I couldn’t tell you how much I weighed right now. No a blinking idea.
And honestly I could care less.
I have never been a slave to the scale but there have been times in my life when it caused me a lot of unhappiness. But I see this time and again with my clients who make the change and say it was the best thing that could happen to their mental health.
Here are 10 reasons you should throw away your scale, or better still SMASH it!
1. Weight fluctuates.
First of all, you will rarely weigh the exact same everyday. In fact, I can put on 3lbs from the morning to the evening and well 3lbs from before my menstrual cycle until after.
Weight fluctuates a lot. What you eat and when, not drinking enough water, certain exercise and hormones can impact your body’s water composition and therefore weight.
2. Muscle is more dense than fat.
You’re working out everyday to lose extra pounds but the scale doesn’t seem to be aware of it. Don’t freak out. Muscle is more dense than fat, meaning that when you lose fat and build muscle, you may not lose weight but your overall body composition is changing. This is what we call Body Shape Change.
3. It can become and obsession.
I have seen this time and again with my clients who stand on the scales everyday chasing a smaller number. It can become a very unhealthy obsession for your mental health. As long as you seek that, you will never feel satisfied. This can lead to over-exercising and eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. You are not defined by the number on the scale.
4. Weighing less doesn’t mean you’re healthy (and weight loss doesn’t get you the body you want).
Now this is really important.
“Weighing less” isn’t an indicator of whether you’re healthy or not. It does not tell you about your heart health, diabetes or other health problems.
And weight loss is really just physics- the reduction is mass. From a heavier mass to a lighter mass where we have no way of determining where the reduction happens. You cannot spot reduce fat meaning, you have no control where you lose weight (we have all loss boobs, bums and cheeks in the pursuit of weightloss) and often left with our ‘problem areas’ still untouched.
This is why we set goals for Body Shape Change not weightloss.
5. Focus on how you feel.
If stepping on the scale makes you feel bad, why would you keep it? The whole reason you are trying to change your shape is to improve yourself. Improve your body, your health, your mind and your mood and how you feel about yourself. Why would you keep doing something that keeps you from those feelings?
Do you feel confident, sexy, strong and healthy?
These are the most important things to consider. Do not ruin these great feelings by stepping on the scale.
6. Focus on how you look.
If you like what you see in the mirror, why would you weigh yourself? I mean, isn’t it the point of what you are trying to achieve that you look good?
This is why it is soooooooo important to take regular progress photos- even if they are never shared with the world. Learning to take a photo of you and see the changes OBJECTIVELY is hard at first but soon will help you detach from the emotions and instead help you and motivate you once you see the changes for yourself.
And really, if you are focusing on Body Shape Change then you really need to witness how your body is changing.
Focus on how you see yourself, how clothes are fitting, and how firm your body is becoming instead of simply relying on numbers on the scale. It will be a better indicator of where you are in your health, fitness or body shape change journey.
7. It can ruin your day and your motivation.
Imagine you wake up feeling great, ready to conquer the world. You get on your scale and you don’t read what you wanted to. Now you feel upset or depressed and your day is permanently ruined. You will think that all the dedication at the gym is just a waste of time and energy and you will probably lose your motivation to workout. All in all, stepping on the scale could be sabotaging your weight-loss effort.
8. It doesn’t determine your self-worth.
Emotional well being should not be attached to numbers. Beauty and self-worth is not determined by your weight. It is psychologically unhealthy to allow your scale to determine your value your self-image, and how you should feel about yourself.
9. It focuses on negatives.
When you weigh yourself, you focus on what you are giving up, cutting out and losing. Instead, you should focus on eating MORE fruits, building STRONGER muscles and feeling BETTER. Have a positive mindset about your fitness journey.
We always say “When you focus on Strong, everything else takes care of itself”. So focus on how strong and lean your body is becoming, on your fitness and strength improvements and strive for progress and not perfection.
10. You are forgetting about all those non scale victories.
One of the favourite parts of my job is watching how my clients transform. And not all transformations are visible. I love watching someone learn to love training and working out. I love watching someone lift a heavier weight and give it a go. I love hearing that they are no longer falling asleep at 9pm or having to nap at 3pm to get through the day.
I love hearing that they no longer feel embarrassed or ashamed playing on the beach or at the pool with their kids or that they finally feel they have control over their body.
And if you define your success with the narrow view of what the scale is telling you then you lose out on all the awesomeness that comes with these life lessons and progress.
Don’t rob yourself of this chance to feel great.
11. You will be free once you get rid of it.
It’s not easy at first, but believe me, you will feel liberated. You will learn to listen to your body more and take care of it. This is the most important factor is making lasting and sustainable change to your body and your lifestyle. To learn to listen to your body, to trust yourself and your intuition. To not give away your power to a inanimate object that does not know, love or even care for you as you do to your body.
You will start to love your body and work for it, not against.
Trade your scale for a measuring tape and progress photos to track your progression with and watch how your mood, motivation and relationship with your body changes.
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These 4 Easy to Understand & Doable guiding principles for busy women over 40 to help you go from Frumpy to Fierce, Confusion to Control, Sluggish to Strong and Hormonal to Happy. Learn why the first 5lbs you can lose in just 10 days are the most important. The Trusted & Proven approach that works for your age- regardless of current fitness, strength or cooking skills!
