What Do Those Numbers Really Mean?

Some of us are data driven, others like to be vaguely aware of what is going on. When I work with clients, I find they almost always fall into one of these two camps. If this is you, I want to encourage you to find a “happy middle ground”. What do I mean? Finding a baseline, a starting point, a foundation without letting numbers distract you, focus on the wrong things or fill you with worry.

Here is an example: Some people I work with like to track every morsel of food that they eat, focusing on the total number of calories. If they come in under their “target”, they report having a good day, high self-esteem and confidence. However they may not be looking at the quality of the food they are eating. A 500 calorie snack made up of processed foods and sugar is not the same as 500 calories of fruits, vegetables and protein. The former can make us sluggish, inflamed and hungry for more food. The latter can make us feel energized, satiated and function well…. and more likely to lose unwanted body fat! It has been my experience that when we shift our focus to both the quality and quantity of our food choices, better health prevails.

Another common trait that I see (and used to experience myself) is stepping on the scale each day and allowing the number to dictate one’s mood, sense of self-esteem and self-worth. But a regular scale doesn’t tell us what our body mass is made up of! Perhaps we are gaining skeletal muscle, which is a great thing and important for strength, stability and longevity. Conversely, maybe we have put on a few pounds of visceral fat, which is detrimental to our health and longevity. A hint- if your clothes are getting looser it is likely due to muscle, if they are getting tighter it is likely due to extra body fat.

What do these two examples have in common? Just counting calories or stepping on a scale without knowing the context of those numbers doesn’t tell the whole story. If you fall into either of these camps, consider trying a “middle ground” approach instead.

For capturing food intake: Use one of the many free tracking apps to capture the nutrient breakdown of your meals. If you do this for just one week you will get a good sense of what your meals and snacks are made up of. Are you getting adequate amounts of protein? (For more on this see last month’s article). Are you unknowingly consuming too much sugar and processed carbs? When you are aware of the quality of what you are eating there is more opportunity to tweak your choices, gauge your energy, digestion, sleep, mental clarity etc. And if you learn that you are favoring one type of food this can be a great time to add variety to your meals for greater nutrition and health.

For capturing body composition: To get a better understanding of what your body is made up of (such as muscle, bone, water and fat), consider getting a bio-impedance scale (available at many online stores) that can specify the percentage of body fat, muscle, bone and water. Monitoring your body composition allows you to focus on a specific goal, such as increasing lean muscle mass rather than focusing on the overall number of pounds reflected on the scale.

Data is helpful, but remember that you know your body better than anyone else. A great tool is to ask yourself how you feel each day. I like to sit, close my eyes, and focus on my breath for a moment and then check in with my energy, how I “feel in my skin”. Did I sleep well? Am I filled with energy and joy for the day ahead? If the answer is yes, what did I do (movement/ activity) and what did I eat the day before? That gives me clues into what makes my body thrive, allowing me to re-calibrate little by little, day by day as needed.