Don’t Be a Slave To Your Scale

Weighing -in daily can help you stay engaged and on track with the diet.  However daily weight fluctuations can cause you to feel discouraged or confused about what’s happening to you.   Weight changes may be related to changing body fluid levels or bowel habits rather than gains or losses in body fat.

Weigh yourself at least once a week, look for trends over several days and weeks, and don’t fret the daily fluctuations.  Weighing a couple timesa week provides feedback and an early warning system on how you’re doing, without causing the fretting that might happen with daily weigh-ins.  It allows you to catch small increases in weight quickly and take corrective action to prevent further weight gain.  At the same time, seeing your efforts rewarded on the scale is very motivating, which helps you stick to the plan.

If the number on the scale is not what you expected, try not to dwell on the disappointment or what you did wrong. Sometimes the number on the scale cannot be explained by what you did or didn’t do.  But in time, if you stay on the course, results will surely follow!

And if you felt like you messed up, don’t beat yourself up with guilt, put it behind you and keep forging ahead.  People who are successful at losing weight don’t expect to be perfect.  They consider lapses as momentary setbacks, not the ruin of all their hard work.