The scale only tells you one thing.

Before I get to the topic that my title eludes, I'll let you all know that I finished the book on time.

In just 6 weeks, along with my writer, we submitted 96,000 words and well-over 365 pages of material. The book was the new diet and training book for Women's Health magazine. Basicially, it's what the Abs diet is for Men's Health. It should be out VERY soon.

Now, my topic:

For the past two weeks while working on the book, I only lifted once, (but still walked on my treadmill at least once a day) and ate an incredible amount of food. Since I was stressed, I dug into the nut jar and also ate so many vegetables that I'm surprised I've not turned green. Also, while I was in Vegas, I indulged in A LOT of food at two great buffets....easily ate over 800 kcals in one sitting

So, despite the lack of lifting and good eating, my scale had different ideas for me. As you know, I was at 128 lbs when I finished my hardcore Velocity diet for 28 days, but when I got back from Vegas AND after the 2 weeks of crappy habits, I weighed 125!

Thankfully my clothes still fit, but I was pretty soft compared to how I usually am.

Which got me thinking: Why the heck do I even weigh myself? All the scale tells you is ONE thing: how much you weigh. It DOES NOT tell you how much body fat or muscle you carry, and it sure in the heck does not differentiate between water and tissue.

Obviously I lost muscle as I lost the weight, which is NOT what I wanted.

In fact, the V-diet combined with the Se7en and the intense training I was doing probably stimulated massive protein synthesis. All that quick digesting, high-leucine containing whey was great for muscle growth.

But, if you're like most women (and some men), if you see the scale go up when you think it should go down, you think your diet or training is bogus and you quit.

I wish we were just able to determine changes in body fatness instead of trying to figure what's going on in our bodies with a simple scale.

So, what we need to do is use different methods: how clothes feel, how we feel, how we look in a bikini. NOT what the stupid, inaccurate, mind-of-it's own scale says.

As one girlfriend of mine said this weekend: I can make the scale lie (i.e. by leaning against the wall or something like that), but I can't change the way my jeans fit.

Good point.

In other news, now that I'm back to my real life (not book life) it means I can do many things I've put off... primarily my disseration and my wedding plans.

PhD and Mrs Cassandra Pribanic, here I come (actually, I'll keep my current last name and add Justin's with a hyphen)

That's a lot of letters: Cassandra Elizabeth Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD, CSCS, CISSN.... count 'em, it's 50!!! Yikes.