The Scale

Tip of the Moment: THE SCALE
Is the Scale your friend or enemy?

I know a lot of people who start their morning off by stepping on to the scale to check out their weight. The thing is, weighing yourself on a daily basis while trying to lose weight, may not be a good thing. Why? Well, first of all it can be discouraging and cause low self-esteem and secondly, it may not be accurate. I know this from firsthand experience. Women have a tendency to judge their progress by the number on the scale. There are many possibilities that can skew the number i.e. water weight, constipation or muscle gain, which all can make the scale your enemy.

It might be better to weigh yourself once a week, or better yet, once a month. A good rule of thumb is your clothing. Let your clothing be your guide, as it will not lead you astray. Your clothes don’t lie. You can tell when your waistline feels loose or when the material across your abdomen doesn’t seem to be stretched to the max. The scale, on the other hand, may lead you to believe that you’ve either gained a pound or two, or have lost a pound or two; truly it is not that accurate.

Yet, many others believe that only once you have obtained your desired weight loss, that weighing in on a weekly basis is a good thing. The main reason for this is that it helps you keep tabs on your new found weight. This is where your scale becomes your friend.

Of course, there are always two sides to every issue. Many people find the scale to be helpful and not that much of a deterrent (and that is fine), but for the rest of us, the battle of the scale may be destructive and take us off course when trying to reach our weight loss destination.

So, the bottom line here, in my opinion, is use the scale periodically. Stay off it as much as possible and let your clothing be your guide. Use the scale weekly, but only after you have reached your desired weight loss. These two guidelines will help build your self-esteem as you move through your fitness /weight loss journey.

Will you let your scale be your friend or will you let it be your enemy? Will you let the scale get the victory? The choice is yours.