The scale is my enemy

After years of raising kids and working full-time, Judy was finally going on a vacation. Her husband had made all the arrangements, and they planned to leave in a few days for a trip to Florida.

The best part of this vacation was that all the expenses were being paid by her husband’s company. The package included seven glorious days in an oceanfront condo, the use of a convertible sports car and a three-day pass to Disney World.

As she left my office a few days before the trip, Judy said, “I can’t wait to leave! This is my dream vacation, and I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!”

When she returned a couple of weeks later, I expected a rave review of her trip. But instead, Judy looked depressed. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “Did something go wrong on your vacation?”

She hesitated a minute, then finally confessed. “Actually, I was miserable. Every morning I’d get up and look out at those beautiful surroundings, but then I’d wonder what I weighed. Without my scale, I never knew what kind of day to have!”

The Power of the Scale

Do you ever have days when you wake up feeling cheerful, then weigh yourself and immediately turn into a grouch? Or worse yet, do you give up on your diet program because of the number you saw on your scale?

In the same way it ruined Judy’s vacation, your scale can become your worst enemy. In fact, you can get so hooked on it that you can’t tell anymore whether it’s showing the truth or not. Eventually, this little brat will begin to affect your thoughts as well as your behaviors.

You Are Not Alone!

Sherry had a long-term love-hate relationship with her scale and was often angry with it.

“Whenever I start a new diet, I feel strong and motivated. This usually lasts for a couple of weeks because, as the scale number goes down, I can see that I’m making progress. But when I don’t lose, I get angry and frustrated.

Pretty soon, I begin to struggle with every aspect of my program. A few years ago, after a week of overeating, I got so upset that I threw my scale against the bathroom wall. Of course, the scale wasn’t even hurt, but I had to repaint the wall.”

In reality, Sherry’s anger wasn’t at the scale. She was frustrated with the way her actions were causing the scale number to go up.

During times when you’ve been slipping up on your diet plan, you’ve probably had this same response. You’re actually angry with yourself and the way you’ve been eating. But since this doesn’t feel very good, you choose to be angry at the scale instead.

Peggy had developed the habit of using the scale to confirm her failures. She said, “I recently had a terrible day and totally fell off my diet. I knew I had blown it, and the scale validated this.”

How sad! Treating your scale like an authoritarian parent does not result in weight-loss success. It only confirms your negative thoughts about yourself.

Break Your Pattern

If you routinely experience anger or discomfort with your scale, it’s time to learn how to detach yourself from it and stop letting it ruin your life.

After struggling with her scale for many years, Grace created an unusual way to make this switch.

“I was never at peace with my scale. Each morning I’d wonder which body part was responsible for that stupid number I saw between my toes. Was it my thick waist? Maybe my heavy thighs?

Then I’d engage in negative talk that would last all day (and night) until my next weigh-in. The following morning, the story would repeat itself. Finally, I decided to change what I said to myself each time I got on the scale.

I made a list of positive words that included beautiful, hot, lovely, sexy, perfect, attractive, fine, and adorable. Then I made small cards and printed a positive word on each one.

Every day when I got on the scale, I pulled a card off the stack and read it aloud. It became my mantra for that day. This simple solution has completely changed my relationship with the scale. Even though some of the words feel a little silly, they help set me up for a day that is positive, strong, and self-affirming instead of negative and powerless.”

Instead of having your scale be an aggravating, frustrating enemy, let’s flip your relationship with it around! With a few simple changes in your thinking, you can turn your scale into a powerful ally in your weight-loss efforts.

Remember, when you let it ruin your day or cause you to eat, the scale wins. To overcome this, focus on self-care and staying on track, regardless of what the scale says.

Because my book Friends with the Scale is going out of print next year, I am posting it one chapter at a time. This was Chapter 2.