The short answer
Non-scale victories are signs of progress that have nothing to do with your weight. On The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey lists six: consistency in your routine, measurements and progress photos, better mood and well-being, more energy, a renewed zest for life, and growing endurance and strength. She treats the scale as the last thing to check.
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Nikkiey on why progress photos show changes the scale misses
Plays from 10:17 · Ep. 89: Non-Scale Victories: How to Track Progress After 40
Why muscle can change your shape while your weight stays the same
Plays from 10:59 · Ep. 89: Non-Scale Victories: How to Track Progress After 40
Nikkiey on a renewed zest for life as a real sign of progress
Plays from 17:15 · Ep. 89: Non-Scale Victories: How to Track Progress After 40
The full answer
On Ep. 89, Nikkiey explains that the scale holds far less meaning than most women give it. When your goal is to build muscle and look more toned, she puts the scale at roughly 20% of the picture. With the women she coaches, she looks at every other measure of progress first. Her reasoning: when you strength train, you build muscle, and muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space. Your weight can stay the same while your body composition changes.
That is why she is blunt about progress photos: take them. She says she has seen it hundreds of times. Even when the scale does not budge, the photos show the difference. Posture improves, muscle becomes more defined, and certain areas get more toned. Her own story makes the point. She weighed 140 when she started her fitness journey, weighs about the same or even more now, and says she does not look anything like she did then.
The other victories are about how you live, not just how you look:
- Consistency in your routine
- Measurements and progress photos
- Improved mood and sense of well-being
- More energy
- A renewed zest for life
- More endurance and strength
Nikkiey describes that zest for life as waking up excited to start your day instead of dreading it, thriving rather than just existing. She calls it a true testament to the work you are putting in. So if the number is stuck, it does not mean you are failing. It may just mean you are measuring with the wrong tool.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
Women also ask
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The Scale & Tracking Progress
Why isn't the scale moving when I'm strength training?
The scale often stalls with strength training because you can build muscle while losing fat at the same time, so your weight barely changes while your body composition does. Nikkiey explains that muscle is denser and takes up less space than fat. Water retention, glycogen, your cycle and hormonal shifts can also stall or spike the number.
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The Scale & Tracking Progress
How often should I take progress photos?
Take progress photos about once a week. Nikkiey says that's what WarriorBabe does, though bi-weekly or monthly can work better if seeing the photos is hard for you. Don't take them daily the way you might step on the scale. Pick one day and shoot front, side and back in the same conditions.
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The Scale & Tracking Progress
How can I track progress without the scale?
Track the changes the scale can't show: waist and body measurements, side-by-side progress photos, how your clothes fit, and whether you're lifting more than two weeks ago. Nikkiey also watches energy, sleep, cravings, recovery and habits like hitting protein and showing up to train. The scale becomes supporting data, not the decision maker.
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27 minNon-Scale Victories: How to Track Progress After 40
Episode 89 · Aug 28, 2023