Scale (noun) – an electronic device used to control the emotions of its victim. Gives a false sense of control and is frequently demoralizing.
In all seriousness, no other fitness device is so useful yet so detrimental to your goals. But more times than not I’ve just seen it get in people’s way, and here’s why…
It Doesn’t Show You the Full Progress Picture
When people start a fitness program there are all kinds of adaptations going on in the body. These adaptations affect both your weight and your body composition.
Weight = all of your body mass, which includes fat, muscle, water, organs, bones, etc.
Body Composition = has to do with your ratio of fat mass to lean body mass.
It is entirely possible to not lose any weight, or even gain some, while still dropping body fat. I’ve talk about this in length in this article.
The scale sees no difference between a 150lb person and a 150lb sack of potatoes. And it doesn’t measure all the intangibles such as confidence, body image, energy, food relationships, health, or strength – all of which need to be included in progress assessments to get the big picture.
Compensatory Behaviors
The scale tends to create a compensatory mindset. Weighing yourself creates an emotion that translates into a particular behavior.
When the number is higher than you want you do one of two things – you either try to compensate by eating way fewer calories than are needed to lose weight, or you say “screw it” and just stop trying.
When the number is lower you would think it would be very motivating – and it is in many cases. But in just as many situations it creates more compensatory behavior. People see the lower number and think they “have room” to let go a little. And before you know it they are back to square one waiting for the scale to tell them what to do next.
Use It as a Tool
Now that I’ve bashed the scale a few times, let me say that I do use it when I coach clients. But we don’t rely on it forever. Instead, it’s used as a strategic tool to assess your body’s feedback.
I start most clients off weighing daily and then we start phasing it out once a downtrend is in place. To get around the daily water weight fluctuations we work with weekly averages and focus on creating a downtrend over the weeks.
Then we start phasing it out while concurrently working on our relationship with it. The ultimate goal is to be indifferent to whatever number it shows, whether it’s higher or lower.
If you get excited when you see a lower number then you’re going to get upset when you see a higher one. Trying to be selective of your emotions so that you just get exciting over lower numbers isn’t reasonable. You’re either giving the scale power over your emotions or you aren’t.
So be honest with yourself. Does the scale control you? Can you see a higher or lower number without getting emotionally involved?
If you struggle with it then you might want to consider just saying goodbye to your scale for good. For many people this forces them to become more self-aware and to turn inward to validate their progress.
They find more peace and the unneeded stress surrounding weight loss diminishes. They see the bigger picture instead of getting tied up in the daily grind.
Once that happens you tend to focus more on the behaviors that bring you health and happiness. And that’s what eventually leads to lasting weight loss.
What kind of relationship do you have with the scale?
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“You’re either giving the scale power over your emotions or you aren’t.”
That line really clicked with me. I do give the scale too much power over me. I think it makes me feel better. Clearly it doesn’t.
A lot of people feel the same way. They use the scale because they think it gives them a sense of control. But this is false security.
You know if you’re active. You know if you’re getting stronger. You know if you’re eating well. You know if your actions are making you feel good. And yes, you’ll know when you’ve made positive body composition changes.
Trust yourself to validate your behaviors.
Yes the scales can give us false sense of giving up but if you know you are eating
Green and Clean and in the gym five days a week and in my case the scale was going up and up and up but my pants were getting bigger breast getting smaller so I kept going
After two months the scale is goin down
Had me disappointed at first but determined
To keep going and reach that goal that I’m reaching letting nothing stop especially the
SCALE.
Your case is a perfect example. You were making positive body composition changes and the scale was actually going up. But you stuck with it because you knew you were making progress and now your weight is trending down. Congrats!
If I don’t weigh myself how will I know if I’ve lost any weight?
Good question, Emily. I think many people wonder the same thing.
Here’s the thing, you’ll know when you’ve lost any substantial amount of weight. Not only will your clothes start fitting looser, but your confidence, body image, happiness, energy, and strength tend to improve at the same time.
The scale tends to micro-assess your progress. Daily changes in weight don’t mean much. It’s impossible to tell if it’s just water loss or if it’s actually fat loss.
But when you look at your progress over a longer period of time you’ll be able to know if any true progress is being made.
Emily don’t worry about the scale if your eating the right foods and doing exercise
You will see it in your clothe in the mirror and you will feel better just don’t give up
Great article! I do crossfit 4x a week, run or bike the other 3x. Training fir a 15k niw. I have a very high weight for my height but a good body fat % and am healthy in every way that counts including measurements …and yet I beat myself up mentally and emotionally every time I weigh myself …which is daily. Those compensatory behaviors are so real. I’m throwing my scale out. I have wanted to for a long time but this article is my tipping point. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Erinn, sounds like you’re doing the right thing by breaking up with your scale. Using BMI to determine what you should weigh is very misleading for fitness enthusiasts.
I realize you didn’t mention BMI, but all it is is a relationship between height and weight. It takes no body composition into effect. You strength train with crossfit, among other things, so you’ll be better served using other progress assessment tools other than the scale.
I’m afraid I feel a bit ruled by the scales and am motivated by a loss but if it goes up it has the opposite affect on me. I find this a bit of a problem because my weight does seem to fluctuate – if I am being very good, say and eating healthily, no weight is lost, then it dips at the end of the week. It is hard for me to wait until that dip comes (without losing interest) although I know at heart it makes sense to keep going on the healthy eating. Just being entirely honest with how it is, so if you can suggest anything I would be grateful.
Hi Cheryl, a lot of the scale’s issue is that it forces you into a daily feedback cycle. Weight loss is a slow endeavor and hoping “A” gives you “B” the next day is going to be frustrating.
Biggest thing you can do right now is to take a longer term view of your lifestyle change. Let go of the idea of weight loss and start focusing on behaviors that last a lifetime. There are no end dates so let go of what the scale says tomorrow or Monday.
Good luck!
How do you determine the correct calorie intake if you don’t use a scale? I lift weights 4 days a week and do cardio 4 plus days also. Scale is being a see saw between 5 pounds but I can’t get it do go down any farther? I have been readjusting my calories for awhile now and haven’t got a great sense of where I should be.
Hi Stacy, first you have to believe that you can validate that you’re making progress without the scale, which is something that needs to happen anyways.
Once you can do that, then you eat slowly, mindfully, to 80% full while you assess your progress. If a few weeks go by and you don’t think you’re making progress then you change that number to 70% full. The idea is to just slowly decrease food intake over time as you assess your body’s feedback.
Hello,
I keep reading we shouldn’t go by what the scales say, but I can’t seem to stay away! I’m 5’2″ & last July weighed 162lbs, and I’m now 148lbs, which is good. But now I seem to have got stuck. I exercise everyday in some ways, either 25mins on an exercise bike, 30 mins on the wii or walk for 30 mins, or sometimes a combination of those & eat around 1300/1400cals. I know that’s not an extreme regime, but it fits in with everything else I have to do and it’s all worked so far, so why have I got stuck? Why aren’t the scales shifting? And I know when I go for my 3 year check up at the docs in the summer, all they will go by is my weight, which according to my BMI is too high. Aaaahhh! Help!
Hi Ellen, if what you’ve been doing has been working so far then you just need to continue the progression of energy (food) reduction. 1300/1400 calories isn’t much, but you are only 5’2, so it isn’t completely out of line.
You very well might have to come down to 1200 calories in time if you want to continue seeing progress. So you need to ask yourself if it’s worth it and whether you think you’ll be able to maintain that food intake level.
Other work-arounds include refeeds and reverse dieting. You can search Coach Calorie for these topics using the “Archives” link in the menu at the top of the page.
hi coach!
A couple years ago, I lost 90lbs through daily intense cardio sessions and barely eating 1000 calories. Needless to say I was miserable. Always so cold and little to no energy. It was unsustainable. In the next couple years I gained back 60lbs. I want to get back on the right track. This is my second week and I increased my calories from 1200 to 1400. I didn’t see any weight loss like the week prior (-3lbs) but it’s reassuring that I didn’t gain weight. My two questions are: how many calories should I consume? I’m 32,5’4″,212. 1200 wasn’t enough but I’m worried 1400 is too much since I didn’t lose any weight.
Secondly, I’m focusing on strength training 1.5 hrs 4x a week and HIIT training 4x a week after my strength training. Do you think this is the right path for me?
Thank you so much in advance
Hi Sunny, I think you have plenty of exercise in there. Just make sure you actually enjoy your workouts or you’ll never stick with it.
The only way to truly determine your calorie intake is to set it somewhere and monitor your body’s feedback over the course of a few weeks. Leave it at 1400 for 2 weeks and see if you make progress.
But 1400 calories at 212lbs isn’t much. When you increase calories some weight can come along, but that doesn’t mean it’s fat. So make sure you’re paying attention to progress measurements outside of the scale too.
Hello Coach!
I really enjoy your posts. Everything makes great sense! I am 37, have two kids and have been on a weight loss journey ever since my youngest was born. I am 5’5 and weight 180. I started in 2012 at 214lbs. I have done a number if different types of exercise and “dieting” to get here. I have been 180 now for probably a year now. I fell into the eating 1200 calorie routine and looking back and reading your articles its no wonder I have lost nothing in that year. At the start of 2017 I began a new workout structure that involves HIIT, strength and cardio training for 40-50 minutes, 5 days a week. I also walk on the 6th day for at least 30 minutes. I do work a desk job but do manage to get in at least 8500 steps a day. I didn’t take measurements until the end of January but since then I have lost almost an inch overall but the scale has not budged. I am really excited about the progress I made but for some reason that number is just burning in my head! I keep thinking, am I just meant to weight this much! As for my diet, I have changed my lifestyle as well… I now make a smoothie most mornings that usually have fruit, flaxseed, oatmeal and almond milk. Lunches are usually salads or a protein and veggie, or soup, then dinner is usually the same as lunch. I try to incorporate healthy snacks, that are clean and beneficial. I have been keeping around 1600-1700 calories. I understand that my weight may not change for a little bit to allow the fat to change to muscle but I am just wondering if you think that I am in the right calorie range. I usually burn on average 2500 calories a day-as recorded on my fitbit. I know that seems like a large calorie deficit most of the time but I just feel like I am not active enough to eat more. I know I shouldn’t obsess. I do feel great and am proud of my progress and also know it takes patience. I know the main goal is to be healthy and to feel good and losing weight should be just an added bonus. I just have a habit of losing focus and getting bored and wanted to know if it is normal to take more than two months to lose pounds when working this hard?
Thank you so much for all your thoughts 🙂
Hi Lori, good question. First, if you’re eating 1700 calories and maintaining your weight, it means you’re burning 1700 calories/day too. There’s no way around that, even if your FitBit says otherwise.
So your options are to either increase activity or reduce food intake at this point. Since you’ve been in the 1700 area and haven’t lost weight but have changed body composition, I think you’re close to finding that deficit. I would start by simply cutting a little food and monitoring the feedback.