The scale is something I think we can all admit to vilifying to some degree in our lives.  Whether the scale is actually the devil itself to you or whether it simply is an object you dislike, the scale can illicit feelings that many of us don’t care to face.

And beyond what the scale reads, there’s also nothing worse than the inconsistency of scales. You weigh yourself on your home bathroom scale and then go to a doctor’s scale and you’ve gained 19 pounds. Or you go on your bathroom scale and then a scale at your Weight Watchers meeting and there’s always a 4 pound difference. Who in fact should we believe? Who has the “master scale?” It literally leaves us so confused.  Talk about trust issues.

Many of us also have scale rituals. We’ll only step on a scale at a certain time, in certain clothes, on a certain scale. For example, who in their right mind is stepping on the scale the day after Christmas or the day after a week-long vacation? And who isn’t stepping on that scale the day after a week-long stomach virus or a week of dieting?

Being at the doctor so frequently the past 9 months, I’ve had to try to come to terms with the scale. Not in the sense of weight gain because of pregnancy (I know that’s going to happen and I welcome it) but I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I have to step on the scale so regularly and at random. My doctors’ appointments have fallen on Mondays after holidays, days after my birthday, at 7:40 pm at night when I’ve been eating and drinking all day long or worse, after days of pregnancy constipation (TMI).

I was hoping that the past 9 months of constantly stepping on the scale at the doctor so often would bring me a “scale a ha moment,” one I’ve been searching for my entire life. One I could carry with me after pregnancy. One that helps me make peace with the scale. I’m sad to say it hasn’t brought me the game changing a ha moment I’ve been longing for. I still panic at the thought of seeing the number on the scale and still feel unsettling anxiety on days I know I need to weigh myself.

BUT here are 3 things I have learned about the scale.
First, the reality:
1. The scale is simply a means for information. It tells you what you weigh. It’s information to use if you’ve gained weight, it’s information to use if you’ve lost weight. It helps you understand how the food you’ve been eating is affecting your weight.

Second, the emotional:

2. Nothing important about you or your life changes with the scale. You are still exactly who you were: a mother, sister, wife, friend, student, career women, etc. None of your best qualities will ever be described as what you weigh. The reason everyone loves you isn’t because of what you weigh, it’s because of who you are.

Third, the facts:
3. The scale fluctuates based on SO many things. What you ate, what you drank, if you pooped, if you ate a lot of carbs, if you worked out, if you’re dehydrated. Take all these things into consideration. There’s absolutely NO need to be stepping on the scale the day after Christmas, or the day after a Super Bowl Party. That’s abuse to yourself. Wait 4 days and then step on.

So if by chance you’re in a rough mood this morning and the scale has anything to do with it, or if you fear your past couple weeks of bad habits has the scale creeping up, let this ease your mind and put a smile on your face.   Unfortunately, if you’ve ever struggled with weight this is the self-talk you need to do. It’s just a part of life 💕