Let’s talk about the scale. Every weight loss expert will tell you a different story. Some say, “don’t weigh yourself, it will only discourage you.” While others say, “weigh yourself once a week, or weigh yourself daily.” So what do we do about the scale?
First and foremost, the scale is not the enemy. I mean, it didn’t create the weight that you may be wanting to rid yourself. And it is a tool to use in weight loss. It’s not the only tool, but one that should be used. There are many out there that will say they threw their scales away because it is the worst way to measure progress. To me that’s just an excuse to have for not making progress. If you truly want to lose weight, you have to step on a scale frequently to know if in fact, you are losing weight. So let’s stop seeing the scale as a negative and start seeing it as a tool to assist us in our weight loss journey.
Here’s what I’ve learned in my journey. The scale shouldn’t be used as your only way to measure your success in weight loss. It is one of the tools to use, but you should also use these tools, a tape measure to measure inches on your body and a caliper that measures fat percentages. Then of course you should routinely get checked by a physician and have blood work done so you know your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other body system functions. By using these tools you will be able to know, really know what’s going on with your body.
How do I use the scale? Well, I weigh myself every day. Yep, every day. No I’m not some obsessed person looking at every pound I lose or gain, but I use it for information. Duh. Seriously, as I am in the menopause stage, I am taking a hard look at all of what I do
(nutrition, water, exercise, etc.) to see how it is affecting my symptoms. And I want to avoid, if I can, any types of pharmaceuticals for this stage of life. So, I step on the scale and I track it. I also track what I eat, drink, exercise, mood, sleep, and poop. (Yep that too). By doing these things every day (it doesn’t take but a couple of minutes) I can see what affects all of these have on my weight, mood,
energy, and overall how I feel. Because I track it all, I can go back and look at the days that I felt the best and determine why that is…and duplicate it. It’s really that simple.
So stop seeing the scale as the enemy, and use it for its purpose…a tool to give you information. Then you can determine how you will proceed with that information. As always, if you need help with nutrition, weight loss, exercise, or overall well-being, I’m here to help.
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