One of the terms that comes up over and over again in the From Fat to Finish Line Facebook group is "NSV" or Non Scale Victory. I hadn't really taken this side of the journey into consideration until I starting seeing other people's victories.
When working on weight-loss and health it is so easy to just look at the scale as the only tool of measurement. When I confessed my weight to the group at the New Year one of the first comments I got was to only weigh once a month and not focus solely on the number as there is so much more to take into consideration. Yes, we celebrate everyone's weight loss numbers but there is also just as much support and excitement for the NSVs in the group.
Yesterday I posted that it was my fourth day with no cream or sugar in my coffee. Over 120 people as of this writing have showed their support for my achievement. From a huge group of people who have either been there, done that, or are struggling themselves, or just starting out as well that kind of support can be huge. There are groups out there that I have joined, and subsequently quit, where even the kind words feel empty and condescending. And you are lucky to get the condescending words of “encouragement” because a lot of the time you get ignored or worse made fun of.
The fitness world can be weirdly cliquish and incredibly intimidating. I have a cousin who is wholly supportive and kind, but because she’s so good at this fitness and health thing that, even being a relative who I know without a doubt is sincere and loving, she is intimidating as all hell. My own insecurities make me feel like I have to make so sort of big improvement before I can approach her for advice. People I don’t know who are good at fitness are even more intimidating.
Then there are the schools of thought cliques.
No Carbs
No Meat
Running will kill you
Running is life
Supplements
Whole foods only
Follow XXX celebrity trainer as the gospel
Celebrity trainers are the worst
And heavens to Betsy if you don’t bow down to that person’s opinion because then it can become an all-out war.
Not with the FFTFL group. Yes, people have strong opinions and will let you know why you are so very wrong oh my gods seriously how can you think/do that, but at the end of the day they will also leave you to do your thing. There are disagreements but we all walk away friends. We all still support each other even if you eat meat and I’m a vegan.
This brings me back to the support FFTFL gives each other as a group. A quick search of the Facebook group shows that we are celebrating NSV such as:
Didn’t eat the Krispy Kreme donuts at the office meeting today!
Fitting into size 20 pants!
7 weeks no smoking!
Being able to zip up a specific jacket!
Adding weights to the bar for chest presses for the first time!
Completing a 5k in under an hour!
4 days no cream or sugar in the coffee!
To people who haven’t had to struggle with working towards large amounts of weight loss these victories can seem minor and even trivial. FFTFL was started by a group of people who all had lost 100 pounds or more. They made an awesome documentary that you can watch on Netflix called From Fat to Finish Line and the Facebook group has been growing like crazy. It attracts people who need to lose large amounts of weight (like me) and therefore we all know what a struggle it is.
The unconditional support from these people for the smallest things that are huge accomplishments make it easier to remember that every step is an important step. Ever victory, even those off the scale, is an important victory.
When working on weight-loss and health it is so easy to just look at the scale as the only tool of measurement. When I confessed my weight to the group at the New Year one of the first comments I got was to only weigh once a month and not focus solely on the number as there is so much more to take into consideration. Yes, we celebrate everyone's weight loss numbers but there is also just as much support and excitement for the NSVs in the group.
Yesterday I posted that it was my fourth day with no cream or sugar in my coffee. Over 120 people as of this writing have showed their support for my achievement. From a huge group of people who have either been there, done that, or are struggling themselves, or just starting out as well that kind of support can be huge. There are groups out there that I have joined, and subsequently quit, where even the kind words feel empty and condescending. And you are lucky to get the condescending words of “encouragement” because a lot of the time you get ignored or worse made fun of.
The fitness world can be weirdly cliquish and incredibly intimidating. I have a cousin who is wholly supportive and kind, but because she’s so good at this fitness and health thing that, even being a relative who I know without a doubt is sincere and loving, she is intimidating as all hell. My own insecurities make me feel like I have to make so sort of big improvement before I can approach her for advice. People I don’t know who are good at fitness are even more intimidating.
Then there are the schools of thought cliques.
No Carbs
No Meat
Running will kill you
Running is life
Supplements
Whole foods only
Follow XXX celebrity trainer as the gospel
Celebrity trainers are the worst
And heavens to Betsy if you don’t bow down to that person’s opinion because then it can become an all-out war.
Not with the FFTFL group. Yes, people have strong opinions and will let you know why you are so very wrong oh my gods seriously how can you think/do that, but at the end of the day they will also leave you to do your thing. There are disagreements but we all walk away friends. We all still support each other even if you eat meat and I’m a vegan.
This brings me back to the support FFTFL gives each other as a group. A quick search of the Facebook group shows that we are celebrating NSV such as:
Didn’t eat the Krispy Kreme donuts at the office meeting today!
Fitting into size 20 pants!
7 weeks no smoking!
Being able to zip up a specific jacket!
Adding weights to the bar for chest presses for the first time!
Completing a 5k in under an hour!
4 days no cream or sugar in the coffee!
To people who haven’t had to struggle with working towards large amounts of weight loss these victories can seem minor and even trivial. FFTFL was started by a group of people who all had lost 100 pounds or more. They made an awesome documentary that you can watch on Netflix called From Fat to Finish Line and the Facebook group has been growing like crazy. It attracts people who need to lose large amounts of weight (like me) and therefore we all know what a struggle it is.
The unconditional support from these people for the smallest things that are huge accomplishments make it easier to remember that every step is an important step. Ever victory, even those off the scale, is an important victory.
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