Ep 47: Checking In on Your Relationship With the Scales
This post is a companion to Episode 47 of the Bariatric Nutrition Coach Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
This episode is a check-in. What is your relationship with the scales right now? Are they motivating you — or are they running your day?
The scales are a lag measure. They tell you about outcomes — outcomes that are the result of behaviours, food choices, sleep, hydration, hormones, and a dozen other factors. They don't tell you whether you're building muscle, holding fluid, doing the right things, or living well. A single number on a home scale is not an accurate or complete picture of your health or progress.
The Three Common Mistakes
The same mistakes that slow weight loss (only eating when hungry, having a limited diet, and no regular eating schedule) also apply to the scales relationship. People who give the scales too much power often fall into all-or-nothing thinking, restrict after a "bad" result, or lose motivation when the number doesn't move — even when they're doing all the right things.
What to Focus On Instead
Your behaviours are the lead measures — they are what actually cause the results. Eating regularly, prioritising protein, eating slowly, moving your body — these are the things that deserve your attention and energy. The scale result follows.
If you're weighing yourself daily and it's affecting your mood, your choices, or your sense of self-worth, it's worth asking: does this relationship need some space? Perhaps weighing fortnightly or monthly — and supplementing with clothing fit, measurements, and energy levels — would serve you better.
You are not a number. And what you focus on grows.
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