It’s time to lose the weighing scales
‘The scales are the most negative instrument on earth’ claim may seem extreme, but what other basic household appliance can spoil your mood, confidence and outlook on life. It is a strange concept, almost like thinking you were paid for hard work and going to the cash point to find that not only weren’t you paid, but other monies that should be banked have disappeared as well! What a kick in the teeth, how unfair!
Weighing yourself seems like a normal way to track weight loss progress, but remember the scale can be a few days behind so can appear to reward poor behaviour and punish good. The best way to measure progress is how clothes feel, as fat loss translates to inch loss. Also think about energy levels, physical activity and how your mind-set is changing as you practice positive affirmations and utilise proven motivational tools. Having the motivation to exercise, prepare healthy foods and drink water means that you’re enjoying losing weight and it doesn’t feel like you’re deprived. Have faith in your efforts, keep recording in a food diary, use the scale once every fortnight at most, and go by the trend in numbers, ideally using a body fat machine.
Body water levels fluctuate all the time, the biggest factor being the amount of water we drink. Think of this as a tide that goes in and out, affected by amount drunk, stress, females menstrual cycle, alcohol, weather and exercise. The scale is the number one factor contributing to people quitting or failing at their efforts to control their weight. Don’t make it your main focus, losing pounds should be a side effect of improving behaviours and attitudes. Improving these make you feel better, physically and mentally, leading to better compliance with your eating and exercise plan, causing inch loss and clothes getting looser. Don’t rely on an unreliable machine, see it for what it is, a guide nothing more, and accept that there are other positive ways of measuring progress.
