Many people dread stepping on the scale, and for good reason: it can be incredibly disheartening. A scale never provides comforting reassurances like, “Here’s your weight, but remember, you’re still beautiful, healthy, and strong!” It doesn’t take into account factors like water retention or offer apologies for affecting your mood. Instead, it simply presents a number that often reinforces negative thoughts, making you feel as if you’ve failed.
This experience is all too familiar for anyone who has tried to lose weight. You may set a goal to shed a few pounds (or perhaps many), and you commit yourself fully, determined to succeed this time. You endure a restrictive diet, convincing yourself that those bland two-ingredient pancakes are just as satisfying as the real deal (spoiler alert: they aren’t). You skip the tempting fast food and desserts, opting instead for carrot sticks at celebrations, all while exercising more in a couple of weeks than you have in years.
Then comes the moment of truth: stepping on the scale to see if your efforts have paid off. You prepare meticulously—making sure to relieve yourself beforehand and stripping off any extra clothing that could add weight. You hold your breath and step onto the scale, only to be confronted with a number that hasn’t changed much, or worse, hasn’t changed at all.
Frustration sets in, and you might feel like throwing the scale out the window. You think to yourself, “I’ve worked so hard for nothing?” It can lead to feelings of defeat, causing you to abandon your efforts and seek comfort in your favorite treats instead.
This experience highlights how unfair the scale can be. Weight can fluctuate by several pounds throughout the day due to factors like fluid intake, hormonal changes, and muscle gain. Yet, we often view our progress in absolute terms: we’re either succeeding or failing. This binary thinking can be detrimental, especially for those focused on weight loss.
So, let’s ditch the scale. If you must weigh yourself to have a reference point, do it once and then hide the scale away—preferably in a place where you won’t be tempted to pull it out again. It’s time to shift our focus to non-scale victories, the achievements that numbers alone can’t capture.
There are countless non-scale victories to celebrate. For instance, I was thrilled when I could easily navigate through tight clothing racks without knocking over half the store’s inventory. Or when I could open my car door in a crowded parking lot without the anxiety of squeezing out awkwardly. While these might seem trivial to others, they were significant milestones for me.
The scale can’t tell you when your clothes fit better or when you’ve dropped a size. It doesn’t measure the satisfaction of climbing stairs without feeling winded or the ability to bend down to tie your shoes without discomfort. A scale has no insight into your improved cholesterol levels or increased energy, nor can it measure the joy of playing with your children at the park—such as successfully sitting in a swing.
Your weight is just a number. However, your health, happiness, and self-esteem are far more important and cannot be quantified by digits. If those aspects are what you’re truly aiming to enhance through your fitness journey, then why allow a mere number to dictate your sense of success? Forget about the scale.
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Summary
The scale can be a harsh and unhelpful measure of success in your health journey. Instead of fixating on weight, focus on celebrating non-scale victories that reflect your progress and well-being. Recognize the achievements in your fitness and lifestyle that the scale can’t capture, and prioritize your overall health and happiness.