It’s not possible to be any more perfect than I’ve been this week and yet … the scale is up 2 lbs.
Mel and I are doing a little mini cut in preparation for a trip where we want to be a little leaner.
Nothing crazy or extreme. Just tightening up a bit.
This morning, Mel stepped on the scale and was like … WTF … I’m up a pound.
That was after her lowest calorie day.
Even as a coach, she still gets annoyed when that happens.
Same with me.
Are you frustrated by your relationship with the scale?
When you are dialed in and crushing the plan, it feels like a slap in the face when the scale is like nah … I’m just gonna do my own thing.
Even if you’re not dialed in … it’s still a slap in the face to see a number you don’t want to see.
Someone in our FB community (which you should be a part of) shared that she had a binge episode and was up 5 lbs. and feeling defeated.
There’s an important thing to remember that will hopefully change your perspective completely when shit like this happens.
Important tips to remember about the scale
Before I tell you, I have a few reminders about the scale …
– Weight is just one singular data point. It’s not the complete story. It’s possible that the scale goes up or stays the same while you get leaner and look better so use other metrics as well. Measurements, pictures, how your clothes fit, how you feel, etc.
– The scale says nothing about you as a person or your worth. It’s literally a snapshot in time of your relationship with gravity in that moment. Nothing more, nothing less.
– The scale going up in a day is not body fat gain. It’s mostly water and/or food moving through your system. Water retention can happen due to an increase in sodium, higher carbs, stress, poor sleep, that time of the month, hormonal fluctuations, soreness, being sick, recovering from an intense workout, etc. And if you ate more food than normal or even more food later in the evening, you’ll have more food moving through your digestive system which will show up on the scale.
The bottom line is this … use scale data as a TREND. One single data point is NOT a trend. We need to see the trend over a long period of time. Like months and years.
But there’s a bigger issue at play here.
I’m sure you already know everything I just outlined above.
Not exactly ground breaking info.
Your mindset is just as important (if not more important)
What’s more important is the mindset of someone who overreacts to the scale.
If the scale goes up and it ruins your day, it tells me this …
You’re in it for the wrong reasons.
You’re in it for the outcome and not for the process.
You want to see the top of the mountain but you don’t want to enjoy the journey of scaling the mountain.
The work, the process, the journey … they’re all conditional to you.
It’s only worth it if the outcome is what you want it to be.
That’s a slippery slope.
That’s a great way to fall down the mountain every damn time and have to start at the bottom again.
Imagine treating other areas of your life like that.
“Hey honey, I’m willing to take out the trash and help clean up around the house, but only if you have sex with me every day.”
Well … our relationship was great, but then one day I took out the trash and cleaned up around the house but I didn’t get sex. WTF! This process isn’t working!
You have to admit, my analogies are hilarious 😉
The process of building a healthy relationship is never linear.
Some days are better than others. There will be setbacks. There will be arguments.
The gift is in the process. The learning, the growth, the evolution that happens as a result of being invested in the process, regardless of the day to day outcomes.
Often times the best lessons come from a big fight.
Just like we can learn lessons from days that we implode with our nutrition.
The danger of using a results based outlook to determine success is this …
You might be on the worst plan ever. You might be tanking your metabolism and destroying your relationship with food …
But if the scale is going down, you may deem that as a success.
On the flip side, you could be on the best plan ever. Feeling amazing. Getting stronger and more confident by the day.
But if the scale goes up a bit, you may deem that as a failure.
Remember, the process IS the shortcut.
Take a step back, put things in perspective, and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.
It’s not for a number. It’s for something deeper.
Now … go take out the trash and clean up around the house so you can get laid more often than not.
Ok, what I really meant to say was … go do something today that your future self will thank you for 🙂
