Are you a Scale Addict?

Over the years, I’ve dealt with my fair share of weigh-a-holics. That is, people who step on the scales far too often. Some do it every day of their lives. Morning and night. Some step on and off five times in ten seconds in the hope that a lower figure might magically appear between their feet. Then they do it again thirty seconds later.

 Sound familiar?

Unfortunatley the morning ritual of weighing yourself can either make or break your day!  Some people think that if they step lightly onto the scales the figure might be
lower. And some think that leaving part of their foot off the plate will give a better result. We have all done it, don’t look so shocked!!!

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with the Scales?

Me myself I am not a great fan of the scales, sure we need them in order to check our progress if our goal is to lose weight, however they are also a big cause of stress, anxiety and frustration. Weight is defiantly a relevant issue in the getting-fitter-healthier process but many (many, many) people have an unhealthy relationship with their scales. You might be such a person……I use to be…..

Of course if you do have a love hate relationship with scales there are times when you should avoid using them. Some examples are:

  • When you have just eaten a massive dinner, not a good idea will only send you into a mental state and perhaps make you eat even more.
  • When you are at a friends or relatives house. For the best accurate results, weigh yourself on the same scales at the same time of day.
  • When the scales cost less than $20….let’s be realistic if they are dirt cheap how accurate can they be.
  • When you have just completed a huge workout. It’s easy to shed more than a kilo of water weight during a 1hour cardio session. Or if you have had 3 bottles of water you could weigh heavier due to water retention.
  • (For the girls)At certain times of the month you will typically be heavier.

If you are training with weights and are building muscle you are likely to weigh more as muscle is heavier than fat. (check out the photo)

 In most cases weighing yourself every day is unnecessary and unhealthy, it can lead to obsessive behaviour and do our mental and physical health more harm than good.

When the thought of weighing yourself puts you in a state of anxiety you may need to stop yourself from getting on them and use another way to measure your weight
loss. Your clothes are a good indicator as well as a tape measure to check on any cm’s lost or gained.

If you are happy with the way you look and feel and are healthy, who cares about a stupid number?