Step Away From The Scale

I recently heard a story about a woman who weighs herself obsessively...as soon as she gets up, after she goes to the bathroom, before she gets dressed, before she eats, after she eats, etc.  This story really highlighted the problem I think a lot of people have--focusing on precisely the wrong thing when concerned about weight loss.

Focusing too much on the number on the scale is giving too much importance to the end result, and not enough to the process of getting to the desired result. It's like if you were concerned about money and you spent your time repeatedly checking your bank account balance, rather than doing any of the actual work to solve your money problems (looking for a better job, developing a family budget, cutting back on spending, etc.).

You know when you are eating well and exercising enough. And you know when you are eating too much, or the wrong things, and being too sedentary. You know when you're gaining weight, and you know when you're losing weight...without having to see the proof on a scale. You can tell by how you feel, how your clothes fit, and how much energy you have.

If you're trying to lose weight, tracking your weight from the beginning to the end of the process can be a huge motivator and a really exciting way to see your progress. But weighing yourself more than once a day, or even daily, can really become problematic. As women, we know our weight fluctuates for reason beyond our control (hormones!!), and little things like how much salt you had or how much water you drank or what you ate can cause huge weight fluctuations from day-to-day--without really being a reflection of whether you are gaining fat or losing fat.

Real success will come when you are able to forget the scale and do the work. Start a food journal, plan what you are going to eat for the day, go grocery shopping for healthy food, exercise for 30 minutes, drink a glass of water. Focus on these tasks, and make them part of your daily routine. It might take a long time to lose the weight, and you need to commit to small daily habits that will continue to lead you in the right direction. And if you want to see your progress on the scale, weigh yourself once a week.