Why the scale doesn’t help and what to focus on instead
It can be really hard to ditch old paradigms. Even if you think you have, they can come creeping back in to your mindset without even the smallest of warnings.
Take using your weight on the scale as a measure of your wellbeing, for example. I’ll be the first to say, I’ve done this in the past and have to admit that sometimes I still do. But it can be a slippery slope.
It starts with simply feeling either good or bad about myself and, in a moment of weakness, I look to either reward or punish myself with a teeeny-tiiiny little peek at the number between my toes. And so begins the predictable chain of events.
One of two things will happen: the number is somewhat smaller or the number is somewhat larger.
Any movement in the wrong direction and feels like a failure. Movement the other way brings a fleeting moment of happiness, only to be replaced by reaction #1, when I see that the needle has moved the other way the next time I take a peek.
Either way, my reaction will most likely be disproportionate to the magnitude of the change, and will almost certainly be disconnected from what this change truly represents - which is not much! What I can be sure of is that it will trigger a cascade of unwanted emotions and negative self-talk, which is never good for anyone!
You can’t truly say f@*% the scale and free yourself from an object that measures nothing of true significance, as long as the belief persists that pounds or kilos lost is a valid measure of your success, your worth or your health.
The reading on a scale is a snapshot; one point in time. Even if you put those snapshots together over many points in time, they still won’t ever come close to looking like the gorgeous technicolor movie that is the full representation of your true self. They won’t capture all the facets of the life you’re living today, this month or this year.
The scale is unfeeling and unidimensional and has nothing of value to say about your wellbeing or the true state of your health.
It won’t measure the fun you had unwinding over pizza and beer with friends at the end of the week. It can’t capture the joy you get from sharing the meal you made with your family. It doesn’t count the impact you have teaching a child how to bake cookies and then eating them together.
What to focus on instead of the number on the scale:
Did I spend time today, moving my body in a way that I enjoyed?
Did I make time to sit at a table at eat mindfully?
Did I make a meal for myself, using ingredients I truly enjoyed eating?
Did I give myself time to spend doing something I loved: reading a book, talking with a friend, journalling, playing in the garden, re-visiting an old hobby.
These are just a few examples, what you choose is up to you!
Scales are only external measures. At best they will give you an incomplete picture, and at worst will give you an inaccurate and unreliable measure of your health and your worth. Don’t let them rob you of all the joy and nourishment that creating, sharing and eating all kinds of foods brings to your table.
