Scale Talk

by She FIt on August 8, 2009

It’s crazy how a piece of metal can have so much control over our lives, isn’t it ? ! ? !

A scale doesn’t talk but it sure can say a million things at once. Some days the scale is uplifting and motivating while other days it’s our worst enemy that stabs us in the back and puts a damper on the rest of our day.

I just wonder why a piece of mental has that much power over our lives that we can become so consumed with a number that it takes up our everyday thoughts and moods. If you don’t watch it, the scale can determine our self-worth and our confidence.

Weighing in can be a very helpful tool in weight loss, but like all things, it is only good in moderation. So how to we prevent the scale from becoming an obsession over our lives that sucks the energy out of us?

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Self-worth should never be found in a piece of metal and or number. May times our primary goal of weight loss is lost in the hype of numbers. You need to get back to the basis of why you are losing weight… to live a healthy lifestyle, to be able to have kids one day, to prevent a heart attack, to fit into your favorite pair of jeans. Whatever it may be, your reasoning for losing weight should not be focused on a number.

You also should never weight yourself several times a day. Our weight fluctuates on a daily bases, so why put your emotions through that rollercoaster? I suggest only weighting in once a week.

For those of you that can relate to this article, I want to challenge you to put away the scale for whole month of August and focus in on how you feel as well as how your clothing fits.

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Tagged as: Confidence, Fat, Health, number, scale, Self-Esteem, self-worth, Sparkpeople, weighing scale, Weight, Weight Watchers, weightloss

{ 15 comments }

Leianna August 8, 2009 at 5:52 am: This post speaks to me in ways I can’t explain. I’m a constant scale watcher (more times in a day that I want to admit), but know that I can’t live like this forever! Going the the whole month without it might kill me. But I still like your challenge and I think I will modify it for myself and say only once a day will I look at it. Then go from there! Thank you for the great post and encouragement to move forward!
Andrea@WellnessNotes August 8, 2009 at 6:28 am: Great challenge! Yes, weighing yourself too much can be very unhealthy… I used to weigh myself numerous times a day, certainly not healthy… Now, I like to focus on how my clothes fit (I have a pair of jeans that I let be the “judge”) and “check up” on the number every few weeks…
kaunis August 8, 2009 at 10:44 am: Ugh, I used to be just like that, weighing myself after every meal. I used to freak out every time the scale was a pound over what I wanted it to be, even though I had just eaten a big meal. Now I weigh myself maybe once a month and have never felt better. So now I realize that the more I weigh myself the worse I feel. So now I let my clothes be the judge on how much I weigh.
-kaunis.wordpress.com
Jody - Fit at 51 August 8, 2009 at 11:30 am: Really good post! I am a person that weighs myself once a day but I don’t let it rule me in the sense that I pay attention to how my clothes fit more as an indicator. I have a lot of muscle so I weigh a lot more than people think I do.

I also did some tests on how much my weight fluctuates in a day so I could understand my body better. I weighed myself at various times during the day because my weigh time is ALWAYS first thing in the morn before I eat. I found that my weight can fluctuate up to 3, sometimes more, heavier by the end of the day. Of course we have had our meals, drank our water & such but many people do not gain this much in a day.. I do & it helps me put things in perspective.

BUT, the one thing the daily weigh in does for me is if my weight is up 4-5 pounds & STAYS there for too many days in a row, I know I need to make changes. I also take into account the clothes but usually multiple days means I need to change something (as long as it has nothing to do with “that time of the month”!

As we age, our hormones & bodies change & it is really important to pay attention to that. Even with as much as I do, I still had to change my food plan & cut back on some calories, not super drastic, but some as my body wanted to hold onto more.

I think this is all individual & if that scale does bad things to your mind, stay away & count on your clothes to tell you what is going on!
Carla August 8, 2009 at 12:19 pm: Love this post!! Although I know I could never put my scale away for an entire month, I could cut down to once a week…
Angie August 8, 2009 at 12:22 pm: Great post!!

I totally agree with you…I don’t own a scale and I don’t plan to.

There’s a place for the scale as a tool, but I’ve also seen the damage it can cause.
Beth August 8, 2009 at 1:26 pm: I weigh every day because it helps me take it less seriously (weird, I know) but I can recognize the fluctuations and why they occur, plus it puts less pressure on each weigh in…This is definitely a to each his/her own situation.
Kailey August 8, 2009 at 2:38 pm: I couldn’t agree more with this A number on the scale does not define who we are as a person
Diane, Fit to the Finish August 8, 2009 at 5:22 pm: After losing all my weight, I feel (for me) it is important to use a daily weigh-in as a form of accountability for myself.

Like Jody said, I don’t let it rule me, but I do use it to let me know when I need to watch things for a few days.

It’s been 12 years since I lost it all, and this has really helped me.
Tay August 8, 2009 at 6:38 pm: so great. I used to get obsessed and weigh myself multiple times per day. And eat light the night before weigh in, etc. Since I went to school, I didn’t have a scale, so I went months and months without weighing. But I stayed the same weight! It’s great to go by how you FEEL
Faith August 8, 2009 at 7:56 pm: I can relate to this article, and I love this challenge! I’ll let my favorite pair of jeans be my guide
The Actors Diet August 9, 2009 at 1:08 pm: yes! you know what’s funny – the same pair of pants fit me the same way even with a 10 pound difference.
Amy August 9, 2009 at 7:01 pm: i hear ya.. but i can’t part with her yet. my friend Lisa calls it her “bi-polar lovah”. I get that. GREAT post.
Marissa August 12, 2009 at 3:02 am: Wow, GREAT post!!
This really hits home for me. I am new to living a healthy life style but I have found that it is really easy to become addicted to weighing myself (especially when the scale is next to my fridge in the kitchen)

However, I feel it really helps me lose weight. I think I would die without it. I have slowly lost 7lbs in 1 1/2 months. No big changes but I know “slow and steady wins the race” I am just watching the numbers go down &&when it doesn’t the scale helps me stay focused.
rebecca subbiah August 12, 2009 at 5:12 am: nice tips and good site