The Truth About The Scale!

Scales can foster a weight obsession, which can easily interfere with one’s productivity and enjoyment of life. People weigh themselves two or three times a day, with the hopes that some miraculous change has taken place in between. Some people weigh themselves before they go to bed and again when they wake up in the morning. Many of us have a very unhealthy relationship with the dreaded scale. It has become our judge and jury. We allow this one number to determine how we feel about ourselves, which sets the tone for the quality of our lives.

But here is the thing, all measurements are only approximations. They are only an estimate of one’s body weight. Did you know that many scales vary more than five pounds? Even the same scale can vary in accuracy. Did you weigh yourself on a hardwood floor or a rug? Did you stand in the middle of the scale, near the left, right or rear? Did you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast or after going to the bathroom? All these things will affect what that number says.

It is totally normal for your weight to fluctuate quite a bit throughout any given day. Did you know that there are 3500 calories in 1lb of fat? That means that in order for you to have truly gained a pound, you must consume 3500 more calories than your body burns. To truly gain 5lbs of fat, you must eat 17,500 extra calories. Remember that the next time you think you gained 5lbs in a 6 hour time frame.

Scales do not just weigh fat. They weigh fat, organs, bones, water, undigested food and clothing. They weigh absolutely everything. If your weight decreases or increases, the scale isn’t telling you if it is fat you have lost or gained.

It is time that we move beyond focusing solely on how much we weigh. It isn’t weight you want to lose, it is fat. How much body fat do you have in compared to muscle?

Five pounds of muscle is much more compact than five pounds of fat. Someone who weighs 140 pounds with 19% body fat will be much healthier and look better than someone at the same height and weight with 35% body fat. Muscle is much more aesthetically pleasing than fat. It is also a much more metabolically active tissue, meaning it burns more calories at rest.

So get off the scales and look in the mirror! Are you happy with what you see? How are your clothes fitting? Focus on how you look and feel in your body. Don’t give the scale the power to make or break your day. Turn your attention towards creating a healthy, lasting lifestyle for yourself. Measure your progress by your food choices, energy levels, quality of sleep, self esteem and fitness goals. By placing your focus on eating a clean diet and building lean mass through an exercise program, the weight will inevitably come off.