4 Ways to Make the Scale Work for You on Your Weight Loss Journey
Raise your hand if any of these sound familiar:
You have an ongoing battle with the scale
You are trying to lose weight
You struggle with self-sabotage
You feel defeated from every other weight loss attempt
Did you raise your hand for most of all of the above? Because I definitely did.
I have been through all of the above struggles and more when it comes to my weight loss journey. But that is why it is so important for me to share the skills and strategies I have learned and coach you to find the version of yourself you have been striving for all along.
When I work with my clients, one of the first things I ask them to do is to weigh themselves every day for the first three weeks of any new weight loss plan.
This might sound manageable for some, and like the scariest, most overwhelming action for others.
Either way, it’s ok, because the important part is that they have me for support, and we work through it together.
If you are interested in getting a life and health coach to help you reach your goals, let’s talk and we can see what the best approach will be for you!
If you know you would like accountability to reach your weight loss goals, check out my coaching options.
If you don’t yet have a coach, you can still use these 4 lessons about the scale to help you on your own weight loss journey.
1. Weigh Yourself Every Day
Think of this as a kind of exposure therapy.
When you weigh yourself daily and start to treat that number as nothing else but a number, it becomes easier to put the emotion aside and view the scale as a way to collect data to help you better achieve your goals.
Once you get into a more stable routine, you might not need to weigh yourself daily, but for now, I suggest that you use it for at least the first three weeks of any new plan.
While you do this, I want you to keep a journal or a log. Write down the number and then write down any thoughts that come up because of that number.
I want you to notice the thoughts you have when the scale doesn’t budge or when it does. If it goes up, what thoughts come up? If it goes down, how are you feeling?
Write out exactly what goes through your head when you see a new number on the scale, especially if it goes up. This will help you leverage your thoughts to become more aware of why you are where you are.
The scale is nothing but a reflection of your current reality.
When my clients are working with me, it is important they push themselves through patterns of self-doubt quickly, and keeping a log like this is one of the easiest ways to gain that awareness.
If this feels too overwhelming, and you don't have a coach to help you through it, then it’s ok to step back.
You may not yet be ready to make that change and lose the weight for good.
2. Reasons the Scale Goes Up that Has Nothing to do with Gaining Weight.
There are so many reasons the number on the scale might have gone up that have nothing to do with actual weight gain. Here are a few:
1. You need to have a bowel movement.
Yup, it’s legit. No matter what type of diet you are following, make sure to get enough fiber and that you have regular bowel movements.
2. Sodium.
Do you have too much sodium in your diet? Or if you had a sodium-rich dinner, expect the scale to go up the next day. Remember to drink water and stay hydrated.
3. Menstrual Cycle.
Your weight may stall or you may go up a pound or two around your period. Be kind to your body during these few days. Take a bath, relax. Love all that makes you a woman.
(There is SO much that we don’t talk about as women when it comes to our menstrual cycle and weight loss. For now, just remember you are not a machine and you should adapt your eating and your workouts based on your cycle!)
4. Exercise.
Our muscles often retain more water when we have had a hard workout. This extra water allows the muscle to repair/grow and will not stay in your body forever.
5. You Weigh Yourself at Different Times of the Day
Always weigh yourself on the same scale at the same time with the same amount of clothing. Most people prefer first thing in the morning as it’s usually when you will see the lowest weight.
6. Change your scale’s batteries
This is an often forgotten, really simple fix. If you haven’t changed your batteries in a while, do so. I always know it’s time for new batteries when I weigh myself and get five different numbers within 2-3 minutes.
3. When to Use the Scale as a Data Point to Change Your Diet.
Most fitness professionals will advise you to give yourself a solid six weeks on a new plan before you decide if it’s working for you or not. This is a weight loss journey, and not a sprint. It is important to be consistent over anything else.
I’ve had clients not lose a pound for three weeks straight and then drop 7 pounds in a week.
If this happened to you, you can use the log we talked about above in conjunction with tracking your food intake to help assess whether or not your current plan is working for you.
At the six week mark, you can freely evaluate if you like the plan you've chosen. I don't adhere to a one size fits all program, and my clients follow many different diets.
If after six weeks you HATE the way you are eating, then that's enough of a reason to switch it up.
If you have seen no change in the scale or your measurements after six weeks, it is clear that you need to make a change. Because you logged the data, you will know exactly what you did and have a record that it didn’t work.
And most importantly, it doesn't mean you've failed if nothing happened in 6 weeks.
I know that it may be hard to believe, but it’s important to change your mindset and understand that it takes time to figure out what works for your body.
If you have never had success before, then it is completely understandable that the first plan you choose may not have worked out. This is new, testing what works for you and what doesn’t is exactly what needs to happen.
If you've tried something for a solid six weeks and it didn't work, then great! Now you know you need to try something else.
This might not be the most exciting advice you’ve read, but I promise this is what ensures lasting results.
If you’re committed to a lifestyle change where you lose that weight and don’t put it right back on, then it’s important to remember it takes time. We have lived in these patterns for decades, so it’s ok if it takes a little while to figure out exactly how to break them.
Also, remember that other factors can be at play here. Your hormones (stress), exercise, and food sensitivities (that cause inflammation) are just a few.
This is why I want you to see your losing weight goal as a journey to getting healthy and knowing your body better. That way, you will have lasting holistic health, beyond just a number on a scale.
4. How to Coach Yourself to Reach Your Goals No Matter What the Scale Says.
If you haven’t checked it out already, I have a post about the self-coaching model that breaks down exactly how to work through any problem or recurring pattern step by step.
You will learn how to look at what you’re currently doing, and how you can completely shift your approach to something positive and successful.
For a quick recap, the self-coaching model follows 5 parts:
Circumstances, Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, and Results.
Circumstances are events that happen, we have thoughts about them, which lead us to feel a certain way, which then leads us to take action based on those feelings, which ultimately brings us to the results of our lives.
So, when talking about the scale, I want you to really focus on your thoughts.
These are often the stories we have held for so long that define how we feel about the number on the scale. These thoughts can run your entire life if you don’t learn to step back and realize the control you hold to change them, and from it, your current results.
For this strategy, take out a pen and paper and answer this question:
What is your thought story around the scale?
You might have many thoughts surrounding the scale, so when you use the self-coaching model, you want to focus on one thought at a time.
Some examples from my own journey and my clients’:
This isn’t working
What’s the point of all my hard work?
I will never lose weight
Losing weight is so hard
Imagine you have been faithful to your eating and exercise plan for five days straight. For four days, your weight has been lower on the scale, but on day five, it goes up 1.5 pounds. What are you thinking at that moment?
Follow along with the example below
Two Self Coaching Models, Before and After Gaining Self Awareness:
Before:
Circumstance- The scale is 176 today, and it was 174.5 yesterday
Thought- “This isn’t working, what’s the point of all my hard work?”
Feeling- Defeat, frustration, discouraged, sad, angry, hopeless
Action- Binge, go shopping, don’t workout (anything to distract from pushing forward)
Result- No lasting weight loss
This example is kind of a bummer, right? I have been there before, and I’m sure you have, too. It’s a cycle we so easily get in because we haven’t realized we have the power to change our thoughts whenever we want to.
Before I show you an example of how you can be more self-aware, I want to get into the specific thoughts I listed above.
Many of these thoughts are not fact-based. They take the circumstance and put a negative, defeated filter on it.
The thought, “this isn’t working” gives all the power to the scale, but we know that the number on the scale is not the full picture of your weight loss journey.
When you think, “what is the point of all the hard work,” you start to get tunnel-visioned around your negative emotion toward the scale and forget about the increased energy, confidence, being an example for your kids, and an overall healthier woman. Remind yourself of the point.
The next thought, “I will never lose weight,” is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than anything. You have confirmed this over and over again because you have not found a way to push forward. Your brain may think it is a fact, but I can assure you it is not.
And finally, “this is so hard.” You have all the resources available at your fingertips. Yes, it may not be easy, but it doesn’t mean that you have to stop.
Think about how you can spin these thoughts in a way that could be more positive, take control approach.
And then, let’s look at a self-coaching model example of someone who is much more aware of the power they have to adjust their thoughts for the goals they want to achieve on the weight loss journey, or anything else.
After:
Circumstance- Scale said 176 today and 174.6 yesterday
Thoughts- I’m going to keep going and show myself & my kids that being healthy is important
Feelings- Determined
Actions- Stick to my plan
Results- I build confidence in myself that I can do this, and the scale eventually goes back down.
Do you see how in this example the person was about to use their thoughts as a way to strengthen their resolve toward their goals?
When using the scale as a tool for your weight loss journey, it can be harmful if you let it control you, or it can be a great resource if you use it properly, just like your thoughts.
The weight loss journey is so amazing because it is really about finding your power within your own body. You have the ability to achieve anything you want, sometimes you just need to learn how to use the tools.
Important tips to remember:
Consistency is the only thing that will ever ensure success. Read more about it here.
The scale is not the enemy. It is simply one of the many tools to help you measure your progress.
Weight loss is not linear and everyone’s experience is different. Do not compare your weight loss journey to anyone else’s.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, you may see the numbers drop rapidly in the beginning. Enjoy it!
If you are close to your goal weight, it is possible the weight will not come off as fast as it did before. This is where you get to decide if you are going to push for the weight you want, or look in the mirror and celebrate where you are. I can’t decide that for you, but I can help you process through it.
I believe in you and am here for you every step of the way!
Alright, my friend! If you made it all the way through, I have a feeling you might be ready. This was a lot of information, so be sure to bookmark it or print it out. It will be important to reference as you progress in your journey of weight loss and personal growth.
For my 1:1 Clients reading this as we begin to work together: Throughout our time together, I want you to commit to being faithful for the duration, even if the scale goes up or plateaus. I’ve had clients stall out for three weeks and then drop 7 pounds in a day. But that only happens when we take the emotion out of the scale, manage our thoughts, and keep moving forward. In the past, this client would have quit 3 or 4 days into the plateau.
You’ve got this!
Sarah