Why You Shouldn’t Measure Weight-loss by the Scale

Weight-loss can be addicting. Watching the scale, counting numbers, dieting, lessening caloric intake. It seems like a chore; a slow, torturous chore. You never feel like your numbers are dropping quick enough even though you are following the diet exactly as prescribed and counting your calories to make sure you are under your 1500 calorie limit. “Could it get much worse?”, you think. “How do people lose weight and keep it off when it’s this difficult and so SLOW?”

Then you lose the weight, you start thinking you’re feeling better about yourself, and decide to stop your diet. You gain the weight back, but this time it comes back even worse. You get angry, frustrated and even depressed. Why try when this is the outcome?

Losing weight shouldn’t be a chore. It should NEVER be only watching the numbers come off the scale. Why? Because if this is how you lose weight, it will always come back.

Here are common thoughts I hear with my weight-loss clients, “I will feel better once I get to *this* weight.” “I’ll be happier once I lose weight.” These thoughts tend to be followed by this comment, “I can’t believe I thought I was overweight when I was *this* weight. I wish I could be back there now.”

If you weren’t happy then, what makes you believe you will be happy with yourself at that weight now?

Weight-loss is not about the scale. Weight-loss is about how you feel. About yourself, about your body, about your spiritual health, about your nutrition. Weight-loss is learning to love yourself.

In a study done by Jackson et al. (2014), about 2,000 overweight and obese adults were tested for depression. The conclusions were as followed: “Weight loss over four years in initially healthy overweight/obese older adults was associated with reduction in

cardio-metabolic risk but no psychological benefit, even when changes in health and life stresses were accounted for. These results highlight the need to investigate the emotional consequences of weight loss.”

Summarization: weight loss does not equal happiness. As you may already know, not being happy can lead to more weight-gain. If we know that weight-loss doesn’t equal happiness, then what can you do to create weight-loss that not only sticks, but makes you happier?

Focus on your mental health.

Meditate, read books to better yourself, have stimulating conversation, find a job that doesn’t cause you too much stress, or start loving and enjoying the job you have now. Say kind things to yourself, and continue to say them over and over. Love yourself and love others. Your mental health is number one, not just in weight-loss, but in your life. Once you accept yourself as you are and love your body as it is, that is when real growth, weight-loss and happiness will begin to happen. You. Are. Beautiful. It’s time you start believing that yourself. You will be astounded by the results you begin to see.

Focus on your nutrition.

This is REAL nutrition, not diet nutrition. Learn the world “lifestyle”, because that is what a change in your diet should become. If you cannot live on the diet you decide to try, it will be a short term fix, not life-long growth. If you live off of bars, shakes, “diet” drinks or foods, it is not a sustaining way to lose weight. Ask yourself, “What do I know about nutrition? Have I ever cooked a real ‘whole-foods’ meal? Do I really understand what protein, carbohydrates and fats are? Have I ever had a meal where nothing came out of a bag or box?” If any of these sound like something you have thought and don’t know the answer to, your nutrition needs to be a priority. Find a nutritionist, dietitian or a functional medicine doctor. They are all amazing ways to start learning about nutrition and how you can properly feed your body.

Focus on how you feel.

It’s very rare for someone to be overweight and not have “side-effects”. These can include: trouble sleeping, asthma, acid reflux, trouble losing weight, hair-loss, abdominal cramping/issues, bathroom irregularities, IBS, IBD, swollen extremities, shortness of breath, lower back pain, muscle soreness/achiness, autoimmune disorders, etc…

Pay attention to these side-effects that you may have. Once you start bettering your mental health and your nutrition, how do these things change? Do they get better? Lessen? Go away completely? Without even weighing yourself, you can notice the weight-loss significantly in other areas. You will also be able to understand your body more, you’ll know when you are doing what is right or what isn’t right for your body.

Remember, happiness isn’t in numbers. Happiness is in self-love and treating your body the way it was meant to be treated. If you weigh yourself everyday, start with every other day and see if you can get yourself to once a week. Maybe even once a month. The weight isn’t the important part of weight-loss, finding yourself and loving yourself is.

Follow @belmondolifetyle for more self-love and nutrition information. Love you all.

Sincerely,

Coach Madison