To weigh or not to weigh…that is the question.
Before I jump into this episode, I want to let you know that the first few minutes of this one happens to be an interview with one of my clients, Paige. You’re going to want to listen in as Paige talks about her own journey and the changes she has gone through.
If you tend toward self-sabotage when the scale isn’t where you thought it would be, it’s time to reconsider your relationship with your scale. I will never say that you should never weigh yourself, although there are some people who I firmly believe should put their scales away.
Self-transformation is so much more than a number on a scale.
Examine the Data
One of the things I have my clients do when they are struggling with weighing in, or knowing if they should weigh-in, is to create a graph.
What I have found after working with dozens of women is that when you are taking care of yourself, eating healthy and moving your body, along with beginning to heal your inner self, the line on the graph tends to be moving in a downward fashion toward steady weight loss.
The problem is, we get on the scale after a weekend out or a special occasion and if the scale is up a pound or two, we just chuck our entire self-care and transformation to the wind. We say to ourselves, “What the hell, I may as well have doughnuts for breakfast.”
One number doesn’t tell you anything about the real you. The scale is one small marker that can help you measure progress on your journey but it is not the end-all, be-all for that journey.
False Expectations
I see a couple of variations of women who see the scale as a necessary evil on their journey of self-transformation.
The first type of lady expects the scale to say one thing while reality dictates that it say another.
This dear woman steps on the scale and instead of it saying what she thinks it’s going to say, it says something totally different. And she is not pleased.
What we have to remember is that there are a lot of things that affect what the scale says:
- Hydration
- Fiber intake
- Bowel movements
- Urine output
- Fatigue
- Rest
If you are weighing yourself every single morning, you need to take into account the fact that it is nearly impossible for any human being to weight the same thing every day of their life. We are all subject to life circumstances and our environment.
Is the Scale a Trigger?
Are you one of those people who wakes up and feels like you need to go get right on the scale? Is weighing in one of your first thoughts every morning?
If you use the number on the scale as a sign of success, you might be disconnected from the rest of your body and using that one number to define the success or failure of the results you’re seeking.
It could mean that your entire self-worth is tied up in what that machine says. If the number you see sets the tone for your day, the scale is probably not a healthy way for you to measure your success.
If your day is ruined when the scale says you’re up 2 lbs, it is now a trigger for you instead of a useful tool.
Action Tip:
Instead of stepping on the scale in the morning, try asking yourself, “How do I feel in my skin this morning?”
When you get dressed, notice how your clothes feel. Look at your face in the mirror and notice your eyes. Are they bright?
Find ways to validate your progress on your journey that have nothing to do with the scale.
Fear of the Scale
As much as I see women who are dependent on the scale, I also see women who are afraid to ever step on it.
These women don’t want to face reality; they can’t handle knowing what the scale will say.
Whether you are dependent on the scale or deathly afraid of it, do you see where this leads? The scale is in complete control of your life.
If you wake up obsessed with getting on the scale or you spend your days obsessed with never getting on one, either way, the scale is controlling your energy around your weight.
That is not what a scale is for. The scale is a tool. It is a tool for you to use in your overall journey; not the most important tool…but just one of many tools.
What Is Your Truth?
The only thing the scale can do for us is tell us the truth about one specific thing: what we weigh at that particular moment on that particular day with all the surrounding circumstances and life events happening to us.
But if we avoid it completely, we are missing a piece of the puzzle that would be helpful on our journey of self-transformation.
So, if you step on your scale and it says 300 lbs, I want you to embrace that!
Why would I tell you to embrace that number? Because when you embrace it, you accept it. And when you accept it, you are ready to deal with it.
And from there, it can only get better.
Making the Scale Your Ally
If we don’t want the scale to be our enemy by controlling us and our energy, we need to turn it into an ally. But how?
Instead of killing yourself with hours of exercise in order to make that scale do what you want, it’s time to look inside yourself, ladies. It’s time to ask yourself why you’re allowing the scale to determine your self-worth…why you are so afraid to step on it.
When you understand your motivations, that’s when you begin to reclaim your power.
You begin to put into place practices that focus on your true self-worth, which has nothing to do with a number on a machine. This is a process; it isn’t going to happen overnight.
I suggest that you slowly change your actions. If you’re obsessed with weighing yourself, slowly switch off to only weighing yourself once a week. Make a commitment to yourself to wean off the instant knowledge of what you weigh.
And as you weigh yourself less, really start to notice how you feel. Now that you don’t have some random number to ruin your day, you can actually feel good no matter what.
Or maybe you’re like some of my dear coaching clients and you avoid the scale at all cost. For you, I suggest making the decision to weigh in once per week. Step on, with no expectations, and step off.
You don’t let the number determine your worth or your mood for the day. You are only testing your relationship with the scale. You are taking back the power it has had over you.
To Weigh or Not to Weigh
I think we can agree that the question of whether we should weigh or not weigh isn’t as easy as black and white. Like most things in life, the answer is, “It depends.”
The most important thing you can do is evaluate your current relationship with the scale and use that information as a jumping-off point to determine how it fits into your life and your overall plan of self-transformation.
For some, the scale is dangerous. Know where you stand.
There are pros and cons to the scale. Is it taking power from you? Is it speaking success or failure to you? It’s time to figure out how to take back your power and energy. Your goal is to focus on the journey as a whole, not zoom in on one number or fact.
Around here, we work on feeling amazing naked, not weighing amazing naked.
What is your relationship with the scale? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know if you find the scale taking control of your life or if you’re free from being obsessed with it.
And as always, if you need help, I am always available so feel free to reach out to me!
XO,
Amanda
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