Unlike on The Biggest Loser television show, most of us on our weight loss journey do not have somebody or “somebodies” monitoring our weigh-ins. No, the decision to weigh in or not, when, how often lies solely on our shoulders.
There are both pros and cons to weighing in on a regular basis. I have my opinions based on what has worked for me in the past. But I am also aware that we all operate different, we are motivated, inspired and depleted by different factors. With that in mind, here are some of the pros and cons that I have found regarding weighing in.
Pros
- Objective measurement, proof of your progress/success, validation of your efforts
- Brings awareness to small changes that you otherwise might miss, this can be to help you appreciate progress and also to notice when you are backsliding
- Seeing the proof can help you appreciate and celebrate your successes
- Missing a goal can fuel you to work harder
- Can provide a sense of accountability, to self or to a group
- Can lead us to exam why we are not achieving the desired results—which may turn up some unhealthy patterns we were unconscious of
Cons
- Weight loss is not linear, not every weigh in will go the direction we want—even when we are doing the work
- Easy to be disappointed by negative or less than desired results, which can cause some to give up
- Focus is on the number rather than health or other reasons behind WHY we want to weigh less
- A lower number does not prove we have actually lost fat
- Can lead to unhealthy patterns of eating if focus is on the weekly number rather than the end goal of healthy, permanent fat loss (and we can’t keep those patterns up forever and achieve our end goal)
- Emotional reactions to “poor” results can sabotage the successes that are happening
- Positive results can lead us to think we can have that extra __ (fill in the blank) or skip exercising
- Can lead to playing games to get the number
- Can lead to focusing strictly on the number on the scale as way to value ourselves
Of course the decision about weighing in must be yours. The same result on the scale, either positive or negative may drive one person to feel positive about themselves and fuel their desire to succeed. The exact same result in another person can lead to them feeling badly about themselves, their progress and their abilities.
Bottom line, what is most important is feeling good about yourself, knowing that you are taking the steps necessary to achieve your healthy weight loss goals.
It is crucial we recognize our worth outside of the number on the scale. We are so much more than any number. We have incredible value no matter what the number is—and whether it has gone up, down or stayed stagnant.
When you can hear the news from the scale as if it were delivered by a detached reporter, then the scale can be your ally and a tool that will help you on your weight loss journey.
On the other hand if you hear the news as a personal attack or you use the news as another reason to criticize and berate yourself, then there is no advantage to weighing in…and there are plenty of disadvantages.
Like most things about losing weight, the scale and the number it provides can be a great tool for our success IF our mindset is where it needs to be.
This is just one more example of why we have to work on our mindset first and foremost in order to have weight loss success. Truly, weight loss success starts with the mind, not the mouth—or the scale.
