Many dieters are too dependent on the bathroom scale. These people spend too much of their time continually weighing themselves, and if they don't see a particular number, they get disappointed or even depressed.
Weighing yourself is a bad habit that needs to stop. I am not a supporter of the bathroom scale for many reasons. For one, the scale is not a reliable tool for gauging success with a weight loss program.
You can achieve body transformation without the dreaded scale, trust me, you really can. The bathroom scale is probably the worst measure of real success since it cannot tell you whether you're getting more fit or healthier. Start focusing on real clues your efforts are paying off.
Let's face it, if you weigh yourself in an obsessive-compulsive-fashion, you are a scale addict, and if you let the scale numbers affect how you feel, you are probably a bit too involved with the appliance; get rid of it. The most common reason people weigh themselves every day or multiple times a week is to monitor an eye on potential weight gain. You might say it serves as a sort of "checks and balances" duty. But does it have to be this way?
The scale does not tell you many things or what is going on internally. And it surely doesn't tell you the difference between muscle and fat. It doesn't let you know that muscle gives you strength, agility, and power and used as fuel. On the other hand, fat is stored for times of famine. Fat also protects our organs. We need body fat to survive, but not too much, and without some muscles, we will not have the strength to do many things like walk or get out of bed. While fat is necessary, some of us have too much than we need.
For decades, we have been told that our weight has to be at a specific number or a certain range to the point that many people who start eating right and exercising abandon that strategy when they don't see what they want on their bedroom scale. Despite their body visibly changing, they still are disappointed as the scale doesn't budge in numbers.
Consider hints that something is changing - Your waistline is getting smaller, your ring is slipping off your finger, your face is looking slimmer, and your shoe is getting too big (yes, your shoes) for your feet. Many people even start losing a bit in their hands and feet first. There are so many clues to see if you are losing weight without using the scale.
When we use the scale, the problem isn't that we are disappointed by the numbers so much as we expect specific numbers. If you are dieting, you want to see a lower number. However, what happens when you look at the digit, and it is small? Do you reward yourself or pat yourself on the back for a job well done?
The scale habit can be broken by choosing other healthy ways to measure your progress, like keeping a daily journal. A food log or eating journal gives you a way to chart what you are doing and mark evidence of weight loss.
If you feel you have to weigh yourself, do it, but not all time. I don't care how much my weight is; seriously, I don't. What if your body was solid gold? It would weigh a lot, and would you care? You would feel good. You are worth your weight in gold.
Sherldine Tomlinson, MSc, R.Kin.
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