How We Use The Scale Can Derail Our Health and Fitness

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The scale game starts as innocent accountability for weight loss and turns into a game of just how much we can get away with cheating on our program. Who is guilty? The scenario typically looks like this...

The fitness program is going great and the weight is coming off at a healthy rate. Suddenly, we begin validating food rewards for a job well done well above what's considered moderation. 

We challenge the scale to see how far we can push those numbers because we think there's leeway. Besides, we're doing such a great job and deserve a weekend of pizza, beer, and pastries, right? Wrong. This is a risky gamble and not a definition of living a healthy lifestyle. 

The purpose of obtaining a healthy weight is not to yo-yo back and forth. It means taking our health seriously and maintaining the lifestyle. If the scale gets in the way of that, it's time to toss it, especially when the 'scale game' derails our health and fitness goals. Relying on the mirror and how our clothes fit would be a better accountability tool at this point. 

We're not hurting anyone but ourselves when we play games with our fitness efforts. There is no half-way living a healthy life. Not giving our best to achieve our fitness goals is evident in more ways than a scale measurement. Do you like what you see in the mirror? How do you feel overall? These are also great ways to know if you're being true to your fitness program. 

The scale game robs us of being able to achieve our best health and body. When the purpose of the scale is to justify eating off track or exercising less, it removes the positive benefit of keeping track of our weight. Weighing one time per week for accountability can be a healthy thing, but when it turns into an ugly game of number manipulation for a food frenzy this is the opposite of being healthy. 

Success will never come from games or lack of commitment to your goals. The results will come from consistent healthy food choices coupled with regular exercise. The scale has nothing to do with our choices and is simply a helpful tool to let us know how we're doing with our weight loss program. When it is misused, it really can be detrimental to our goals. 

If the 'scale game' is an active part of a health program then it really isn't a health program. This may be a good time to dump the scale and start applying healthy accountability methods that align with our fitness efforts. 

Remember, it's all fun and games until your jeans don't fit anymore. 
  


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