How to stop fixating on the scales
Sadly, like many women, I’ve had a longstanding love/hate relationship with the number on the scales.
I recently saw a quote on instagram that said something along the lines of ‘those who hate their body before they lose weight, will likely still hate it they lose weight too,’ and I felt SEEN!
How many times have we thought or said out loud; “I will be happy when I weigh…” only for us to reach that goal weight and still be unsatisfied.
Until recent years, exercise and diet for me was a tool to get away from a body I hated. I didn’t find joy in the journey because I thought the destination is where I would be happier. But, Happiness is not a destination nor is it a ‘goal weight.’
It’s only recently that I’ve been able to make that switch. A large part of it was learning to love my whole self at every part of my journey as well as fall in love with the process. I’ve previously written on how I train now out of enjoyment, love for my body and drive to push it to its limits to see what it can accomplish. But it did take a long and constant, daily effort to get there. I still have slip ups or setbacks but thankfully they are fewer and farther between these days.
So, read on for my top tips and reminders to help you break up with those pesky scales!
1. Your scale weight does not define you
Repeat after me.
“I am more than just the numbers on the scale.”
Media and society does absolutely nothing to perpetuate the trope that women are simply a number on a scale.
We are under constant barrage from glossy magazines and online media about the latest fad diets, how much happier celebrity X is now they’ve lost 10kgs and how ashamed *shouted like the woman from Game of Thrones* celebrity Y should be because they’ve put on weight after having a baby.
The relentlessness of these stories means it can often be hard to think of ourselves as anything more than a dress size when the reality is we are oh so much more.
Start by making a list of characteristics and positive traits you like about yourself that you prefer to be aligned with and remind yourself reguarly. Are you kind? Are you hilarious? Do you go out of your way to help others? Are you super smart? Have you birthed another human being? Are you successful? Can you play an instrument? Can you tap dance? The list is endless.
We all need to get better celebrating our whole selves, not just how much we weigh - because the media isn’t going to do it for us that’s for sure.
2. It’s just data
It really is just a number. It’s a number on a screen that gives us a specific data point enabling us to measure it.
When we have data and measurements we are able to make more informed decisions. Whether that’s our body composition, how quickly we can get somewhere (distance x time), or how many slices of pizza we can eat in 5 minutes (slice/per minute x 5 = a lot).
What I’ve found helpful in recent times is actually weighing myself everyday, which sounds counterintuitive if you’re trying to stop fixating on the scales. But it has been instrumental in changing how I view my weight. The more I collect this particular data point, the more I am able to start identifying trends.
Does my weight spike at a particular time of the month? What about if I haven’t slept well? Did I drink enough water yesterday? Did I eat foods particularly high in salt? Looking at the scale weight objectively in this way helps me view it simply as information and remind me that there is absolutely no way I have ‘put on 500g’ overnight.
However, on its own, scale weight only tells us a small part of the story.
3. Use other ‘data’ points
As I mentioned before, data allows us to make more informed decisions about things. The more data we can gather the better our awareness is.
Other data points could include quantitative elements such as body measurements, which can often show desired body composition changes when the scales are giving us nothing!
It’s also important not to forget the non-measurable factors that show our progress. Do your clothes fit a little better? How do you feel? Do you have more energy?
Looking for other things that can give you an idea of how your body is changing and take your mind away from the scales.
4. Remember that weight changes are not linear
Bodyweight, especially for women, can fluctuate enormously day to day.
Factors such as water intake, sodium consumption, carb consumption, our time of the month, whether or not we’ve been to the bathroom yet, amount of sleep we’ve had, how stressed we are (we’re very complex creatures really!), all play a role in what the number on the scales says each morning. So you can see why it’s not overly reliable on its own.
Whether you’re tying to loose or gain weight, what you want to look at is the bigger picture. Take a step back and see what is your overall trend? Here’s mine for the last six or so weeks…
See how much it fluctuates day to day!
See how much my weight fluctuates daily? At one point, over the course of three days, it shot up a kilo? It’s unrealistic of me to think that that was 1kg of actual fat gain (although it does cross your mind), so I just had to ride it out, stick to my plan and trust that my body would do it’s thing! If I’d thrown in the towel every time my weight spiked… I would have spent a lot of money on towels.
5. Take photos
The problem with data points is sometimes they don’t tell the whole picture. Even if you’re looking at both weight and measurements, these can fluctuate wildly day to day and week to week, especially for women at certain times throughout the month and we might be retaining more water around our periods for example.
In addition, as we see ourselves in the mirror so often, it can be hard to see the changes day to day. Fellow bodybuilders will know all too well the games our minds play on us when we are deep in prep, but the same is true wherever you are in your weight loss or weight gain journey.
Even the mood we’re in can sometimes determine how we view ourselves in the mirror.
So, take lots of progress photos. You don’t have to show anyone, just keep them for yourself. But they are incredibly helpful in helping us see the changes from week to week, even if the scales of measurements say differently.
Try choosing the same time of day, the same poses and underwear and at the same place in your house to make them easy to compare.
You might see your arms looking a little leaner, or our butt looking a little bigger. Think of them as qualitative data points, they help us see and monitor changes that quantitative data, such as our measurements, can not.
It is absolutely necessary for me to say that the tips above are simply things I have learned over the years which have helped me detach from the number on the scales. If you feel like you have an out of control, unhealthy obsession with the scales or disordered eating/thoughts about your body, you must seek professional, mental help.
Robyn xx