THE TRUTH-

The belief that you are only winning on your weight loss journey when you are losing on the scales is a truly damaging one that needs to be redefined, as it can significantly undermine the effort you are putting in.

All the scales actually provide is a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. They are incapable of measuring the non-scale victories — such as mental progress, habit-breaking, confidence growth, or achieving personal bests — which are all huge indicators of progress and far more relevant to long-term success. Yet, these are often completely overlooked when success is judged solely by the number on the scales.

In fact, not only are the scales not the most important measure of success — they aren’t even the most accurate.

There are countless contributing factors to the number you see on the scales on any given day. You may see a higher number than expected for several reasons:

* If you’ve consumed a lot of salt recently, your body may be holding on to water.

* If you’ve done an intense workout, the scale may go up temporarily due to muscle inflammation. This does not mean you’ve gained fat.

* If you’re a woman, you’ll likely have noticed that at certain times of the month, your weight increases. Hormonal changes bring temporary weight fluctuations.

So, whilst checking in on your weight occasionally is fine, it is not advisable to fixate on the scales or use them as your main indicator of progress as doing so can damage your motivation, discipline and focus when the results don’t align with your expectations.

I was a compulsive ‘weigher’ during my dieting days — I’ll admit I used to weigh myself up to three times a week. And when the number didn’t reflect my efforts, it always led to a loss of motivation and often to bingeing.

That’s why, when I decided to work on my mind instead, I stopped weighing myself entirely. I recognised that I had developed an unhealthy mental association between weighing and dieting. Instead, I decided to track my progress through photos and positive health indicators like:

* Improved energy

* Clearer skin

* Balanced hormones

* Healthy sleep patterns

* Overall wellbeing

But initially the habit of compulsive weighing was hard to break due to how ingrained in my routine the habit was, so I had to rewire my brain to stop that compulsion, and you may need to do this too by using the re-wire audio below.

Once you no longer rely on the scales you can try journalling your overall progress instead which is incredibly helpful for the days when you might find yourself struggling.

In reviewing these entries you can remind me of the mental and physical growth you have achieved, which gives you that reassurance that you are progressing.

One thing I can guarantee is this: if you improve your emotional and mental well-being, the physical results will follow. It’s a natural by-product of the changes you’re making to your mindset, habits, and behaviour.

One thing I can guarantee is this: if you improve your emotional and mental well-being, the physical results will follow. It’s a natural by-product of the changes you’re making to your mindset, habits, and behaviour.