Hello love,
If you are like most women then you know what I’m talking about when I say that we have a complicated relationship with the scale, right?
We love it, we hate it. We are happy and pleased when it is showing us what we want to see and we get frustrated with it when it’s going in the wrong direction. But is weighing yourself really necessary or even helpful as a tool to reaching your health goals? Well, yes and no. The scale can be helpful or harmful, depending on how you use it. Here is a list of rights and wrongs when it comes to getting on the scale.
THE SCALE AS A FRIEND
~ The scale can provide you with important information. If your health goals are to lose weight, be lighter, be more fit and gain more energy, the scale can reflect those changes and let you know how you’re doing. I would strongly recommend to use a tape measure as well, especially if you add exercise and strength training to your routine, sometimes you can lose inches and not lose weight because you are building lean muscle mass.
~ The scale can encourage you to keep doing what works. When you see that you are making progress on the scale you can feel encouraged and motivated. The scale functions as a cheerleader that tell you: good job, keep going!
~ The scale can teach you patience and persistence. When you make changes in your life-style and establish healthy routines, it will take time for your body to change. Looking at the progress on the scale over a long stretch of time can show you that small weight losses add up, that you are creating today the body of tomorrow.
THE SCALE AS A FOE
~ The scale is not a judge, jury and executioner. If you use the scale to berate yourself, call yourself names, criticize yourself or speak unkindly to yourself in any way then the scale is harming you.
~ The scale should not determined the quality of your day. If getting on the scale makes or breaks your day, if seeing a weight gain makes you feel like your whole day is ruined, if your weight makes you feel bad about yourself you are better off not using the scale.
~ The scale is not the only measure of success. In fact it is not even the most important one. There are many things that can affect the number on the scale and it is not always an accurate reflection of our choices. Read my blog Measures Of Health to get a more accurate picture of what makes a healthy life.
~ The scale can become an obsession. If you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before you go to the bathroom, after you go to the bathroom, before you drink a glass of water, after you drink a glass of water, after lunch, before bed… and if you move the scale from place to place to find your skinny spot than you have been obsessed by the scale demons and an exorcism is in order! How often should you weigh yourself? Every woman is different, for most a monthly or weekly weigh in is enough, some women like to hop on the scale every morning, as long as you practice ‘weigh it and forget it!’ and stay focused on making healthy choices with joy, you’re fine.
So, how have you been using the scale? If you find that the scale is a helpful tool but you sometimes use it in unhelpful ways, work on shifting your attitude. Many women need to realize that weight is not really the issue, but the result of deeper issues. Read more about it in my blog What If Weight Is Not The Issue. The scale can not be used like a cure, it is only a limited tool that needs to be put in it’s place if it acts like a tyrant. If your relationship with the scale is very unhealthy, consider divorcing it or at least take a trial separation and focus on other measures of progress. And please contact me if you need any support, I am happy to offer you a free discovery session to help you fall in love with a healthy life.
Please share this blog with any woman who needs to hear this message, on social media so I can reach more women who need healing and please leave a comment, I would love to hear what you think.
xoxo
Rachel
