By Colleen Mimnaugh
Director of Nutrition, Coaching Manager and Fitness Coach

Are you trying to overcome the insecurities you have about your body with a specific number on the scale? Is it working? If I had to take a guess, I’d say, no. Why? Because a number on the scale is never going to fill the void you are feeling or the insecurities you have about the way your body looks.

A number or weight on the scale is just that, a number. It can’t make you feel happy, sad, discouraged or encouraged unless you allow it to. The reason you feel happy when you step on the scale and your weight is down is because you have achieved something, worked hard and gotten results. That feeling of happiness stems from your hard work, not from an actual number. The reverse is also true. The reason you feel sad when you step on the scale and the number isn’t what you want to see, may be because you’ve worked hard and had expected a drop or because you didn’t work as hard as you know you should have and it shows. The number itself does not make you feel a certain way, rather what it’s telling you makes you feel that way.

This leads me to ask a question. Why do you let the scale affect your mood? You can wake up perfectly happy, feeling awesome about a workout you did, the way your body looks, etc. and then you step onto the scale and feel miserable. An inanimate object made your mood shift in what, 30 seconds? Why? Again, there must be something deeper than just a number controlling your mood. And here it is, it’s you. You govern your mood.

We’ve all come to the realization, at one point or another, when we step on the scale that the number we see is not why we’re unhappy. There’s something more, something deeper that is affecting our happiness and the scale is allowing it to surface. Remember the scale is only a tool, nothing more. It’s a tool to help you determine if you may need to make a shift in your diet or not. However, the way you feel about your body has to come from you. It can’t come from a number, society or others. If you’re constantly looking for happiness and security by reaching a number or looking like a certain celebrity does, you’re never going to reach it. And ultimately that’s not what’s going to make you happy. Feeling good in your own skin (and figuring out what that feels like for you), being the healthiest version of yourself, eating right, having a healthy relationship with food (both healthy and unhealthy), exercising, being in healthy relationships, and being well-balanced in your mind, body and soul are what will bring you true happiness.

Stop trying to overcome your insecurities with a number on a bathroom scale or by the number of likes on a social media post. Instead figure out what those insecurities are, why you have them, and how you can build confidence in yourself!

My challenge to you is to stop using the scale to determine everything in your health journey. Reevaluate your goals and make sure you are working towards the best version of yourself. Having a number goal is okay but have more than just that. Really dig deep and determine what is making you feel insecure or unhappy and wrap your goals around that. Try to be the best and healthiest version of yourself throughout your journey.