Is It Time to Stop Weighing Yourself?
The freedom and positive health effects that come with ditching the scale.
Photo by Chau Luong on Unsplash
The scale.
AKA my lifeline and arch-nemesis for nearly 20 years.
In the years my eating disorder was at its lowest point, I weighed myself an average of 10–15 times a day. It was almost the first thing I did upon getting out of bed in the morning (peeing out every last drop of liquid that would skew my weight high was, of course, the first). The number that flashed back at me would dictate how the rest of my day would go.
What if it was a “good” weight?
If it was a number that satisfied me (rare), I would perk up, pat myself on my scrawny back, and then one of two things would happen: I’d either continue restricting my food intake with a goal for the number to be the same or lower the next day, or I’d treat myself to a forbidden food, which would often lead to a binge and then a purge.
So not a lot going for me in this scenario.
What if it was a “bad” weight?
If the number was higher than the day before, I would lose my freaking sh*t. I would look in the mirror and scorn myself so violently that I can’t believe there weren’t times the glass didn’t shatter into a million tiny bits. Then, I’d go punish myself with most vigorous and miserable workout.
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, those f*cking four pounds of high-tethered digital glass I stepped on each day owned me. Each time I weighed myself, it was a lose-lose situation.
The dependency on the scale is a widespread issue.
While my case was on the extremist of extreme sides, the fact is that millions of people without eating disorders undergo similar self-ridicule after stepping on the scale. And that shit is messed up.
We need to get past this notion that an inanimate object knows our bodies better than we do. Because the reality is, body weight is not a fixed number.
If you step on the scale with an empty vessel and then go drink 64 ounces of calorie-less water and get on the scale again, in an instant you’ve gained four pounds.
Maybe you’ve got a little bloaty bloat going on from last night’s dinner. Maybe it’s a hot summer night and you’re sweating out every ounce of water you take in. On the contrary, maybe it’s your time of the month, and your body holds on to as much salt and water as possible.
These are just a few of a whole slew of factors that can cause your weight to fluctuate several pounds on a daily basis.
How to know if it’s time to ween off the scale or ditch it altogether.
If knowing that number has any impact on your self-worth, your mood for the day, or your eating or exercise behaviors, it’s probably in your best interest to part ways with it, even if only temporarily. Here’s what I suggest you do.
Go locate your scale.
Give it a long, hard look. Seriously, channel your inner Stranger Things wannabe powers and try to startle it into a little shake.
When that doesn’t work, tell it how you’ve devised this plan to lose four pounds instantaneously.
Then pick it up and chuck it in the trash bin (or better yet, take it to a recycling center for small appliances).
Voila! Four pounds gone, just like that.
If tossing out or donating your scale seems too extreme for you to start, consider hiding it away in a closet or storage space where it’s not easily accessible.
Then ask your body this: What do you want to do right now? Maybe it will want to jump up and down because it feels a new sense of freedom. Maybe it will want to go journal about the loss of an object it’s depended so heavily on.
Whatever it is, it’s your body’s choice. The scale doesn’t get to decide for it. And that’s a pretty great damn feeling.
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