Is Your Scale Obsession Sabotaging Your Weight Loss
Have you grown up with the compulsion to constantly monitor your weight? Are you obsessed with stepping on the scales? These habits are often the cause of demotivation, confidence reduction and stress, resulting in giving up on your weight loss goals.
I’m going to let you in on the secret to having a healthy relationship with weight loss, and finally get the dream body you deserve.
The Real Reason Women Struggle to Lose Weight
I once worked with a lady so obsessed with weighing herself, she would step on the scales after going to the loo, desperately hoping to see the number go down. This isn’t a healthy attitude towards weight loss, nor will it help you achieve your fitness goals.
“Tara, I’ve had a fab week! I’ve been sleeping better, my clothes don’t feel as tight anymore, I even feel confident with the lights on in the bedroom,” is something I hear on a regular basis. However, all this positivity fades away after stepping on the scales. If you feel positive, why should a number change that?
Scales are constantly affecting our moods. Being unhappy with the number on the scales can cause you to feel miserable, deflated, and even trigger a binge eating episode with a ‘What’s the point’ response.
So how can you overcome your weight monitoring obsession and start losing weight.
Overcoming Your Scale Obsession to Get the Body You Deserve
1) You are more than the number on the scales
You don’t walk around with the number on our head. People see you for being your beautiful self and how you make them feel. Confidence can be built purely from how others react with you, so by being a kind, positive human-being, others will value and respect you no matter what you weigh.
2) The number on the scales does NOT tell you how healthy you are
Scales are used to measure weight, not how healthy you are. This is something people often don’t realise. There are many unhealthy/unfit people who weigh very little, just as there are many healthy and fit people who weigh a lot. If you aim to be healthy, your weight shouldn’t be your main focus.
3) The number on the scales does not tell you how successful you are
When it comes to health and fitness, your weight is only one part of the picture. There are better ways to monitor success on your fitness journey, such as measuring how well your clothes fit (do you notice your clothes are baggier than they used to be), how you feel physically (do you get out of breath less often), and taking progress pictures to see exactly how your body is changing visually.
4) The scales weigh everything, not just fat
Scales show the weight of everything that steps on it. Your bones, your muscles, your vital organs, what you’ve eaten and drank. If you haven’t been to the loo for a day or two – that will be weighed. If you’re approaching ‘that time of the month’ and retaining water – that will be weighed. The scales don’t just weigh fat, they weigh everything you’re made up of.
5) Get them out of your life (or out of sight)
If you have an unhealthy relationship with the scales, my best piece of advice is to remove them from your home. With any obsession or addiction, the best way of overcoming it is to remove any temptations. If you feel you have the discipline to use them in moderation, hide them away and only get them out once a week to track your progression.
6) Your weight doesn’t matter – Focus on what’s important
Stepping on and off the scales simply isn’t going to change your weight. Once you realise this and start focusing on the things that will (exercise and healthy eating), you will see the results in the mirror, not just on the scales.
The Key to Monitoring Weight ‘the Right Way’
Although monitoring your weight doesn’t show how healthy your are, nor is it necessary to achieve your weight loss goals, if used moderately it can help keep track of your progress.
If you are going to weigh yourself, follow these simple guidelines:
- Weigh yourself a maximum of once a week.
- Do it first thing in the morning consistently so you have a realistic comparison.
- Each week in your monthly cycle will be different, so consider that when the ‘Time of the month’ is approaching, you may experience water retention.
- Consider weighing yourself on a Friday mornings so you can have a realistic measurement after a week of routine.
When you get into the habit of monitoring your weight in a healthy manner, you are able to use it (along with other methods) as a tool to motivate and push you further along your weight loss journey.