Most people use a scale to measure their weight, right? They step on it every morning, or every so often, and gauge their “success” by what that number says. But it turns out, that number may be a less accurate gauge of your weight loss success than other things. After all, your weight fluctuates throughout the day, the week, and the month depending on your hormones, water retention, and other factors. What if I told you that a better way to measure your weight loss success was hanging in your closet? Yep: your jeans are a better weight loss tool than your scale.
A few years ago I went to Paris with my daughter and quickly noticed that the people there don’t parade about in sweatpants like many of us do here. All the women walking down the streets are wearing tailored trousers, jeans or pants with a zipper. Now, I’m not saying you need to look like you stepped off a fashion runway when you leave the house in order to stay on track. After all, I live in spandex and Lycra and make a living while wearing active wear! But, clothing choices are often connected to health and one thing I have always done is zip up my jeans at least once a week as a way to gauge my health.
Why Your Jeans Can Be More Accurate Than A Scale
I know so many women who are married to their scales, when they should be married to their jeans. If you vacillate from triumph to despair depending on those three numbers on the scale, remember that your weight varies depending on the time of the month, hormones, sodium intake and other factors. A more accurate gauge of how you are managing your weight is to put on and zip up those jeans in your closet. Just as I advise people to find out their body composition—ratio of body fat to lean muscle—jeans also can give you a better assessment of how you are doing than your scale does sometimes.
Your jeans could suddenly be…
- baggy (score!)
- fit as they always have (terrific!)
- suddenly be snug (red flag!)
- or you can’t even get them on (alarm bell is ringing for behavior change!)
Are You Hiding Behind Loose Clothes?
Comfortable clothes too often mean your food choices will be too comfortable as well. I saw an ad for pajama jeans recently and thought, “Oh, c’mon!” How easy do we want to make it for ourselves to overeat? The marketing jargon of these jeans tout comfort and freedom, but at what cost? I will admit to childhood memories of joking around with my sisters after a big holiday meal that we needed to unbutton the top button of our pants since we were so full. However, if you find yourself unbuttoning that top button on a regular basis, it may be time for a little check in.
Related: The Mindset Shift You Need To Finally Lose That Weight
Snug Jeans Can Lead To Healthier Choices
If you put on a pair of your jeans and they are little snug, you probably won’t say yes to dessert. If you just consumed a big meal and you are sporting a pair of stretchy, elastic waistband pants, you are more likely to say yes to that dessert because you are comfortable and you don’t have a reminder to make smart choices.
Your body tells a story. Do you like what it is saying? Are you proud of yourself? Do you feel energetic and healthy? Or do you cringe when you are getting dressed and try and hide how you feel under your clothes? If you don’t like what your appearance is going to you, or you feel like the real you hasn’t emerged yet on the outside—decide now to change. Strive to feel comfortable because you are fit and not comfortable because you are hiding in sweatpants. Don’t let the scale dictate your mood and don’t live your life in a pair of baggy sweatpants. Zip it up once a week! Just think, there’s no hiding in skinny jeans. Why would you want to?
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