How does the word “scales” make you feel? Do you have a positive or negative reaction? Does it fill you with excitement or dread?

If you use the scales without them affecting your emotions negatively, that’s great! This email might give you some other ideas for measuring progress with your nutrition and health.

However, for many, using the scales to measure progress can be really unhelpful!

My MSc research project was on the impact of prescribed weight-loss programmes on participants’ emotional health and the scales were a big factor in this.

Imagine this: you’re feeling great about your healthy living efforts, making positive changes in your diet, enjoying more energy, and your clothes feel a bit looser. You’re hoping for 2 or 3 lbs off, then you hop on the scales, and bam…you see ½ a lb has gone on!! :-(((

Have you been there?

Here are three key questions to ask yourself when considering your relationship with the scales:

1. What do you want from the scales?

Like any relationship, if the scales aren’t giving you what you want, then is it worth it? Consider if it’s time to look elsewhere for affirmation and encouragement that you are making the right choices. Are you looking for a number to validate your hard work, or would other indicators of health and well-being serve you better?

2. Are you expecting your body to perform on demand?

Your body doesn’t know that you’re about to step on the scales. You may step on with great hope, expecting a certain number, but the number might not reflect the effort you’ve put in. 

Remember, a snapshot on the scales doesn’t capture the entirety of your health journey or progress. The scales just weigh your gravitational pull on the earth, and this includes 70-80% of your body that is made up of water and can fluctuate greatly. Your body may be holding on to water for various reasons. 

Weighing less often or tracking the general trend, rather than fluctuations, can be a good alternative.

3. Do the scales encourage unhealthy comparisons?

Who determines the “magic number” that will make you feel better about yourself? Are you hunting for a number that you used to weigh in your younger days? Are you aiming to weigh the same as your friend/sister/mother? 

Often, we let a number contribute towards our self-worth. It does not; it says nothing about WHO you are.

So, if you feel that it might be time to break up with your set of scales, what can you use instead to measure your progress? Because we all like to know that we’re on the right path, don’t we!

How you feel?

Why are you trying to eat better? Part of your aim might be to lose weight, but what’s the goal of that goal? Maybe you want to lose weight to feel better, healthier, and more satisfied with who you are. 

Therefore, ‘how you feel’ is a great measure of progress and, at the end of the day, what really matters. Instead, consider how are your ailments and symptoms, fitness, and energy levels? 

Perhaps you might like to make notes in your journal of how you feel each day, week, or month or use a simple traffic light or smiley face system.

How your clothes feel?

If, by working on your nutrition and movement, part of your aim is to lose body fat, then using your clothes to measure your progress is a fabulous idea, as the line is more blurred than the scales. 

Pick an item of clothing that you can’t quite do up to start with, or that ‘fits’ but that you wouldn’t wear as it’s too tight. Then, when that item fits, pick the next. 

Having a ‘final’ item that you ultimately want to get into can really help too.

Waist Measurement

Waist circumference is a good way to measure the fat around your middle, and this fat is the kind that can build up around your organs and lead to different diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. 

For men, the aim would be to have a waist circumference below 37 inches (94 cm) and for women below 31.5 inches (80 cm). 

If you don’t want to see the numbers, then measuring around your waist with a piece of string, cutting it off, and then seeing the difference in a month’s time can be a good motivator!

So, is it time to ditch the scales and find a healthier balance in your life, so you can see progress without the emotional highs and lows that the scales give you?

In our Healthy, Whole & Free Course we have a whole module dedicated to breaking free from the dieting mentality which you might find helpful.