There may be a woman out there that absolutely loves nothing more than to get on a scale and has never once in her life been frustrated by the number that came up on the scale.  If that woman exists and she was born with that mindset, can you please have her reach out to me? I have always wanted to meet a unicorn.

For the rest of us non-unicorns, we need to work a little bit harder at creating this relationship with the scale.

Now, for some of you, the easiest thing may be to just throw the scale out the window and forget it exists, but I am going to step out onto a limb and caution against this approach. Just because you decide to throw a credit card bill away when it comes in the mail, doesn’t mean that you don’t still owe that money. The scale is the same way. Just because you don’t “know your number”, doesn’t mean that it ceases to exist. Again, this isn’t a one size fits all approach. We all have very different healthy weight-loss journeys and you have to find the approach that helps you create inner mental health and wellness just as much as the physical part.

However, you can’t work with what you don’t know and if you are in pursuit of a healthy weight then you need to know what you are working with.

Seven steps and tips to create a healthy mindset around weight-loss and the scale.

1. Start to reframe that this number on the scale is JUST a number. It’s a lagging metric result of diet, fitness, sleep, water choices that you made yesterday, or several days ago, or even weeks or months ago. It is just ONE tool in the toolbox to measure and help you in this lifelong health and wellness approach.
2. Before you step on the scale make sure it is for the right reason. Are you creating long-lasting changes in pursuit of the healthiest version of yourself? Great, then you know before you step on the scale that this isn’t a reflection of your worth. It is just a measurement to help you as you continue to create healthy habits. It’s like the interim report in a school semester. It gives you a good idea of where you are going, but you still have a chance to change that one way or the other. Either by showing up for yourself or throwing in the towel. The awesome thing about this “interim report” is that you can influence your “final report” every single day.
3. Approach this like a research scientist and use more than the scale to measure your progress. Use photos, tape scale measurements, and the way your clothes fit. Also check-in with how you feel. That’s right, this is just as important if not more so than the other data points. Do you feel absolutely awesome because you fed, watered, and rested your body and soul well? GREAT. Write that down. Track the number on the scale in conjunction with the other data points to get a full picture. Do you feel sluggish and bloated because you over-indulged? FANTASTIC. Write that down, so that you know what doesn’t work for your body.
4. If all else fails, take a break. Sometimes, it’s hard to reset and reframe our mindset. If that is where you are, take a break. Weighing daily? Reduce it to weekly. Weighing weekly? Reduce it to monthly. However, schedule a day on your calendar that you come back to weighing after your break. A break while good for your mindset, can if you decide to ignore the data indefinitely, put you back at square one.
5. Learn your cycle. Not just your menstrual cycle, though that certainly plays a role. Learn the cycles of daily living that create fluctuations on the scale. Most women tend to register higher numbers on the scale during menstruation and ovulation. Additionally, certain fitness routines create a temporary uptick on the scale as well.
6. Use different wording around stepping on the scale. Yep, words are one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. If you constantly talk about how much you hate weighing in on the scale, guess what you will feel after weighing yourself? Yep, I doubt you are going to all of sudden have warm and fuzzy feelings. Work at creating neutral phrasing and connations around the scale.
7. DO NOT USE the scale to reward or punish yourself. I saved the MOST important step for a healthy mindset for last because if you do almost nothing else, this one is a huge deal. Do not let yourself create a pattern of reward
   or punishment depending on the number on the scale.

Do you struggle with a healthy mindset with the scale? Or do you have a tip that has worked for you? Leave a comment or message me for information on one-on-one coaching or to get on the waitlist for the next free 6-week accountability group.