You see this?

Do you have one?

Are you an MMA fighter that needs to weigh in for a match? No?
Are you measuring out grain to feed to your livestock? No?
Then throw it out!

Scales are misleading.
This one piece of equipment can ruin your day AND can actually set you back in your wellness journey.

The average person's weight can fluctuate as much as 1-3 pounds in a day and as much as 5 pounds in a weekend. How reliable of a measure is that?

Losing weight is counterproductive if you're not just losing fat, but losing muscle as well.
Many weight loss programs are low-calorie and aerobic-exercise based so that participants are losing weight, yes, but it's not all fat weight.
That kind of program targets burning calories but does not help your body to specifically burn your excess fat stores, so you're most likely just going to end up being "skinny fat" and having difficulty keeping fat away in the future.

Muscle is what gets us lean.
Muscle makes us strong.
Muscle makes us...awesome.

Lots of folks have the idea, "I'll get skinny, then I'll go to the gym."
Or, "If I lose weight, then you'll be able to see my muscles and I'll look toned."
Or worse, "If I can drop ___lbs then I will love my body and feel the freedom to wear a bathing suit at the beach."
You know what I'm saying.
And logically they think that food makes them fat, so they will start to eat less and when they do eat they will eat "healthy".
This approach might work for 5% of the population (if that!), but realistically for most of us, especially as we age, this is not the road to take.
When we restrict calories and participate in low-intensity aerobic exercise,  we lose muscle.
Without muscle, we burn fewer calories so we have to eat less and less and less...
I don't know about you, but I do not believe that eating less and less food or being on some crazy restrictive diet is the way to live...unless you think you'd enjoy becoming a raging hungry lunatic.
 

Make lifestyle changes so that you are moving towards enjoying your healthfull life!
Slowly incorporate efficient forms of exercise (like weight lifting) to build muscle and target fat, stress-relieving activities (yoga, leisure walks, massage) to help your body stop holding on to stubborn fat, and eat a diet that is built upon whole foods that are mostly lean protein and veggies but INCLUDES your favorite items too so that you can sustain the diet long term.

If you want to measure success in fitness and nutrition, don't look to your scale, pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.
Look at your energy levels, your food cravings, and ask yourself, "Do I feel healthfull and happy, am I taking ownership over my daily movement (exercise and otherwise) and eating while enjoying the process?"

And if it's a love for your body that you seek,  lower number on the scale isn't going to give you that.
Many of the thinnest people in the world hate their bodies...
Instead, love on your body by nourishing it, strengthening it, allowing it to be a reflection of the person you are on the inside, both today and in the future.
Then you will truly love it and all that it does for you.

This is how you succeed.

This is how you get to a place of healthful and happy living.

So toss out that scale out on the curb.

 

Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14.