Let's Talk About The Scale

AHHHHH...If you want me to be real, I HATE the scale! As a woman, and I know that I can speak for many women out there, that it can be a powerful and controlling square device that can cause a lot of emotional stress. Am I right? 

Before we talk to some professionals about their feelings about the scale, I wanted to say a few things. I have fallen into some unhealthy habits with the scale. I would weigh myself daily…I would let it control my mood for the day…I would waste precious energy wondering why that number wasn’t budging or why it was going up or how it could fluctuate that much…YEP…Been there and done that! And DONE and DONE! It is a habit that I have gladly undone and I rarely weigh myself anymore, even though there is a scale in our home. At 41, I don’t want to be defined by that number. I am happy with how I look. I know what workouts work for my body. I know what foods make me feel good. I know how I want to look like in my clothes. I am able to eat, drink, and do ME. Do I have slip-ups? Obviously…Do I sometimes want to go back to that unhealthy habit? Of course…But I DON’T, because that is not how I want to live my life. Life is too short and I don’t want to be worried about what some number says on a device about me!

And I say this OUT LOUD to all of you beautiful women and to myself...You can live YOUR life without knowing what the number on the scale says! YOU are not defined by that number! YOU are more than that number! There is more to LIFE than that number! There are so so so many more things that are important in life than that stupid number, like your SELF-WORTH! I believe that if you take care of yourself emotionally, physically, and nutritionally you will feel so much better inside and out and you will not need to rely on the scale to define who you are! Women…give yourself some GRACE!

SO...with that being said...

I worked in the fitness industry for over 10 years. I worked with college athletes, kids, women, and men of ALL ages, different goals, needs, injuries...You name it and I probably worked with them. Since I worked with such a broad spectrum of clients, the scale was NOT for everyone. When I would first meet with a client, I would record their weight and measurements, but after that, the scale was not my main focus when working with them. My GOAL as a trainer was to improve their health, fitness levels, energy, and overall well-being. Because once they start improving in these areas, the weight comes off, their clothes fit better, and most importantly, THEY feel better both physically and mentally, and that was what made me feel good too!

Each trainer, nutritionist, health coach, yoga teacher, Pilates teacher, have different views on this topic, so I thought it would be interesting to ask a few of my friends, what they had to say about the scale. 

“I don’t require clients to use the scale and here’s why: truthfully, it’s not a very good indicator of overall health and there’s a variety of different ways to measure health progress that doesn’t utilize it. I’m more concerned with the behaviors and thoughts of each client because I want to help them make realistic and sustainable habits for life. Looking through all the factors that affect weight on a daily basis (water intake, sodium intake, sleep, fiber intake, muscle growth/atrophy), we see that it’s SO variable based on a variety of different things. Focusing strictly on numbers on the scale doesn’t give us a full and clear picture of overall health.

The scale might be a useful tool to have for beginners, but it’s not the only tool to track progress and I’ve found that for a lot of people, it keeps their focus AWAY from overall health and promotes negative behavior towards their body. If the scale doesn’t serve you and creates a negative mindset, ditch it, and re-evaluate your intentions + mindset to find something else that does work!

Prior to becoming a dietitian, I did use it - but having the education now, I personally do not own one. There are several research studies out that indicate that it’s our behaviors that affect health, not weight in itself. There’s so much freedom in recognizing that you are in full control of how you love yourself and the body you are in - all without the scale!” - May Zhu, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist MBA, RD, LDN

“Scales can be helpful to keep my patients on track and manage their progress. However, the scale is not the end all be all! I have had several patients work with me and the scale never moved a pound, but they lost inches, clothes fit better, improved lab values, felt better, breathe better, more restful sleep, etc. which are all indicators of progress made. Please don’t live and die by the scale because it’s just 1 indicator of health. I recommend weighing yourself once a week, first thing in the morning, without clothes, and after you’ve gone to the bathroom. This will be your most accurate weight. Track your weight and look at how it’s trending but don’t become obsessive over it. Focus on all the changes made and not just the number on the scale!” - Elizabeth Hesley, MS RD LD CDE She is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. I have a masters in human nutrition from Winthrop University and completed my accredited internship at MUSC

“For some people, it’s a great tool to track progress and see what we are doing is working. It allows

Some people stay motivated and make tweaks of progress stops. But for others, it is a source of stress and makes them feel like a failure of results don’t show every day or as quickly as they want.

Scales like many tools are individual. If it causes more bad than good ditch it.

I use it only as a source to test my hydration after a hard workout. If I lose 2 lbs in the morning I know I need lots of water.” - Trainer Kindal, NASM Cpt, CNC, Women’s Weight Loss Specialist

This doesn’t relate to the scale, but it relates to fitness watches, which in a way is similar to the scale, because it can turn into an obsession with numbers and those numbers like the scale are NOT accurate and you cannot always rely on them. 

“Your metabolism is INCREDIBLY complex. If it were as simple as a Fitbit calculation, don’t you think “dieting” would be a lot easier? ⠀

The only way to TRULY know how many calories you’re burning (via exercise or rest) is actually through metabolic testing in a lab!⠀

While fitness trackers can give semi-accurate readings on other measures, this only holds true IF the tracker, watch, HR monitor, etc, is used & worn correctly.” - Meal Prep On Fleek 

With all of this being said...What are your feelings about the scale?

xoxo