Five Reasons to Ditch the Scale and Reclaim Your Power

Written By: Amber Shaw

When it comes to staying healthy, it’s easy to fixate on the number on the scale. I know because, for years, the scale ran my life, and I let it dictate my every move and my every emotion. 

Every morning, I allowed that three-digit number to tell me whether I was good or bad, what I was allowed (or not allowed) to eat that day, whether I deserved to feel confident that day, and whether or not I spoke kindly to myself or I allowed the negative self-talk to be in the driver’s seat.

The truth is I outsourced my happiness, my worthiness, and my value to the scale — until I said no more. I vowed to ditch the scale and start finding ways to value myself, regardless of what the scale said. 

I had to learn to detach my emotions from the data. Because that’s all the scale is — DATA, a very small piece of data that has ZERO to do with who you are as a woman, a mother, a partner, a friend, a daughter, and a soul. 

Instead, I started focusing on my total health and on non-scale victories, like reducing cravings, having more energy, feeling comfortable in my clothes, sleeping better, and getting stronger.  All of these things matter when it comes to your health and wellness. 

Here are five reasons to ditch the scale and focus on your total health instead:

1. The scale only tells part of the story.

Your weight is just a number, and on its own, it can’t tell you that much about your overall health. It’s important to focus on more than just the numbers on the scale. Consider other variables, such as body composition, bone density, energy levels, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and body fat percentage. All of these create a more accurate and comprehensive picture of your health and well-being.

2. It doesn’t account for fluctuations that have nothing to do with gaining body fat.

So, let’s talk about the basics — like WHY the scale moves, even when you feel like you’ve been doing everything right. There are a number of possible variables:

• Sodium, carbs, and water retention
• Heavy workout the day before 
• Lack of sleep 
• Certain Medications 
• Hormone Fluctuations 

All of these things can cause the scale to go up due to fluid retention.  So the next time you step on the scale, you can confidently know that you did not gain 3-5 lbs (or more) of body fat overnight! You can calmly remind yourself it’s water weight and give yourself some grace.

3. It can keep you stuck on the dieting rollercoaster. 

Seeing that number on the scale can be discouraging when you are trying to lose weight, leading you to make drastic changes to your fitness, diet, and overall lifestyle. Oftentimes, the obsession with the number on the scale is what keeps women stuck in the vicious cycle of dieting. The truth is that sustainable weight loss is a slower process of building a healthy lifestyle — and this takes time.  

4. It can contribute to an unhealthy body image. 

When you fixate on the number on the scale, you’re likely to forget all the other ways your body is amazing. You’ll start to obsess over every inch and every pound, and that can be really damaging to your mental health.

5. It can own your self-confidence. 

The number on the scale can take you from feeling good to hating yourself in under three seconds, but this is solely because you let it do so. You are so much more than that number.  When you let go of the scale, you allow yourself to focus on your progress and how you actually feel in your body. You create space to be proud of the changes you are making and the momentum you are building toward a healthy lifestyle and a healthy you!

When you put your energy on these markers and let go of the scale, not only will you stay more consistent with your healthy lifestyle, but you will be much happier as well. So, stop looking down at those numbers on the scale and look up to a brighter and healthier you.  

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