Why I Ditched My Scale

Two years ago, I ditched my scale and never looked back.

Wait…that’s not entirely true… I didn’t actually ditch my scale because I can’t bring myself to throw things away.  What I DID do is chuck the scale into the back of my closet, and that’s where it remains today.  The relationship was no longer serving me, so I had to call it quits.  I have no regrets about this break-up, and honestly, I think I am a happier person today because of it.  I can’t sit here and tell you to go ahead and give up YOUR scale because it’s a decision that you must come to on your own.  You need to really believe that you’re doing the right thing for your own life.  What I can do is tell you my top 4 reasons for ditching my own scale.

 1.  Small day-to-day fluctuations in my weight determined my mood for the day.  Each morning, I would wake up, use the bathroom, take off all of my clothes, and get on the scale.  If I was just 1 measly pound lighter than the day before, I felt like a boss.  Just 1 pound less, and I felt thin, beautiful, disciplined, happy, accomplished and energetic.  If I was 1 pound heavier, my heart was heavy.  My mind would start contemplating all of the possible reasons why I was heavier, even though the change in weight was probably just an inconsistency in the scale!  I would wonder if I ate too much the day before, or if I consumed too much salt, or if the weight gain reflected my skipped workout session, or if I was ovulating.  Can you believe this?  One pound in either direction determined whether I was happy and on top of the world or if I was grumpy and questioning everything that I did the day before.  A couple of pounds determined my self-worth and my level of happiness for the day.  This was unacceptable.

2.  I didn’t want my daughter to see me obsess about my weight.  Ever.  She is still at an age where it doesn’t even cross her mind that there might be something to NOT like on her own body.  She struts around in her bathing suit confidently, even after eating a large meal.  I want her to remember growing up in a house where we don’t focus on weight, but instead, we focus on wellness.  I want her to always view food as fuel and to realize that she just needs to fill up on high quality fuel if she wants her body to perform at its best.  I want her to always have a positive body image, and I think that is most easily accomplished without a scale in sight.

3.  My health and fitness success could be measured in other ways.  I realized that the scale just displayed a number.  The scale cannot tell me if my clothes fit properly or if my energy level is high.   It can’t tell me if my skin looks brighter or if my endurance has increased.  It can’t assess my fitness gains by measuring my flexibility or strength.  THESE are the measures that make sense to assess, and these are now the sorts of things that I consider.

4. I don’t need the scale to confirm what I already know. At the end of the day, I know when I’m doing the right thing.  I know if I’ve eaten well or poorly, and I know if I’ve exercised or not.  I know if I’ve overindulged for too many consecutive days, or if I’ve eaten just enough to be satisfied.  If I’ve eaten pizza and ice cream every night for a week, do I really need to step on the scale to see a result that I already know?  Of course not.  I know and you know when the diet is clean and the exercise is consistent.  We don’t need the scale.  We know.