Stop Associating Your Self Worth with the Number on the Scale

Losing weight and becoming fit is a journey. For many people on that journey, there are often pitfalls. One of these pitfalls: the scale. Just the thought of stepping on the scale gives some women anxiety. Sadly our society has a very specific image of the “ideal” woman….as if there is such a thing. So it’s hard not to let it get us down when we don’t fit that ideal, even if we’re working towards it. This kind of thinking drags you down and can water down the excitement you feel as you work towards becoming healthier. Building self worth is all about reminding yourself of what makes you awesome in order to dispel those negative thoughts!

Look at the big picture

There’s the saying: see the forest for the trees. We should be looking at the whole forest rather than focusing on individual trees. Likewise, when it comes to weight, we should instead look at the big picture. If you weighed yourself every day, you’d find that one day you lose a pound, the next day you gain a pound and a half, the next day you lose half a pound, etc. This type of fluctuation is normal, and why it’s not advisable to weigh yourself every day. But the point is, by the end of the week, you may end up having lost a pound or two overall. Similarly, try not to get discouraged if you don’t see the number on the scale creeping down each and every week. One week you may lose a pound, the next you may gain one, and yet again the week after that you may lose two. The important thing is to take a step back and look at your total weight loss, rather than let an off week get to you. Graphing your weight loss helps with seeing how far you’ve come and will lead to self worth improvement.

How do you feel?

While trying to become healthier/more fit, it’s a good idea to keep a journal. In this book, write down all your thoughts as you go through the process of losing weight and becoming more fit. Start off with your initial feelings, a list of things you may find hard because of your fitness level, etc. Once you start on your journey, return to that first page often to see how you’ve changed. This is more important than how much weight you’ve lost. Maybe you’ve only lost 2 pounds in 3 weeks and are feeling discouraged…but climbing up a flight of stairs left you breathless before, while now you can go up 3 flights before feeling out of breath. Maybe daily exercise and making healthier eating choices has left you with a more positive outlook on life. Maybe you went down a pants size. Maybe you’re losing fat so you’re looking thinner, but gaining muscle (which is denser than fat) which makes the scale look like it’s not moving.

The importance of self worth

You are more than just a number on the scale. It’s just that, a number. Your sense of self worth should have no connection with a number, but sadly, for many women this is the case. Appreciate how far you’ve come, rather than obsessing over how far you have yet to go. The fact you’re here, reading this blog post on a fitness website, shows that you’re making an all important step towards your health! Whenever you’re feeling down about your weight, think instead about how far you’ve come in your weight loss journey. Remind yourself of how strong you had to be to take those initial steps and stick with it! For more help and encouragement, join the Mother Strong League!