Latest blog post from Jason Seib of Primitive Stimulus!
Brace yourself. I’m coming at you with all guns blazing on this one and you aren’t going to believe what you’re about to see. First things first, if you haven’t read my diatribe condemning your bathroom scale, please begin there.
Alright, now that you are caught up, let’s revisit Deb from my last post. Deb has been kind enough to let me exploit her for your education on these here interwebs and I am very grateful. Showing the world where she started isn’t easy, but she is a kind person who wants to help you and she has accomplished some remarkable things in her health and fitness.
So here is Deb at the beginning of a contest we held at my gym in January of last year.
Here she is at a size zero with her nutrition dialed. For the full effect of this picture, place your thumb on your screen directly over the ugly guy on the right.
And here she is a couple of weeks ago after a lot of hard work that has dramatically increased her fitness capacity. I didn’t actually intend for this post to be all about Deb’s accomplishments, so I won’t repeat her numbers here. Suffice it to say, my money would be on Deb versus the average American girl half her age in a contest of any exercise I have ever convinced her to perform. Now for the really good part.
I spent my entire career waiting patiently for the right situation that would produce the picture below.
Now that you are done staring in amazement, eyes darting back and forth between the two Debs and down to “155lbs” to make sure you read it right, let this information really sink in. Let it change your perspective to something healthier. Forever!
Now go throw away your scale.
Faced with the facts above, basing your goals – or even worse, your happiness – on the number on your scale is absolutely ridiculous. I’ll give you an example of why weight is useless information in all but extreme cases. Let’s pretend Deb came to me at a weight of 200 lbs and told me she wanted to get down to 155 lbs. Which side of the picture above do you think she would prefer? Do you think she would have been satisfied with the left side? Look at her face. She is ecstatic with her body on the right, but on the left she can hardly stand to have her picture taken. We can glean from this that goals based on weight are too vague to be useful. If I had only given you her circumference measurements (waist, hips, thighs, bust, etc.) and no photos, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind which 155 lb Deb you would have chosen as the more aesthetically appealing. But when you look in the mirror and see a body like the Deb on the left you probably say, “Damn, I need to lose some weight.” Now you have undeniable evidence that defies that thought. Losing weight is not what you want and pursuing a number on your scale is not the path to success. It will drive you insane, though. But that’s probably not your goal.
Change your perspective to something healthier. Forever!
For those of you that may be having a hard time believing how all this can possibly be true, click here and hit Deb up on Facebook. She will be happy to befriend you and answer your questions, but please be reasonable. She has not volunteered to coach you, just to be your motivation.
Edit: One little point I left out of this post is that Deb totaled up her calories just for fun a few weeks ago. She came up with an average of slightly over 3900 per day. Take that calorie restriction diets!
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So true I weight 154 right now and when I just dieted only to 136 I actually wore a bigger size than I do now.
I love this post so much! Thank you!!! I have been Paleo for 7 months not and have gone from a size 10 to a 6 but havn’t lost a lb! Nobody believes me when I tell them that so I will be emailing this to a LOT of people! I think I am convinced to throw out my scale!!! I have been an addict for WAY too long!
Excellent post, excellent demonstration. Go Deb!
Health first. No one sees the scales but you. Thanks for this post.
This is a great post! I recently started working out pretty hard and at the same time, completely flipped my eating habits(thank you 4 Hour Body!) I started at a fluffy 248lbs(I’m 6’5″), dropped to 237lbs, then toned immediately to 245lbs while my waist slimmed. For only being 3 lbs less, I FELT 10x better in only 1 month later. Since then I’ve lost some weight down to 235 or so(was expecting more weight loss), but the added muscle weighs more, but makes me feel great!
Great post, love it! And just the concept I need.
Obviously those in the overweight and obese range – the scales are very useful and you can really see a change very easily standing on the scales. As soon as you approach the slightly overweight to normal size arena – measurements have to change and that’s what people don’t get at the moment. Plus it’s also harder to see/measure every day/week, so harder to catch bad moments/ideas and correct your course. With the “what gets measured, gets done” idea in mind – what would you suggest as an alternative measurement?
Others have suggested a body fat % – (which can be a little expensive to do right). Any cheaper alternatives?
Buy a measuring tape and keep track of circumference measurements. Waist, chest, hips, thighs, arms, …
Measuring body fat % does not have to be expensive. Target used to sell scales for $3o that measure your body fat/mussel and water %
Scales that measure body fat etc are generally wildly inaccurate. They do not take into account fitness level, and correct for the average couch potato, so a fit person would get a discouraging reading. That compounds the scale problem. If you can’t afford accurate % testing, measuring tape and, really, clothing fit are your best tools. I haven’t looked at my scale in a year and I’m going down pant sizes and getting crazy compliments.
First of all I love the point that is comeing across, very true.
secondly I am over and sick of bullshit before and after pics. Really come on. This is like this kids games in news papers where you have to spot the difference.
Smile in new photo.
Different hair
Different contrast of the pic
Fake tan.
Bloody just stop it. It’s bullshit marketing that you expect in the 3am infomercials.
Again point that is coming across I’d true but stop the bullshit
I think when it comes to body transformations you’re going to be hard pressed to find before/after pics where the things you mentioned don’t exist in the after pic. Why? Well it’s simple…when people get in shape they FEEL as good as they LOOK. They feel comfortable showing more of their bodies, which may lead to a desire to be tan or get a new hair-do, and they feel great so they SMILE. Why on Earth would anyone smile in a before pic when they are completely embarrassed to even be taking the picture? The transformation that comes with getting healthy and fit doesn’t stop with losing fat, it leads to other transformations of mood, character and happiness.
No one is selling anything in this post. These are simply stories of real life experiences, not fabricated fantasies created to get people to empty their wallets.
I agree!
I’m 244~250 lbs (not sure since my weight is fluctuating a lot lately, hehe), and although I smile in photos, I know for sure that when I’ve reached my health & wellness goal and am a healthy weight & overall feeling a LOT better (suffering from Candida overgrowth)… I’m sure my smile will be a thousand times brighter!
Plus, I will want to celebrate my huge accomplishment & permanent lifestyle changes by pampering myself with a new haircut & style, clothes, etc!
I also won’t be so embarrassed to go to the pool/beach/lake… so I might get a little tanner.
Marketing? So you’re saying that Jason gets money from the garbage company for every scale they find? The only bullshit here is your 2 cents.
Get off this blog if you are so angry about it. This is an amazing transformation, clearly you don’t care to see it. I’m sorry you are such a negative person, that’s a sad life to life.
*live
Offensive! I guess if you knew her personally that would help. I’ve known Deb for years and it’s a huge transformation that she’s extremely proud of. I say what ever works for you, do it. You’ll be a happier persona all around. Great job Deb, loved watching this happen for you =)
Thank you Jason and Deb for this blog post.
————
@Belinda,
That’s a good point. Obese people can see notice dramatic change by using the scale. That being said, the mindset shift from weight loss to fat loss can be more effective in the long run.
Bodyfat measurement doesn’t have to be expensive. The methods in the book are preferred but if you “really” can’t afford them, the next option can be using the tables presented in the Protein Power book by Drs Eades (They have been also featured in the 4-Hour Body.) It will only require you to take your hips, abdomen and height measurements (for women) and abdomen, wrist and weight measurements (for men.) It’s not as accurate and ideal as the methods presented by Tim but still better than the scale.
———–
@Jason: I like the way you are referring to the absurdity of the statement: “I need to lose some weight.” As a suggestion, maybe you can also represent the alternative wording: “I need to lose some fat” or “I need to recompose my body.”
I like “I need to lose some inches.” You can actually see when a body takes up less space. You can’t see when a body weighs less, as proved by the above pics.
“I spent my entire career waiting patiently for the right situation that would produce the picture below.”
I would have omitted this gem from the post had I planned on being taken seriously. Everyone knows America relies too heavily on weight-centric measurements. You are no pioneer in this thinking. Body transformation without weight loss is indeed attainable by many whose starting weight is within a break- even point vis-a- vis muscle and fat. Unfortunately, many Americans do not reside in this category. So your admittedly rare photo- example serves ill-purpose in swaying the vast majority of Americans seeking better health. It’s an anomaly, much like the efficacy of your supposed “new theory.” Telling an extremely obese person to start wrapping a measuring tape around mounds of fat instead of following a number from standing on a scale is a breakthrough in Motivational Science. …eye roll…
Just in the nick of time! I’ve been working very hard at the gym lately with a trainer, (thank you, L) but the scale hasn’t budged. My goal was to “lose 20 lbs by July 31 (my big five-0).” My clothes are getting looser, my body is changing for the better, but the dang scale just wasn’t moving. I was very discouraged this morning. Then, this evening, thanks to my trainer’s recommendation that I visit your website, I found your article on the scale, read the first one, but then the second article really hit home. How can you argue with the facts of Deb’s pictures?! Thank you, you have encouraged me.
This is the best news I have read in a long time. I have to admit I am a scale addict, and I have been very discouraged since starting Paleo full force a couple of months ago. I expected to drop weight on the scale pretty quickly, and have been discouraged… but now I am going to totally readjust my thinking and keep working hard at Crossfit, and with Paleo, and know I will reach my goals. Thanks so much for sharing this important information. Pam
Great work Deb! That is a truly amazing example of hard work + clean diet= better body composition, not pounds lost. I actually gained weight when I started CrossFit because I was transitioning from mostly endurance exercise with no real strength training. I’ve gone down a size and my stomach has lost a couple of inches. I must say that, as someone with a history of weight/body/food issues, it is so liberating to not give a crap about what the scale says anymore!
Thank you so much for sharing!!! I LOVE THIS POST!
I love this post – thank you!
I’ve been looking at my number on the scales and I’m at the heavier end of my weight over the years, but actually I feel great. I want to shed some fat and tone up, but I was actually beating myself up that I didn’t feel worse about it.
Awesome news for Deb too – well done!
xDenise
While agree with your sentiments for someone with the body type of Deb, who has drastically changed her body composition, if Deb were the same size yet weighed 200 lbs, I would disagree with you. Enough studies have shown that people who weigh less live longer, and are generally “healthier”. The larger body size creates havoc on your vascular system and internal organs.
I am someone who started at over 400 lbs, and have recently just broken the 300 lbs marker, the scale is something that I have to be aware of, but I do realize that as I get closer to a weight that is more suitable for my frame at some point it will be more about the overall composition of my weight.
For the majority of people including many women who are of Deb’s before picture I clearly think you are on point, but for anyone who is obese or morbidly obese getting the weight down first is most important.
Congrats on your progress, but I think you are still talking about fat, and therefore inches and size, not weight. Someone the same size as Deb that weighed 200 lbs could easily be anywhere from 5 -25% body fat and not be unhealthy. Regardless, you are still talking about size. Yes, if you are very heavy, you may watch the scale go down. Nobody is arguing that. But the scale is giving you no relevant information that you can’t get from circumference measurements, which you can actually SEE. AND circumference measurements do not suddenly disappoint and frustrate you once you get your size down. I’ve said it before, people were large before the invention of the household scale, and just like today, they were judged or admired for how they LOOK. You said it yourself, “The larger body SIZE creates havoc on your vascular system and internal organs.” Weight is a step removed from size.
If you were explaining your house to someone, you might say you live in a small cottage, a medium 3000 sq ft single family home, or a palatial mansion. You would never say that you live in a 300 ton home. Why not? Because you are talking about SIZE. You would never say, “We’re expanding our home by 20 tons on the west side.” Why not? As silly as this sounds, it is exactly as relevant to your body. Nobody is getting on the scale to see if it’s okay for them to cross a bridge, or if their floor will support them. But those are the kinds of things WEIGHT is useful for. I weigh 28 lbs on the moon. I refuse to believe that I would be at less risk of heart disease there. Stop correlating weight to anything but the load your shoes will bear when you stand.
“The scale is something that I have to be aware of.” WHY??
When I read Lou’s post, I absolutely agreed. To someone like me who is 197lbs, the scale seems to matter so much. Jason, I actually had to read your response twice to really get the full impact of what you’re saying. If I weighed 197lbs but LOOKED like the “after” picture, I doubt I’d really care what the scale weight was. Your analogies about weight vs size are bang on! I think we are so conditioned to thinking that you’re not hot or sexy until you hit that “magical number” on the scale, whatever that might be. I used to subscribe to a weightlifting magazine and would look at all of the stats on the up and coming in the industry. I would compare my weight and height to the women’s stats listed beside their picture and wouldn’t you know it–two women, both the same height, one weighs 115lbs and the other weighs 135 lbs. Yet they both looked great and I would be thrilled to look like either of them, even though there was a 20lbs difference in scale weight. I will now focus more on the inches I’ve lost, which is a bigger number than the scale anyways!
I had the exact same experience! Since January my belly fat (which is my most stubborn area) has almost completely disappeared but my weight has stayed about the same. It drove me crazy until I got a body composition analyzer and saw that I was losing body fat %.
I lost a lot of weight using calorie restriction but gained it all back because as soon as I started to eat normally my body stored it away since it thought I was starving. Now I can’t calorie restrict without feeling terrible.
Thanks for the post!
Well done, Elizabeth! That whole second paragraph was an example of remarkably healthy understanding of fat loss/storage. Kudos!
Such a great post!
Thanks for this.. great timing too… i was just starting to feel the downward, depressed, why is this stupid thing not moving!!!! effects of the scale… Time to adjust my thinking!!! My clothes are falling off so I should go an enjoy having to walk around holding onto them!
Thanks god!!! I have believed this and been telling my clients this for years… How amazing to have such an eye-popping real case study. Thanks for sharing. I will be passing this on to everybody!!
LOVE IT! I have been measuring myself for 18 months. I am 5kg heavier, but 9cm smaller in the waist and 7 cm smaller at the hips. I have shared this post with my clients. This is so important for people to get out of the scale rut!
I love this post!! Amazing stuff to read about!! =)
I’m convinced that ‘thin’ isn’t really where our body wants us to be. I think for most of us, our body wants us to be muscular with a little bit of pudge. I’ve been low carb high fat for about 5 months, gained about 6 pounds (6-04, 209 lbs.) but have seen great improvement in my strength training.
Well, there certainly isn’t any correlation between health and ripped abs, nor is there any correlation between sickness and 20 lbs of extra fat.
Awesome post. I wish more women would judge themselves by level of fitness and not numbers on the scale!
Thanks so much for posting this! I’ve been on an Anti-Candida diet, and ended up losing 12 lbs in a week and a half. Then, a few days after that, I gained about 6 lbs back.
Needless to day, I was pretty frustrated, and wondered why this was happening when I had been consistently losing about 1~2 lbs a day (and yes, I was obsessively weighing myself daily -__- …)
My dad & best friend kept telling me not to worry, since I was eating healthier & exercising regularly… they said that weight always fluctuates, and to just be patient. But even though I kept telling that to myself, I still felt a bit disappointed with myself (Was it the brown rice I slipped up and ate the other day? Was it the 2 days of non-exercise the other week? Should I be eating more? Should I be eating less?)
I felt horrible, and the psychological tormenting certainly didn’t help towards a healthier lifestyle!
So thank you very, very much for reiterating the idea that it’s not all about weight! :3
Ok, well, I don’t want to say this post is life changing for me…but, it blows away so many insecurities and pre-conceived notions I have (and have always had) about weight. I was always an athlete who was eating conventionally “healthy” with whole wheat pastas, black beans, dry chicken – the whole stupid pyramid. My husband discovered Crossfit, and then Paleo, almost 1.5 year ago, and I haven’t looked back. But this lady (who looks awesome and strong) is such a role model and this story should really be passed around for all women and men who are strong, healthy, and athletic but insecure about the number.
Thanks for this post!
I absolutely love the before and after photo. It’s a perfect demonstration of why the scale is useless. I’ve been telling people to throw their scales away for years. People are always surprised when I tell them I weigh close to 160lbs (I really don’t know what I weigh, since I don’t weigh myself, but it’s somewhere around there). I’m totally going to use this in the overcoming self-sabotage and emotional eating program I run for clients. Thanks again.
Since January of this year, I’ve lost 25 pounds, but when people ask me much I’ve lost and I tell them that number, they generally give me a puzzled look and comment that it looks like a lot more. Adding muscle makes such a difference!
I’ve also observed the inverse- I have been exercising for years intermittently and when I stop for a while, I’ll notice that my clothes start to get a big snug. When I step on the scale, though, I’ve actually gained little or no weight! Yet more evidence that weight is NOT a good indicator of health. While we’re at it, lets get rid of BMI too!
This is AMAZING!!!! I have had a number stuck in my head that I want to get to,and I am on the scale EVERYDAY(sometimes 2-3 times if I don’t like what it says!)Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!
After reading the first post on Deb quite some time ago, I immediately ditched my scale. That was smack-dab in the middle of my box’s 10 week Paleo Challenge. (Which I won!) Now, weeks later, still following Paleo as best I can, I find myself going UP in sizes and not down. I’m still working hard 3x’s a week at my box, and still immensely aware of my food intake. I feel as though I am making great gains in strength development, but why isn’t fat reduction following suite? Its very frustrating.
How timely! Just this morning I weighed myself and thought to myself, well that’s not bad but I’d really love to see 148. Why? I’m losing inches and my fitness is improving dramatically. My clothes are lose, I’ve had to give some away! Who the heck cares what I weigh? You are so right, it’s SIZE. Ha ha….size does matter. hee hee couldn’t resist! Love your stuff Jason, thanks for sharing.
3900 calories a day? No wonder I cannot lean out!! I workout like a beast and barely get 1500 (on paleo) I guess I have to add more healthy fats.
Great read!
I was wondering is there a link somewhere so we can see Deb’s calorie intake broken down for a day?
Hi Lisa, I just saw this question..I don’t normally count calories. I do post my meal log on EPLifeFit as well as my workouts. (I eat mostly meat/fat and veggies)..:)
I love this post. It really helps to see the visual display of how uninformative the numbers on the scale can be. I also just stumbled across this site:
http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html
It shows a variety of people at different heights and weights, and you can see that across individuals in the same category how much difference there is.
Hi Sarah & Jason,
I was wondering if it would be ok with Deb to use her picture and brief description of her story on a local cable show that I will be on next week. It is broadcast in a city just north of Toronto and geared toward teens. The topic is Body Image. My hubby and I have been on a few times to talk about nutrition and fitness (paleo/primal style of course!) and this story popped into my head as a great example of what not to focus on. Please let me know as I think this example will resonate with the young girls watching this show.
Cheers,
Stefanie
Yes Stefanie, I would love to have you share this with all women, especially teens, that’s one of the reasons for my transparency. Being healthy is the most important thing, the number on the scale means nothing and yet we give it so much power over us.
I think it is awesome that you have this opportunity.
Thank you,
Deb
Thanks Deb! And thanks again for sharing your journey!
Jason,
Fantastic article reaffirms what I have been doing . Since last January I’ve gone from size 20(ish) to size 14 while being ”stuck” at 160 lbs on 5ft frame. I am working towards size 6/8 and my goals have definitely changed from ‘weighing a certain number’ to specific measurements . I actually worked 7 of the last 12 months and the size always went up when I stopped doing weights and this included no cardio throughout last year.
My goals for this year are more phased out weight training so that I don’t stop it for 5-6 weeks on end, increase my weights to 45lbs from where Iam now (max. 18lb weights) and 10,000 steps a day.
And I would take this focus any day over a stupid number on the scale.
Thanks for this Jason, it’s just what I needed to hear. I have been working with a personal trainer since mid October 2011. 54 years old, 5’6″, bad knees, bad posture, 226 lbs. My primary goal was to rehabilitate my knees and other past injuries and get stronger. In 4 months time I lost 8 lbs, 3.5 inches off my hips, 2 inches off my waist, 1.5 inches off my thighs, and gained 1/4 in in my arms
I sleep better, with better mood and I have more energy. If I didn’t need to weigh in weekly at the gym I wouldn’t, it can be discouraging. Thanks again for the reminder that there are other markers of health than obsessing about a number on the scale.
I forgot to say I’ve been doing mostly Paleo eating during that time, except for the week between Christmas and New Years when I allowed myself to backslide. I got right back to eating right on 1/3 though.
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I am a complete scale addict, weighing myself at minimum 2 times a day. My biggest struggle is I know my jeans fit looser when Im around 112-114 and when I go up to 117-119 they are tighter and quite frankly, I feel pudgy. I feel that I have to keep constantly weighing myself so I can keep myself in check. If I dont see that number on the scale daily and just judge how my clothes fit, I will try to convince myself that “the jeans are tight from the dryer” or “maybe I am bloated from salt” and things can quickly spiral out of control for me. When I have concrete evidence that yes, I put on 5 lbs, I can quickly take action and get back on track. I almost NEED to feel bad about the number to get me back on more stringent eating.
This is just what I needed to read! Really. What I’m seeing in the mirror is the result of both intake and exercise, but what I’m looking for is tightness and definition, which can really come about only if I exercise. And exercise will help my metabolism, and improve my labs. ‘by George, I think I’ve got it..!’
I needed this… thanks!!
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Thanks for this post!! Just what I needed to hear!
That’s truly amazing for the hard work and efforts that went into the journey- congrats Deb.
Almost a year ago, I weighed in at 170 Lbs, and began Paleo. Lost about 20 lbs 6 months later. Throughout my journey, I’ve been doing CF as well. Today, I weigh in at 160 Lbs, but look and feel great!!!
# on the scale shouldn’t be the ONLY thing people should look at, I struggled with that and went from looking at the scale to looking at myself in the mirror. Congrats again, enjoy reading success stories like these.
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I just started to try and loose some extra weight, 30 lbs. My daughter sent me this to read, she’s been telling me to do this for a long time, get rid of scale. I thought about a guy I know, he was in his 30′s about 5’6″ and weighed 200 lbs. He had a great build, no fat anywhere. When he went to renew his drivers license he put down 200 lbs. for his weight, they made him get on the scale before they would write it down. They didn’t believe him, and when the scale said 200lbs. they shook their heads & wrote it down in amazement. It’s so true!
I know Carolyn, had something similar happen to me while getting fitted for jeans. (the gal didn’t believe me either..lol) The scale doesn’t do us any favors, your daughter is right.
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Kudos to Deb for all her hard work!
If you change this one sentence, you may just get a plethora of blog shares: “Here she is at a size zero with her nutrition dialed.” OK. If the focus is on health and fitness rather than numbers, why did you put her clothing size in your post? Picture a post that one is excited to share… and then… the letdown. Awww, she put in the clothing size. Back to those numbers again.
Anyone who’s been paying attention realizes that clothing designers vary their clothing sizes widely. Certain ‘sizes’ 20 years ago are completely different numbers today. What was a larger number then is a smaller number now.
Let’s just focus on how fit and healthy she looks and stay away from the ‘achievement’ of fitting into a piece of clothing with a single-digit number on the tag.
Hello Kathleen,
The size zero sentence was to show the steps I went through, and as a point of reference in that part of my muscle building journey which ultimately brought me all the way around to the same weight as I started but looking very different.
Thank you for the Kudos, I did work hard and feel fabulous…
Deb
Circumference measurements make perfect sense when you try to quantify your goals and this post was not intended to tell you otherwise. The pictures should make it clear that there is a difference in SIZE in the pictures, but weighing yourself neglects the fact that you might get heavier as you get healthy. Measure on!