Weighing In About Weight Loss

JUST FOR TODAY:  Don't step on the bathroom scale! Don't get on the scale at the gym, either! Measure your success in other ways besides what you weigh.

If your goal is weight loss, then you're probably keeping track of your weight.  But the number on the bathroom scale can be misleading about the progress that you're really making.  If you weigh yourself once a week, then you may notice a weight loss of a pound or two.  But you may notice that your weight has stayed the same, or even increased since your weigh-in a week ago.  Does this mean that your weight loss plan isn't working?  Or, are you weighing in on a day when your body is retaining some fluid?  If you weigh yourself every day, then you can monitor the overall trend for the week.  You might go down a pound, up a pound, down two pounds, up a pound, down a pound, down another pound, up a pound – for an overall trend of weight loss.  However, with daily weigh-ins, some people get too attached to that number on the scale.  If the number goes up, then that can lead to a downward spiral in your attitude for the rest of the day.  You can monitor your progress in other ways – how your clothes are fitting, and the healthy habits that you are following.  If your goal is recovery from an eating disorder, the same advice applies about weigh-ins.  Focus less on the number, and more on what you are doing to support your recovery.  What would happen if you didn't know what you weigh today?  Try it and find out!