto journey.
What is a non-scale victory?
A Non-scale victory or NSV is used to refer to indicators other than your body weight measurement that you should take into consideration as a measurement for your fitness results.
For people who have weight loss as fitness goals, this term shouldn’t be new to you. This non-scale victory is about the weight-loss successes measured off the scale. When you fully embrace the idea of the word, the NSV will surely be a game-changer for you.
Lost in the numbers
As you should know by now, numbers can be misleading. Yes, the number you see indicates something, but that doesn’t mean it’s everything. When you rely on numbers, you rely on something that fluctuates, and I get that it can be frustrating most of the time. Numbers fluctuate depending on time, season, and when you’re developing muscle.
What’s one proof that you can’t rely on numbers for everything? When you’re developing muscles, you must know muscle is more dense than fat. What does this imply? It means that a pound of body fat is twice more than the size of a pound of muscle, so you can be trimming down without the numbers dropping.
To put it simply, weighing yourself and seeing its results can cloud good things happening in your body.
Why celebrating non-scale victories is essential.
Instead of focusing too much on numbers, concentrating on non-scale victories can prove more beneficial to you than you can imagine.
Here are some of the benefits you can get in celebrating non-scale victories:
- NSV helps increase your motivation
- NSV helps you lessen frustration if the numbers on your scale are not changing
- NSV helps make your keto weight loss journey more three-dimensional
- NSV helps shape your health goals to be more holistic
- NSV helps you become more aware of your body
- NSV significantly impacts your weight loss goal and your overall fitness
Ways to measure success without scale
There are countless yet often overlooked ways you can measure your progress without staring too much on your weighing scale. Instead of dwelling and worrying too much about how much you weigh, shift your focus and attention to building healthy eating and exercise habits. This way, you won’t only get to enjoy the benefits you will reap in the end, but you will also enjoy the whole process.
Here are some ways you can ditch your weighing scale to help you measure whether your keto weight loss journey is going in the right direction.
1. How your clothes fit you
Nothing feels better than fitting in your favorite blouse from how many years ago! Even noticing your shirts and pants fit slightly off is already a huge victory. Why? How your clothes fit you is one of the best ways to measure not only if you’re losing weight, but also your overall body composition.
Your overall body composition considers all your body’s tissues, including lean muscle mass and not just your body’s fat tissues. If you’re currently working on adding muscles, then your clothes will surely fit you differently.
Some keto dieters who relied on measuring their progress using weighing scales noticed a plateau in numbers while progressing into the diet. But thanks to NSV, taking progress photos and body measurements assured them that their body was still changing and going despite the plateau in numbers. Most said that if they entirely relied on the weighing scale, they would’ve given up on their fitness goals a long time ago!
2. Improve in Workout Performance
Improving your workout performance is a sign of serious progress in your ketogenic diet. Have you been performing well in your recent workout? Do you find yourself doing the exercise better and easier than before? Can you lift more weights in your weight training, or walking faster and further than before? Congratulations! You are one step closer to your weight loss journey!
3. Increase in Self- Discipline
Another Non-Scale Victory you can count on your weight loss journey is a change in your mental health. One crucial part of this is the improvement of your mental performance. According to studies, some experience better levels of self-control and self-discipline. To have better levels of self-control and self- disciple means more significant commitment towards a healthy lifestyle. It also means better overall quality in the different areas of your life. For instance, better self-control and discipline improves your physical health by not giving in to unhealthy food cravings, minimize stress eating, and not being able to give in to social pressures that may negatively impact your weight loss journey. This also contributes to better mental clarity.
4. Better Skin health
One of the Non-Scale Victories you can celebrate is better skin health. Aside from a step closer to your goal weight, this is another indicator that almost everyone is delighted to attain. When you are at your average healthy weight, the collagen proteins in your skin are more abundant and healthier. In contrast, people who have extra weight and obese usually experience high levels of systemic inflammation in their bodies. These systemic inflammations are not suitable for your skin and your overall health.
If you are experiencing skin conditions such as acne and clogged up pores among many others, and you have noticed that the acnes are clearing yo and your complexion looks brighter than before, it is a good indicator of your progress. This is also another aspect you can share in your success stories!
Moreover, if you want to give an extra push to level up your already “better” skin health, you can add simple skin care routines in the morning and before you sleep. These simple practices can give you more stunning results!
5. Improvement in Digestion
Shedding your extra weight or losing weight is not the only primary focus when you go into a keto diet. Being in keto can improve your digestion, which means a healthier gut! If you are experiencing issues like indigestions, stomach aches, bloating, constipation will be less frequent or, in some instances, will disappear. One important thing you should note is that an improvement in your gut health is an essential indicator that your healthy lifestyle and your actions geared towards achieving your fitness goals are paying off.
6. Compliment received from others
If you want to assess your progress towards your fitness journey, outsiders’ perspective might help you, specifically, your friends, family, or even neighbors. Most of the time, you are the biggest critic of yourself. There are improvements that you sometimes overlook and downplay. Asking other people you usually mingle from time to time can give you insights and provide you observations regarding your weight loss journey. They can make a positive difference in your opinion about yourself and your scale progress.
However, asking for other people’s opinions and your observation should be balanced. It is harmful to seek other people’s validation for oneself continually. Always remember to be kind to yourself. Enjoy the compliment of others you have earned through your hard work as their complements can contribute to your confidence and will likely provide you with positive mental health. However, it is harmful to be enslaved from these compliments. Always bear in mind the most important thing–you are working in improving yourself not because of others but for yourself.
7. Improvement in Body Measurement
It has been repeatedly emphasized that your progress in your weight loss journey is not limited to what the weighing scales have shown you. Instead, there are various ways of how you can see it. For the most part, it takes the shape of body measurements.
There are some instances where some of you could be simultaneously losing fats and gaining muscle. For some, they will be able to see their collar bones, and for others, it might be their changing measurements of their waistlines. These are some instances of why body measurements are a good indicator of tracking your progress in your weight loss journey.
Some of the popular body measurement indicators for measuring your scale progress are:
- Skinfold Calipers: You might find this type of body measurement to be invasive, but this can be easy to do since you can watch a video of how to use it online, and at the same time, you can buy a cheap pair in your local drug stores or online.
- InBody composition scans: This is a quantitative type of comprehensive analysis of your body composition. Body composition scans your hydration level, proteins, minerals, body fat, and many more crucial factors in assessing our overall health. Because InBody Composition scans are detailed and comprehensive, the test can be quite expensive. If you want to have one, you can call the gyms in your area or offices if they offer this test as part of your gym membership.
- Tape measure: One of the easiest and cheapest methods in finding whether there has been a positive difference in your body measurements is using a tape measure. For men, the areas where you can see significant changes are in your chests, thighs, and abs. In women, they can see substantial changes in the measurements of their tricep, thigh, and suprailiac.
Your weight loss journey is not an easy path. You will experience various challenges and fitness tasks that you will have a hard time facing. Most of the time, you will be subjected to situations that you do not have complete control. Sometimes, your expectation will not be met at all. However, you always need to bear in mind that the dietary changes you are currently undergoing are for your betterment and geared towards better health, choices, and lifestyle. Establishing a deeper sense of healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle is a strong foundation for lifelong success.
Disclaimer: This content provides general information only and not a substitute for qualified medical advice. Always consult a specialist or your registered dietitian doctor for more details.