Numbers are funny things, probably no other semantic tool is more widely used to lie and mislead than simple numbers. Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." He was probably thinking of intentional misdirection, but I think numbers can often lead to unintentional misdirection too.
For example, if a person weighing 200 lbs says that they have lost 33 lbs. in 30 days most people would think that they had been wildly successful and yet I found myself mostly feeling like a failure (again) over most of the month. My actual trend line isn't very smooth, my weight has been up and down on almost a daily basis (even weekly) and yet, overall it's down... even dare I say it, WAY DOWN.
Consider the following statements:
Thirty-three lbs. is barely 6% of my overall weight
Thirty-three lbs. is actually almost exactly 10% of the weight I want to lose.
Thirty three lbs! That's AWESOME way to go man, you're killing it!!!
All true, yet very different stories
One issue that I have had to deal with is water retention, I mean, the human body simply cannot gain 12 real pounds of fat in a single day (that's the spike in the middle). The physics and physiology don't work. Intellectually I understand this, but seeing that number jump on the scale sinks my heart an equivalent distance.
One way I have chosen to deal with this is by focusing on a different number. I was watching a show from the UK called Super Size vs. Super Skinny (I don't really recommend it unless you like over and under weight nudity). They pair an overweight person with an underweight person and have them live together for a week and swap meals. Then they send them home for a bit and bring them on for a recap. Well my one takeaway was the British style of tracking weight. They track weight using stone and pounds e.g. 15 St. 4 lbs. which is 214 lbs.
I read (I think Tim Ferris in the Four Hour Body) a suggestion that you should never try to lose more than 20 lbs at a time. The idea being that any larger number is too large and thereby making it difficult to maintain mental focus. So, lose 20 lbs. then decide affirmatively that this represents your new weight and jealously maintain it. Then when you feel ready to continue make another 20 lb. goal.
Well, I don't think I ever really committed to that idea even though I "tried" it. I found that I could never easily keep track of where my last 20 lb start weight had been and besides, I was never planning on stopping at 20 lbs and didn't consider it a monumental milestone.
For the last week I have adjusted my thinking. I express my weight in the British style and my weight loss in straight pounds. So I have lost 33 pounds but my weight is down from 37 st. 7 lbs. to 35 st. 3 lbs. and this week I expect to cross over to 34 st. x lbs.
That's it, the next month will be about focusing on micromental, not monumental changes. I suppose you could say this is another sort of lie, but if it's the one that keep me motivated, I don't give a damn about that.
