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Break up with your Scale!

Writer's picture: Nicole JacobsNicole Jacobs





Imagine waking up and checking the temperature outside and having strong feelings about your worth one way or another if the temperature is higher or lower than you hoped. 

Sound a little crazy? It may, but the unfortunate thing is we do this on the regular with our scales.

Millions of people have home scales where they constantly check their weight on a regular basis, but why? Typically it relates to wanting to know if we are gaining or losing weight. Losing is to be seen as accomplishing something great in which we feel better about ourselves, gaining being seen as a negative leading to unwanted emotions. 

 

We are obsessed with knowing our weight.

 

Why do we allow an external number control our emotions?

Short answer, diet culture. We have been programmed to believe our weight is an essential important number about us.

It is so widely accepted for people to have home scales that people believe we NEED to track our weights. BUT WE DON’T!

 

The number on the scale says ABSOLUTELY nothing about you, your worth, your health, who you are as a person.

 

I want for you to take a step back for a second. Imagine the last time you stepped on the scale. Can you think of your thoughts prior to doing it? Do you remember what you thought about the number once you saw it? Do you remember what the number was? Do you remember the emotion or feeling you walked away with?

 

Here’s what’s important, we need to stop allowing a number to control our emotions about ourselves.

 

What weight doesn’t tell us

  • Your health status. We often believe weight is indicative of health. Why wouldn’t we believe it when we are constantly bombarded by messages that weight is important to health by medical providers. This information is false. Your health cannot be known by your weight.

 

Here’s also a challenge to you: Do you know or check these actual health measures as often:

  • Blood pressure

  • Glucose levels

  • Lab tests such as white cell blood count, red cell blood count

  • Sodium, potatissum, iron levels

I am going to assume not, so let’s stop weighing ourselves too!

  • Your relationship with food. People are bingeing, restricting, purging food, dieting, yo yo dieting etc. and weight is not a clear indicator of any of these things. 

  • Your relationship with exercise. People can maintain similar weights while engaging in excessive exercise or no exercise. The calories in versus calories out theory is a “tragically flawed” idea that was FINALLY debunked by the CDC in 2021.

  • Your overall mental health. Weight will not tell us if someone is in a depressed state, regulated state or overall happy and doing well state of mind. 

 

We make meaning of the number

 

As we see a number on the scale, we make meaning of this number. We decide if it’s a “good” or “bad” number. 

We often associate a lower weight with something better. However this is completely made up in our minds. Are we really “healthier” if we are a lower weight- not necessary. 

 

We set goal weights as an objective point to get to, however this often does not bring the happiness or joy we expect. 


Why you NEED to break up with your scale

First and foremost, when we are hyper focused on weight, we are focused on the wrong thing. Mostly due to weight not indicating health. When we are truly focused on positive health outcomes we are focused on regular eating patterns, variety with what we eat, moving our bodies, taking care of mental health, good sleep hygiene, self care, feeling purposeful in our lives etc. 


Time for the break up, bye bye scale! 

End the cycle of checking your weight! This is not needed information. The goal is to develop a healthy relationship with food, your body and exercise that is exclusive from your weight.

 

Want to know a secret? I only know my weight when I go to the doctor. I have not had a home scale in 10 years and guess what? I am so much happier. 

 

I am not going to allow something external like my weight dictate what kind of day I will have.

I tell clients all the time, imagine I woke up today and stepped on the scale, saw a number I didn’t like and decided, I am going to be a crappy therapist today because I feel crappy about myself. That makes NO sense. But we continue to do this cycle over and over and over again.

 

STOP! (I say kindly)

 

So here’s my challenge to you. The next time you want to hop on that scale, don’t! Instead reflect, question and be curious as to WHY you need this information right now.

 

Our moods should come within ourselves not from the scale so don’t be hijacked by the number.

 

Remember, your weight is NOT your worth!

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