Any woman who has ever wanted to lose weight riding her bike has had to come to terms with her relationship with the scale.

Let’s face it, sometimes it feels like we let that little hunk of metal hold SO much power.

We have all been there…we have been doing “good”, doing “all the things”, and we hop on the scale with optimism only to be crushed by that stupid little (or in our minds too big) number.

I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with women over the years about just this thing, and I am guessing that you have 100% done the same and had the same chats.

And, depending on who you follow on social media, there are these before and after photos (can we all just agree to NOT anymore with those?) and so many women make it seem like it’s so easy to lose weight…and yet…you get on the scale and are feeling very “here we go again..” as you watch the number go up and up.

If you have ever wanted to pick up your scale and fling it out the window, or simply smash it into several tiny pieces, then, my friend this is the episode for you. We are going to talk about how to have a healthier approach to that number, AND how to have a better relationship with our scale IF we decide we want to use it in our weight loss journey at all. 

#1: Decide intentionally if you are going to even weigh yourself at all.  

This approach puts YOU in the driver seat. And as the driver, the first thing you are going to decide is if you are going to use the scale in your weight loss journey AT ALL.

Yes! You heard me right. It is TOTALLY up to you if you are even going to BOTHER with the scale.

Now, I will say that I am 100% an advocate for using the scale as just one of many markers for MY personal fitness progress, but this is what works for ME.

You get to decide what works for YOU. And, if the number on the scale results in you finding yourself in the fetal position on the bathroom floor then maybe weighing yourself is NOT a good idea of the best approach.

Likewise, if you find yourself feeling like you need to restrict all of the things, and feel like that number has so much power over your decisions, you may want to leave this tool as something you consider down the line, if you ever want to incorporate it at all.

If you have had a really tumultuous relationship with the scale in the past then I am a huge proponent of waiting a bit until you have worked out some of the kinks in your thoughts about your body FIRST.

#2 Decide how often you will weigh yourself and be consistent.

Remember, you are the one in control. YOU get to decide how often you are going to weigh yourself and how you are going to track your progress.

When you make this choice I would like you to consider how you have thought about the scale in the past. Has the relationship been pretty healthy? Or do you find yourself obsessing over the number?

How you choose to proceed is completely up to you. I will share my experience, but everyone is different, so what works for me might not work for you.

When I lost 50 pounds riding my bike I decided that I was going to weigh myself every day, but not be rigid about it if I didn’t feel like it or if I missed a day.

The reason why was that I wanted to be consistent, and in the past I hated those programs that did weekly weigh-ins because I thought it was SO annoying when the scale was up that I had to wait another week for another shot.

I decided I would weigh myself each morning, before I drank my 16 oz of water, after I went to the bathroom, and without clothes.

For me, I found this to really desensitize me to the ups and downs. I realized that the fluctuations were totally normal and that it wasn’t anything I was doing or not doing that was causing them. 

#3: Work on changing your thoughts about that number.  

This one is huge. I maybe should have put it first.

Here’s the thing. The number is just a number. Full stop. It doesn’t mean a darn thing until you assign meaning to it or allow someone else to assign meaning to it.

It is a snapshot in time of what your body is doing at that moment. That’s it!

Numbers can’t be good or bad. They just are. They are neutral. If, for example, a doctor says that number means you’re obese…so what? I have been obese most of my adult life. In fact? According to my BMI, even after losing my weight and keeping it off, I hover between overweight and obese. The history of BMI is fascinating if you want to do a little research, this article from the National Institute of Health should get you started.

The bottom line though, is it’s complete BS. It was developed in the 1800s to measure the health of the “normal man.”  It doesn’t take into account muscle density, body composition, ethnic body differences, and other health markers. 

At the end of the day, the number on the scale is just a number that goes up and down and provides you with one piece of data. That’s it. It’s just science, and very incomplete science at that.

#4: Use that number as just one measure of progress (and NOT the most important one). 

Which brings me to my next point…the number on the scale, if used at all, should only be just one measure of your progress. There are SO many things that are SO much more important.

Such as, how do you feel? Do you feel strong? Healthy? Are you building muscle? Are you moving your body and feeling good? How are your clothes fitting? How are things shifting?

I found that my quads in particular got bigger when I started riding my bike regularly. My leggings around them got tighter, but this was a GOOD thing. I was building muscle and making my legs stronger!

As you move through the process of making changes to your body and exploring how you think and feel about these changes, I would love for you to really think about what is the MOST important to you. Is it the number on the scale? Is it how you look? Or is it how you FEEL? We will be continuing to discuss and explore this topic in future episodes, but I would love for you to start being really mindful about how you think of your body, how amazing it is, and how much it can and DOES do for you every single day. 

#5: See how it goes, and adjust as needed. 

One of the most important things to keep in mind when you are trying to get stronger and fitter riding your bike is that you can always change things up.

If you are weighing yourself once a week and feel like you get all nervous for that one weigh in? Try seeing what it’s like weighing yourself more often! If weighing yourself every day feels like too much of a chore, then space it out a bit.

If it’s really upsetting to you and you find it demoralizing then stop. I would love it if you were able to work on neutralizing your thoughts about the scale and seeing the number as just a number, but if you aren’t ready for that that’s OK.

Intentionally do what feels good and makes sense for you. Then you are much more likely to see the results you want as long as you are keeping your health and fitness front of mind.

A Final Note 

I know that you may have had years of a really tough relationship with the scale. One that has probably led to instances of frustration, restriction, and even panic.

Making a commitment today to start to heal that relationship, whatever that means for you, is an amazing first step in the process of getting the permanent results that you want.

It may mean that the scale just isn’t the right tool for you right now, and that’s OK. If you do choose to use it, that’s also OK, but please be intentional about how you incorporate it into your weight loss journey.

For example, if you notice that it’s leading you to make not-so-healthy choices for your nutrition and your movement just to see that number go down? It might not be the right tool or the right time for you to be using it.

But, if you find that it’s just one piece of information that helps you make better choices overall, and you aren’t getting super worked up about it? Then you might find it useful.

What works for YOU in terms of your relationship with the scale? I would love to know! DM me on Instagram and let me know.

A mindful approach to your relationship with the scale takes all of the power away from the scale and puts it in your hands, right where it belongs.

Ride on! 

xoxo
Stacy