#80, Befriending the Bathroom Scale, Part 1

Because I truly value your time, I’m breaking this episode up into two parts so that it in easy-to-listen-to chunks. Today we are going to discuss how to use the numbers on the scale and next week I’ll be diving into the mental process to stick to your plans and protocols after you weigh yourself. 

First of all, you have to stop thinking of the scale as a judge.
There is NO moral value of that number. That number says nothing about you or who you are, it is only a measurement of the force of gravity pulling down your body mass. The scale is an inanimate object with no awareness of you or your journey. So, if you hear all the thoughts, good or bad, they come only from you. If you feel all those feelings, they only came from you. The good news is, there is a very practical way to approach the scale so that it becomes a powerful weight loss tool and has no control over what you think or feel. 

The first step to using the numbers on the scale in a practical way is to decide when to weigh yourself

• Pick a time of day. This is very important. Your body will fluctuate a lot during a 24 hour period and change with the fluids you drink, food you eat, and trips to the bathrooms you take. So, pick a consistent time of day to weigh yourself for both daily and weekly weigh-ins.
• If you do a weekly weigh in, choose a day of the week. You want to always go seven days between weigh-ins so that you can get an idea of average weight loss. 

When to Weigh
There are two ways to use the scale that are the most common and helpful: Daily and weekly. Each has their own blessings and drawbacks so you will have to choose what to do based on your life and experience. 

Daily
Daily weigh-ins are a daily hop on the scale at the same time. This is a great strategy because it allows you to get real-time information about how your body is reacting to your diet choices, exercise, and other choices. When you weigh daily you can begin to note:

• Fluctuations due to water retention caused by an increase in sodium or how your body reacts to various foods.
• Fluctuations due to hormonal changes. You can actually not rise and fall along with your monthly cycle. 

Daily weigh-ins also give a more accurate overview of your weight since you can get an average of your week’s weight instead of relying on a single reading from the scale.
Daily weigh-in can allow you to make day-to-day decisions about your food based on real-time information instead of having to wait for your weekly weigh-in to make changes. 

However, Daily weigh-ins can be very stressful for women who have a lot of mind drama about the number on the scale. For them, going to a weekly weigh-in and focusing on mindset is probably a good choice. Especially if the number on the scale is a trigger for eating behavior that does not support your goals such as severe restriction and/or binging. 

Weekly 
Weigh-ins done weekly is the perfect strategy to use, especially when you have a lot of drama around the number on the scale. A weekly weigh-in allows you to focus on:

• An overview of how your weight is trending.
• How habit implementation is influencing your weight over time. 

Weekly weigh-ins give you a snapshot of your weekly average and should be taken with a grain of salt, understanding that there might be fluctuations caused by fluid retention and inflammation influencing the number on the scale. It is also a great strategy for women who want to focus on consistency with their habits and don’t want their decisions to be swayed by daily weigh-ins

Data Insights
If the scale goes up:

• You might choose to limit “treats” or other inflammatory food if the scale goes up. 
• You might realize that your portion sizes need to be even smaller.
• You might need to recommit to habits that you have been lax on.
• You might choose to change nothing because you suspect weight gain is due to hormonal changes or temporary inflammation in relation to exercise. 

If the scale goes down:

• You might recommit to the daily habits that are working well for you.
• You might add foods back into your plan because the weight loss was too fast. 
•  You might consider how you have felt physically and mentally the past week then decide if you want to calibrate. 

If the scale stays the same:

• If you are in weight maintenance then give yourself a pat on the back and look at recommitting to the habits that are working for you. 
• If you are trying to lose weight. Look at the same options under “If the scale goes up.” 

NOTE: Remember that for all scale questions or concerns, be aware of any other physical changes and report any concern to your primary care physician. 

So, as you can hear, that bathroom scale can become one of the most powerful weight loss tools you have access to. Now, if you are still skeptical and feel like there is tons of fear and drama in this process, I hear you, sister. In the next episode we are going to break down how to have a drama-free weigh in routine that is empowering and makes a ton of sense. 

Before I sign off, can I share a goal with you? This podcast is one of my favorite things to do. I love it. I love sharing really important, life-giving information with women. But, I need help to grow my audience. Right now my podcast is lacking both ratings and reviews which help it be found by others. So, if you wouldn’t mind, I would love it if you would rate and review it today. Sometimes the easiest way to do this is on a mobile app but any way you do it, I am so very grateful. 

Thank  you for spending this time with me today. I’ll catch you next week for part 2!

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