Tip #22: Scale back on the scale

Think of your scale as an acquaintance; someone you touch base with a couple of times a week.  If you two are really close, it's time to give each other some space.  Your scale can be a positive tool on your trek to a healthy lifestyle.  However, if made too much of, it can also be a detriment.

Here are some "do's" and "don'ts" to remember when you hop on the scale:

DO:
*Weigh yourself on a regular basis to monitor what your body is up to.
*Weigh yourself at the same time of day (morning is good).  Your weight can vary 5 pounds in a day!
*Weigh yourself in the nude.  Different outfits/shoes can vary your weight several pounds.
*Realize that muscle weighs more than fat, and that sometimes your weight loss will be slow going at first as you start exercising.
*Use your scale as a tool.  It's normal for your weight to fluctuate within 5 or so pounds from day to day.  However, if you notice a large jump in your weight, you'll know to skip dessert that night, and take a couple more walks that week.

DON'T: 
*Weigh yourself every single day.  It's just not that important, and doesn't need to become an obsession.
*Compare your weight to others.  Every body is unique and is uniquely composed.
*Obsess over the numbers you see.  You may want to get to the weight that you were in high school or college.  Though that might be possible, you must take into account that your body has experienced many changes since then...aging, slower metabolism, childbirth for some, and a different distribution of fat and muscle.  More than an exact number, keep the focus on the healthy habits in your life.
*Use your scale as the only measurement of your progress.  Other tools you need to use to monitor your progress are:  how your clothes fit, body fat percentages, body measurements (waist/arms/thighs, etc.), and energy level.
*Let the numbers on that scale dictate what kind of mood you are in.

If you are one of those people who weigh themselves incessantly...obsessing over 1 or 2 pounds, you might just want to step back, and take a good look at your priorities and your motivations.  It's great to want to be healthy, but elevating your weight and/or appearance to a place where it is all consuming and almost worshiped by you...there is nothing healthy about that.