Why You Should Stop Weighing Yourself

Featured Article, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Plans
on April 29, 2013
Weightloss advice for why you shouldn't weigh yourself.
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What kind of relationship do you have with your scale?  Do you let the number you see define how you feel about yourself and affect your day?  How often do you weigh in?  If you’re one of those people who hops on the scale each morning obsessed with the number you see, you may need a bit of a reality check.

Obsessing over hitting that “magic number” isn’t healthy, and having abs doesn’t necessarily make you a good person. Here are a few things to keep in mind while you’re building a healthier relationship with the scale.

You don’t need to weigh yourself daily.

While it’s good to check in every so often (otherwise, you might step on the scale one day wondering how you gained 10 pounds), you don’t need to weigh yourself every single day.  Set a different increment—once a week, maybe, or even less often—by which you will weigh yourself and stick to it.

Your weight can fluctuate 2-4 pounds from day to day.

There are a number of factors that can greatly affect your weight from one day to the next including:

  • The amount of salt in your diet
  • When you had your last meal
  • When you had your last bowel movement
  • Where you are in your monthly cycle

On top of this, the taller you are, the greater the fluctuation. So, don’t freak out if you step on the scale one day, and you’re a few pounds heavier when you know you’ve been eating right and exercising regularly.  On the other hand, you don’t want to keep using the factors above as an excuse for weight gain.

Simply focus on monitoring if there is a consistent upward or downward trend each week, and make adjustments to your diet and exercise routine as needed.

Shoot for a realistic number.

Many times, people get a crazy number stuck in their head that they think they should weigh, and they obsess over it.  You might have a number at which you felt confident at one point, but that number may no longer be realistic for your body type.

For instance, while strength training will make you leaner, tighter and more toned, greater muscle mass will add to the number on the scale (about 4 or 5 pounds).  That’s why it’s important to track your progress in more ways than one.

In addition to weighing yourself, track your progress by:

  • Taking measurements
  • Getting your body fat tested
  • Taking progress pictures

You’ll find that a combination of these methods will be far more accurate than judging solely based on a number on the scale.

Lastly, remember that your character is far more important than a hot body.  Do your best, take care of yourself and be healthy… but know that your self worth is based on who you are on the inside, not on a number on the scale!