Do you live or die by the scale?

For many people that are trying to lose weight, often times, when they weigh themselves, it ruins their day because they’re not happy with the numbers on the scale.

But this fact doesn’t only apply to overweight people or people wanting to lose weight for better health. You’d be surprised, many skinny people are obsessed with being too thin and they are never “skinny enough.” Therefore the scale is an equal-opportunity anxiety creator.

Do you watch The Biggest Loser?

They literally do live by the numbers on the scale. Each week, all the contestants step on a large scale to determine how much weight they’ve lost. Then, their percentage of weight loss is calculated and one of the two people, whose number is the smallest for that week, has to go home.

During the first couple of weeks of the program, contestants often lose weight quick and their numbers are quite frequently in the double digits—10, 15 even 20lbs in a single week. It’s interesting to watch both their reactions and emotions.

As the weeks go by, however, the contestant’s weight loss numbers decrease quite a bit per week--it’s not uncommon to see a loss of 2, 3, or 4lbs.

An important fact to know about the Biggest Loser is that the contestant’s exercise an average of 5-6 hours per day.

Are you exercising 5-6 hours per day?

Most likely not. Therefore it’s important to put things into perspective.

Typically when we first start a new weight loss regimen, we do lose weight and many times, a lot of weight, by changing our exercise and diet.

However, as time goes by, bodies change. We need to adjust to our new healthy lifestyles. Therefore our weight loss won’t be as dramatic.

This is just nature, so don’t get discouraged.

Why don’t you give a non-scale victory a try?

1. Do your clothes feel looser?

2. Do you have more energy?

3. Does your favorite ring fit on your hand better?

4. Are your workouts getting easier?

5. Are your measurements improving?

6. Do you like what you see in the mirror?

7. Do you feel happier?

8. Have you had to purchase new clothes in a smaller size?

9. Is the opposite sex giving you approving glances?

10. Has anyone told you how great you look?

What do you think? Can you give up the scale for awhile? Or can you get on the scale and not have it ruin your day if it’s not the number you were hoping for?

Don’t live or die by the scale. Life is too short to let numbers influence our mood. We create our own success and the number on a scale isn’t the only measure of success, because

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

© Iowa Avenue