I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched people (and ladies, it’s usually us) step on the scale at the gym and see their face overcome with defeat and shame. I want to run over to them and tell them to focus instead on inches lost instead of pounds; on strength gained instead of lost; and on energy and happiness that comes from exercise instead of the lethargy and depression that comes from being sedentary.
Has this ever happened to you: You step on the scale one week to see you’ve lost 2 pounds (hooray!)…only to weigh in the next week and realize you’ve gained them both back (ugh)? It happens to the best of us, but the reality is that the number on the scale doesn’t mean a whole lot about your physical fitness, and it doesn’t mean jack SQUAT about your self worth.
The worst is when I hear someone say something like, “I gained 2 pounds since yesterday! What’s wrong with me??” Listen, it takes an EXCESS 3500 calories to gain one pound. So unless you ate an additional 7000 calories on top of what you normally ate, you didn’t truly gain a pound. I mean, I could weigh myself…step off the scale and drink a 16 oz water (zero calories mind you)…and step right back on that same scale and weigh one pound more. Would you believe I “gained a pound” right before your eyes in less than 5 minutes? Yeah, I thought so.
I can tell you from my own past experience that when being overly focused on weight and the number on that scale, I enjoyed working out less and actually saw less progress! Now, on the rare occasions that I weigh myself just to check in, I actually mildly panic if the number dips because I’m like, “oh no!! I better not be losing muscle!!” Plus, did you know a pound of muscle takes up far LESS SPACE than a pound of fat. What does that mean? You could be getting smaller and tighter and not weigh an ounce less! I know, right? Don’t you feel enlightened?
Do yourself a favor…break up with your scale for a while and instead, focus on how you feel. How’s your energy level? Do you feel challenged with your physical activity level? Are you eating enough? How are your clothes fitting? Do you feel happy?
I can tell you that if you’ve ever felt like you were a slave to those numbers on the scale in front of you, giving yourself an opportunity to experiment with being free from that could open up a whole new way of looking at things. I may be completely wrong and full of boloney, but then again, what if I’m right 😉
Ciao for now,
-E
Healthy Happy Fashionista 
Some great advice. Focusing too much on the scale is a recipe for an emotional roller coaster, our weight fluctuates so much it’s really not all that reliable.
But hey, I don’t blame people for focusing on it. After all it’s very hard to fight against the idea that society has planted in us. Let’s hope we can all see that the number on the scale does not define us 🙂
Yes, you’re so right that society has misguided us with overemphasizing weight and even body image in general. Every time I go to the beach or even walk around Manhattan, I am reminded that there are LOTS of body types which are not only acceptable, but beautiful! Health (physical and mental) is FAR more important…and the goal of my post (and my blog in general) is to get people to challenge the unhealthy thought patterns that society sometimes causes us to have. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!