Smash the Scale

 Your weight is the force with which your body is attracted to the earth (dictionary.com). It does not make you pretty, sexy, nice, funny, a good person etc. So why do so many of us judge ourselves based on our weight? Probably because society tells us that to be pretty and accepted you have to look a certain way, especially women. This pressure has caused many people to develop an eating disorder.

Many people with an eating disorder weigh themselves multiple times a day and the result dictates their mood. The problem is weight can fluctuate 3-5 pounds or more daily depending on the person. These fluctuations can be caused by water retention,  what you ate the previous day, your work out, stress, sleep, bowel movements and your menstrual cycle to name a few.  The scale doesn't only account for fat gain/ loss. Therefore, you can’t rely on it to tell you if you gained only fat when all of these other variables are in the mix.

Weighing yourself obsessively is definitely an eating disorder behavior. It is not benefiting you in any way. I know it feels scary not to weigh yourself. It feels like if you don’t know what you weigh you could end up gaining weight uncontrollably. There is so much more to you than the number on the scale.

I used to weigh myself daily, always hoping to see the number go down. I would feel proud and a sense of accomplishment when it did. Weighing yourself reinforces the eating disorder mindset so you have to stop doing it if you want to get better. I never weigh myself anymore. Instead I measure my progress based on how much I can lift in the gym. This is much more reliable and objective. Either I can move the weight or I can’t.  It doesn’t fluctuate based on a bunch of other factors like weight does. Finding something else to focus on helped me get over obsessively weighing myself.

Something else to consider is muscle weighs more than fat. But keep in mind, muscle also burns more calories than fat.  Since I weight train weighing myself is not an accurate measure of losing or gaining fat, I could just be gaining muscle or I could be losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. If you weight train, and I hope you do, you need to take this into considerations as well. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest. This is why weight training needs to be prioritized over cardio. And don't worry, you aren't going to get bulky or look like a bodybuilder.

Another objective measurement is body fat percentage.  To get an accurate reading you need to get a Dexa scan or use a Bodpod. Hand held devices, caliper tests and online calculators are not accurate. Getting a Dexa scan really helped me see that even though I might "feel fat" nothing about my body composition has changed. These tests cost money but your health is well worth it and this could be a good temporary alternative until you are more comfortable not weighing yourself. My nutritionist does this test for me and helps remind me what a healthy body fat percentage is for women. 

Look at the women in the picture, they all weigh the same yet they all look very different.  This is exactly why you shouldn’t trust the scale. Setting a goal weight isn't realistic because you don't know what you will look like at that weight. You might think that you will be happy once you weigh a certain number, but I promise you that is not the case. If you are relying in body image to bring you happiness it isn’t going to happen; you will always find something to be unhappy about. Happiness should come from meaningful relationships, social events, hobbies etc.

I hope this post encouraged you to smash your scale. Don’t let a number define you, you are so much more than that. Post a picture of your smashed scale or tell me your experience with this topic.