Why it's bad to weigh yourself
“I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help myself” – is this you when talking about weighing yourself? Does that number dictate how you’re going to feel and what you’re going to eat for the day? So many people equate their weight with being fit and healthy, but it really is just a number and not one that actually tells you much at all!
So why should you place less importance on weighing myself?
Sets you up for failure if you base your day round it. Great news if you’ve dropped in weight but how does it make you feel if you’ve gained weight? This number often dictates whether you’re going to have a good or a bad day, which isn’t a great way to live your life. It also doesn’t account for any changes to routine and doesn’t allow for any ‘off-days’, where you have a meal out or go to a party and eat differently. Solution: give yourself a break and don’t let the scales dictate whether you go out for dinner with friends. The odd break in routine won’t set you back if you try and stick to a healthy routine the rest of the time.
Healthy isn’t always about being ‘skinny’. Some people can be what they call ‘skinny fat’, which is to say that they have a higher body fat percentage (potentially having more visceral fat, which is the fat surrounding the internal organs) yet still look very slim. So although they may be what you aspire to in visual terms, they are internally unhealthy and at risk of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic illnesses. Solution: Look at other measurements, such as your body fat and measure yourself with a tape measure – these are much better indicators of health.
It doesn’t take into account muscle – muscle is more dense and takes up less space, so the more muscle you have the heavier you’ll be, BUT you’ll look far better and be more toned. Solution: go on the way you look and the way you fit into your clothes. Set your goals as being able to fit back into your size 10 party dress instead of losing x kilos.
0.1-.02 pound gains/ losses on a day to day basis doesn’t show anything and our weight also fluctuates throughout the day. This can simply be down to hydration levels and water retention. Solution: if weighing yourself is something you can’t break away from, then just do it less. Monitor it on monthly basis instead – you’ll see better losses that way. Also, make sure when you do weigh yourself that you do it at the same time of day to get a better reflection of the changes
Instead of thinking about ‘weight loss’, think about changing your lifestyle and becoming a healthier, stronger and more toned version of yourself. AND, think of it as a long-term thing – instant wins are generally not sustainable, which you’ll see from fluctuating measurements on that scale!
So put the scale in the cupboard and use different measuring tools!
As part of my personal training packages, I do regular measurements to see how you’re progressing, so get in touch if you want someone to be accountable to 😊 Drop me a line to enquire