Why I'm Throwing Out The Scale. For Good.

Down a few pounds?  I feel amazing.  Up a couple of pounds?  I feel bad about myself and wonder what I can be doing to improve that number.  Hmm…Restrict my calories?  Add in some extra miles this week?  Say no to dessert?  None of that sounds fun, but that’s what I would do.  I would let the scale dictate how I felt about myself and then based my actions on that number.  It’s not healthy.  That number does not define me. 

It has taken multiple rounds of Whole30 for me to realize this.  I’m an active person, I eat healthy (whether doing Whole30 or not) and let myself indulge when it’s worth it to me.  That number on the scale has so many other factors to it that I don’t always consider.  For example…if I’m retaining a lot of water, the time of day I weigh myself, if I’m not sleeping well and/or stressed out, if I have sore muscles from a workout, if it’s almost that time of the month, etc.  I decided for 2019, that I was absolutely not going to let that number on the scale define me anymore. 

One of the rules of Whole30 is to ditch your scale for the 30 days.   You are resetting your habits and relationship around food and if you do end losing weight at the end, well then that’s just an added benefit.  It’s not about the weight you lose, it’s about the old habits you lose during your Whole30 while on your way to your own version of food freedom.   Like I tell my clients over and over again…that number on the scale doesn’t define you.  PERIOD.  So…why was I still letting it define me?  Whenever I am Whole30’ing…I feel like my best possible self and I feel one of the biggest factors is because I am not weighing myself during that time.

This has been a long habit-breaking process for me because I grew up in a diet culture where everyone was cutting out carbs, counting points, eating fat-free “diet” food, and drinking meal replacement shakes that honestly had no real nutritional value to them.  None of that is fulfilling or sustainable (hence the millions of “diets” out there).  You try one….lose some weight…then gain it back because being totally carb free forever, for example, will not happen.

So…I’m ditching the scale for 2019!  That number doesn’t matter to me.  If my pants fit me well and I can see some definition, then I know I am on track with my health and fitness goals.  If not, then I know how to reel it in to help me FEEL my best.  This is just another form of self-care that I am adopting for myself. 

Know what does matter to me though?  My faith.  My family.  My friends.  The number of people I’m helping feel amazing too (body & mind) through my Whole30 Coaching programs and if I am leading with a servant’s heart in everything that I do.    

Leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram if you’re going to join me in ditching the scale as well for 2019!