Why I Weigh Myself Every Day

I weigh myself every day.  I open my eyes in the morning, go to the bathroom & step on the scale.  I’ve been doing this the past year & am wondering why I didn’t start earlier.  Not because I’m obsessed with my weight, actually the complete opposite – I don’t want to fear the scale.

Before getting into the details behind my reasoning, I want to quickly say I know this isn’t for everyone.  I understand there are people who struggle with gaining weight, body image issues, or eating disorders & this strategy won’t apply to them.  This strategy could hurt anyone w weight issues like that so please make sure you’re always doing what’s best for you.  I’ve said this in all of my posts & will say it again – we are all so incredibly special, but unique.  No two people are the same.  What works for me won’t work for everyone, that’s what makes us the coolest people ever!  For ME, this strategy has been working wonders.

I’ve never been a girl to count calories or jump on every single diet trend that flashes by.  I can also say my weight has pretty much stayed consistent for almost my entire life, I think it was genetically designed for me.  I think my mom has always weighed about the same & that’s been our body stories.  No matter how much I eat or don’t eat, I can’t say the scale makes a dramatic movement.  I’ve very slowly been up and down 20 lbs, but nothing more drastic than that.

However, 20lbs is 20lbs.  Even if it’s a slow pace increase, it’s an increase.  And no matter what people say, “it’s not about what the scale says”, it is for me.  For someone like me, the problem with ignoring the scale is ignoring the slow weight gain.   Although not a huge weight gain, it was enough to make me feel self-conscious.  And it was enough to make me feel uncomfortable.  Those 20 extra pounds always felt like I was in someone else’s body.  What the heck is going on?  Why won’t this dress zip up?  Why can’t I slim down, I ate so well yesterday.

I wouldn’t avoid the scale, but the extremely slow rising numbers never raised any flags for me because… “the scale lies, it’s about how you feel“.  And most days I would feel good.  Days I was in my stretchy jeans or with a fresh spray tan.  After weighing myself daily, I think disregarding the scale is bull shit, at some point we have to be real with the number we’re seeing… right?  I’m annoyed I listened to the advice, “it’s not about the number, it’s about how you feel“.

Again, I was never way over my comfortable weight, but it was enough for me to feel like something was off.  And that hacked away at my confidence.

After my allergy attack, I decided to start weighing myself every morning.  The scale can’t lie morning after morning after morning.  When I was weighing myself once a week or once a month, like I was suggested, I would have “cheat” meals until the day before my next weigh-in hoping I would see a changed weight on the scale.  I would wake up dreading the scale & celebrate when it was over with a huge cookie.  I remember fearing that fucking annoying scale.  There was a long period of time (like years) I didn’t weigh myself at all.  And in my opinion, there’s only two ways to go with the scale at this point –  Weigh myself every single day, or never.  When I took the pressure of the scale completely away, I felt free.  The only risk with taking that route is the lack of accountability.  I knew I wouldn’t have to face the reality of the scale, ever.  If I didn’t want to.

After my allergy attack, I dramatically changed my diet.  Most significantly, I completely cut out dairy & gluten.  When I first started losing a little weight I was excited to jump on the scale, that’s how this new routine started.  Convenient, I know.  It’s easy to jump on a scale when you’re losing weight rather than gaining it.  When I finally reached my comfortable weight, I decided I wanted to stay that weight.  I felt comfortable in my skin again & knew that’s the number that fit my body.  So, I told myself I’d weigh myself every morning to make sure it doesn’t slowly slip away, or at the very least know when it does.

I know this sounds dramatic but, this strategy has changed my life.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID OF THE SCALE EVERY MORNING

1. You’ll weigh yourself again tomorrow.  So don’t over analyze the number.  If you wake up one morning and the scale is tipped a little forward, there’s no need to panic!  You’ll weigh yourself again tomorrow morning to see if anything changed.  When I would try weighing myself once a month or once a week & I stepped on the scale with some funky results it left me feeling defeated.  Weighing yourself every day actually takes away that feeling.  If you doubt the number in any way, you’ll have another chance the very next morning to confirm if something was off.
2. Eliminate the Fear Of the Unknown. The fear of the unknown is removed completely when you weigh yourself daily.  You’re not going to step on the scale one morning to a 20lbs difference.  You’re going to know approximately what you’re dealing with every day & eventually be proud of it.
3. Numbers Don’t Lie. If a number shows up that I don’t like one morning, and again the next morning and a few mornings after that – I can’t ignore it or blame it on added water weight.  I’m very likely not eating right & the scale is confirming my bad habits.  It’s a pretty immediate chance to check in & get back on track.
4. Your number is YOUR number.  I weigh myself every day but I don’t share a goal weight with someone else, I have a goal weight that I know works for ME.  One thing I can totally agree with? 150 lbs looks incredibly different on different body types.  Seeing Kim Kardashian weigh 110lbs shouldn’t mean every other girl wants to also weigh 110 lbs.  Remember, we’re freakishly different homo sapiens, each of us – our weight shows differently.  Find a number you know looks & feels good on YOU, and go for that. Absolutely do not try fitting in someone else’s body!
5. Your daily motivation. Let the scale remind you to treat your body well every morning you step on it.  I use it as a reminder, I love my body.  I need to feed it with love, move it with love, and speak to it with love – everyday.

There’s a lot of advice out there about weight these days, and I’m not a doctor nor an expert in any way.  But I can share what’s been working for me.  Especially because what’s been working for me is a lot different than what I always hear.  I don’t hear many people say they wake up each morning and weigh themselves.  It’s often encouraged to do the complete opposite, and while that works for some, it doesn’t work for me.  I actually had a bad relationship with the scale up until this year, when I started weighing myself every morning.

Another thing to note, limit yourself to the scale one time a day AND the exact same time of day.  You’re not giving yourself a chance if you do it any other way.  Your body fluctuates A LOT throughout the day.  I simply added the scale to my morning routine!

I hope this helps someone else!  I can’t help but remember how I felt before I was weighing myself & how I feel now, MAJOR difference.  Of course, this idea will only apply if you’re focused on a healthy lifestyle.  Feeding, loving, cuddling your sweet sweet body.

Have a great weekend!

Be thoughtful

Xx

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