In the past whenever I have tried to lose weight, I would start out really strong and be super disciplined. Looking for immediate results, I would start weighing myself regularly, often daily. I craved that positive reinforcement you get from seeing the number on the scale go down. It felt good, really good. Inevitably, however, there always came a day when the number on the scale would surprise me. And whether it surprised me by being a higher number or a much lower number, the surprise itself had a negative impact.
In scenario 1, the scale showed no movement or (god forbid) a slight increase: I would get really upset thinking “but I had a good day yesterday, why is my weight up? This diet isn’t working!” I would get super frustrated and demotivated by the scale’s lack of cooperation. After a few of these type of weigh-ins, my diet would be history.
In scenario 2, the scale showed a number significantly less than my last weigh-in: I would think “Woohoo, I’m doing awesome. I can splurge today!” The feeling of deserving a “splurge” due to the number on the scale didn’t help me stay the course either.
What I finally realized was that focusing on the number on the scale wasn’t allowing me to focus on the big picture. Any unexpected variance in weight, and I would either get frustrated and demotivated or get overly happy and slack off.
So this time, instead of focusing on the scale as defining my success, I decided to set new goals: make good food choices, track my food, and get exercise. It’s a good day if I achieve those goals. For the first few weeks of the new plan, I did not weigh myself at all. I wanted to feel good just knowing that I was living healthier. It worked. By focusing on the behavior and not the number on the scale, I’ve made a lot of progress and more importantly, I have not been discouraged by variations in body weight. Now I’m weighing myself once a month and that is enough.
It’s a mindset change that has really helped me and I thought there may be others that could benefit from redefining their weight loss success as well. Step off the scale and focus on the behavior!
