Did you weigh yourself this morning? Huge claps for the “No’s” — aggressive face-palms for the “Yeses”. Let me explain —
Many people begin their weight loss journey in the same way — they took off their shoes, made sure their phone wasn’t in their pocket, removed their studded belt, tiptoed onto the scale and BAM! They saw the number, gagged and jumped off — removed their 12-pound earrings, maybe used the bathroom, and stepped ever so lightly back onto the scale only to realize the number mysteriously increased! What in the actual F. Now, they lay on the bathroom floor making a deal with the Fitbit devil to lose their magic number of pounds to achieve ultimate happiness and Instagram influencer status. This moment has its upsides — it has kickstarted their determination to commit and maintain their weight loss goals, but like most moments, it passes — and as it passes, it should take the scale with it too. Time to elaborate.
The scale does not tell the whole story.
I have a friend (she’s probably reading this — so let’s just call her Sharon) who was an extreme slave to the scale. Sharon kept a scale in the kitchen and the bathroom, weighing herself every time she passed it by. A typical day in the life of Sharon looked like this — wake up, weigh, pee, weigh, coffee, weigh, morning poop, weigh, ate a meal, weigh, before a workout, weigh, after a workout, weigh — and thus became my mascot for the “scale-a-holics”. While the scale can be a great starting point, an obsession with the number you see in between your toes can also have a detrimental effect on your progress and mindset. I forgot to mention — sometimes Sharon’s weight increased, YET her clothes continued to fall off her body. She lost inches, and dress sizes — but the scale never received that memo. If you ask me, the mirror and your lost inches should communicate via Bluetooth with your scale, forcing it to blink only one consistent message — “It’s working, keep going”. While your starting weight can be the prologue of your story — your inches lost, the way your clothes fit, the energy you feel, your muscle mass; these should all be the bulk of your chapters. The scale will never tell the whole story. It shouldn’t even be in the epilogue.
Why should you stop obsessively weighing yourself? Glad you asked.
It’s an emotional trigger that has the potential to go in many negative directions depending on your mindset. Seeing a gratifying number can make you feel amazing while seeing a number you do not agree with can trigger feelings of hopelessness and shame. We all judge ourselves by that number, and that judgment can affect everything — from the way we eat, the way we dress, to the way we interact with the world. “I am down 5lbs this week!”, time to celebrate with a “cheat” day. “I’ve gained 1.5 lbs this week”, screw this, nothing is working anyway, is Taco bell open past 9 pm? “I’ve lost 15 lbs! Yaaaassss”, but this is too hard, I feel exhausted, sluggish, in need of 3 naps, and daily Tylenol to deal with these blinding migraines. It costs too much to be thin. Down 3lbs one day, up 5 lbs the next, down 2, up 7, down 10 — this can send you on a whirlwind of confusing emotions. The moral of the story — Just stop. Stop, stop, stop.
Your weight will change throughout the day. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is sometimes out of your control.
Did you check the sodium content of the low-fat, low-cal, low-taste meal you bought in the frozen section of the grocery store? If it is PACKED with sodium, say hello to water retention. That swollen face, swollen midsection, swollen feet disaster you may wake up with the next morning carries weight. Similarly, your body will continue to retain water if you do not drink enough of it. So, if you haven’t consumed a healthy daily amount of plain water since the early 90s, prepare for the scale to yell at you. Speaking of swelling, my women in the back — that monthly punishment plaguing us since puberty, well, it carries hormonal weight as well, just ask your one size up special time of the month pants you keep in the back of your drawer. Did you poop today? Or yesterday? I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one. Moving on. Have you exercised? Lifted weights? Muscles will swell and retain fluid after weight lifting to aid in the recovery of microscopic muscle tears. In other words, there may be an infinite amount of things going on inside your body that cause your weight to fluctuate daily, so torturing yourself daily with the scale, may not be the best idea.
Since we brought up muscle —
The scale will never tell you the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat lingering in your body. Muscle is lean, dense, and takes up less space, while fat is — well look.
So, let’s assume you lost 10 lbs of fat, while simultaneously gaining 10 lbs of muscle with diet and exercise — I failed math, but I know 10 minus 10 is zero, and zero means no change. Your weight will be the same, however, I can guarantee your clothing and overall body shape will tell an entirely different story. For me, at 5’6’’ and 148 lbs, with a butt that likes to squat and thighs I’m convinced, look like they may very well crush a sedan with one swift kick, I avoid jeans because of my shape and muscle tone. Ask me if I fit in size 2 no stretch denim? Abso-freaking-lutely NOT. Ask my 5’6’’ and 150 lbs girlfriend what size she wears. Size 2 in Express jeans and we are both mad about it.
My explanations could go on and on… and probably on, but let me assure you that your weight is only one piece of the puzzle. It is certainly not an all-encompassing accurate measure of your overall health. It will also never be a true indicator of anything if you are on the scale 222 times a day, so why encourage defeated emotions, or ruin your day with a number? Aaliyah said it best, “Weight ain’t nothin’ but a numba” — okay, she said “Age”, but whatever, both are true. Also, try and remember, what appears healthy on the outside, may very well be a whole lot of mess on the inside. Thin does not always equal healthy.
If you are still scale obsessed after my e-shot infused rant, just try this…Please?
Take a break for one month. Check-in with yourself daily and ask how you are feeling. How is your digestion? How is your energy level, your mental clarity, your clothes, your inches, your mood — write it down. How do you feel? How are you acting? I know, it’s terrifying, but by getting rid of the scale, you are putting your trust in yourself, not in an evil machine beneath your feet. That is empowering, and empowerment is the best form of motivation and consistency. Your weight is not an indicator of your worth, your value, or your progress (read that 12 times, and say it out loud in the mirror). Measure progress by how you feel and how your clothes fit. We in the biz, like to call those NSV’s — Non-Scale Victories. Those victories will always be the only ones that matter.
— xx K
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