By: Tricia
I want to just spend some time talking about non scale victories. We’ve talked in the past about how Y you know about the consequences of using the scale as your only true measure of health. And so today I wanted to talk about some other measures that we can use to really figure out if we’re making and getting where we want to be in terms of our health South Carolina’s goals. Before we start, I want to remind you, I have a freebie over on my website, which I think is pretty awesome. It’s called meal planning made easy, and it’s a free guide, and it is meant to be used, especially when you have a week. That’s super crazy. And it’s just some ideas to really make and streamline the meal, prepping and planning process.
So I wanted to spend some time talking about these non-scale victories, because I think a lot of us measure our progress in terms of what our, you know, what we’re doing for our health, really based on the scale for most of us, it is weight. Many of us have this like really unhealthy and fearful relationship with the scale and the weigh ins that you do end up being this like do or die moment, this like moment of truth. Like all of a sudden this number on the scale is going to decide your self worth. It’s going to tell you like, Oh my gosh, am I going to binge today because of the consequence of this, or am I going to be really restrictive today, depending on what the scale says over time with those like multiple weigh ins, the scale becomes like this soul crushing experience reminding us of like, maybe we’re not doing enough, or we aren’t doing it fast enough, but just overall, the questions are enough and this, and that’s a real problem, right?
So we put a lot of our emotional weight into this, an adamant object called a scale. The crazy part of all of it is that nobody sees the scale, but you, and it’s like this like that the number, whatever it is on there is like the shameful little secret that we carry around. And so I don’t always recommend, you know, in general, I think weighing and using a gal can be really, you know, I think it can be really detrimental, but obviously you’re going to do what’s best for you, but I want to remind you that there are other measures of success besides the scale. You know, when we talk about this scale, one reason why it gets really tricky is because there’s a lot of things that the scout doesn’t account for, right? So if you’re in the middle of making some really great health changes and you really feel like you’re doing a great job, and then all of a sudden, you’re not like it’s not that like all that hard work and sacrifice isn’t reflected in the scout.
You know, there are a lot of reasons for that. And it could be, you know, that it could be like related to what you ate that day. It could be related to how much water you drank that day, or if you’re dehydrated, it could depend on what kind of physical activity you did. It could depend on, you know, if you’re moving your bowels or not, it can depends on fluctuating hormone levels. So there’s all these things at the scale doesn’t account for another one is that the scale, you know, really can’t differentiate between if you’re gaining muscle or if you’re eating fat mass, or if you have fluid. So nobody actually knows just by the scale what the body composition is. So if you’re making these health changes and you’re not seeing results on the scale, something else could be contributing to that. Like, again, like you could be having an increase in muscle mass.
So the problem with this gal is that it produces these like negative feelings. And so for a lot of people, it ends up being this like session with the number on the scale. Again, that nobody sees that is this trigger point for shame. And so it could be like, you then ends up like overeating depending on what is on the scale or under eating. So it does this like, crazy, like this like crazy cycle of like dieting, depending on what it is, even though the three seconds before you even got on that scale, maybe you were feeling so confident and that you were doing everything right. And there’s just something about that number that just is like, Oh, I don’t think I am doing the right thing. Or just like, you know, really messes with our head. So one of the things about this gal is that it can lead to like, self-sabotage, self-doubt, you know, not feeling like you’re not, not feeling like you’re worthy.
So the scout, isn’t the only way to determine success, especially when it comes to health changes that you’re in, that you’re really trying hard to make. So today I want to spend some time talking about these like non scale victories and to celebrate them because when you’re in the process of making a change to your health, that’s positive, it’s not always going to be reflect the number on the scale. It may in fact be reflected upon these like little changes that happen along the way that are so subtle, that all of the sudden, maybe after six months you might be like, Oh my gosh, look at me, look at all these changes that I made. So I want to spend some time talking about them so that you can really start to, you know, become a little bit more aware of all the benefits of what you’re doing and all your hard work has been.
So what are examples of some non-scale victories? Well, first I’m, we’ll go through a list of different ones. So to start, I think a big one is to feel like you have more energy. So if you feel like you’re eating better, you’re drinking more water. Maybe you’re exercising more chances are, you’re going to feel like you have more energy because you’re not sitting on the couch all the time. So you, that may be reflected in like having like increased clarity and focus on what you’re doing. It might mean that you are able to like run after kids a little bit more than you could before. That’s a really big deal. And that’s way better than what the number on the scale is going to tell you, cause that’s much more functional. And that is a way that, like, it really changes your quality of life.
You could have, you can ends up feeling more confident in your skin because you feel like you’re more functional and you’re able to do more things. You could feel like you are better able to manage your emotions and cope with stress. That’s a really big one. Right? So maybe previously, before you were making the health changes, maybe you felt like you were out of control and crazy, but now you feel like, all right, I got this, I know what stresses me out. I know how to manage that. That’s a pretty great victory. I would say in there you could have decreased measurements. So instead of using this scale, maybe you have a tape measure and you measure your waist or something like that, just so that you can verify that, you know, what you’re doing is working. So, you know, taking your own measurements, it might not even be that it might even be something like you feel stronger.
And so, you know, maybe you’ve decided that you’re going to use weights and you feel stronger. And at first, maybe you couldn’t really, you know, maybe you’re only using like a three pound week and you’d get only do like a couple of reps. And now maybe you can do a 10 pound weight and you can do more than that. That’s pretty great. Or maybe you at the beginning, you know, could only walk a little bit and now your endurance is increased and maybe now you can walk a half an hour. Well, that’s a wonderful, because that is going to affect your quality of life. Way more than that number on the scale. So look for things like, if you’re any stronger, if you feel like you have more endurance, if you feel like you’re able to walk further than you had before, and you’re not out of breath, or maybe you’re able to walk more time each day or more miles each day while that’s pretty, that’s pretty great.
And remember, like you’re doing the behaviors. So as long as you keep doing the behaviors, you’re going to have these non-scale victories along the way, because you’re doing what you need to do to get to where you need to be. You know, maybe you’re able to like better have a better relationship when it comes to food. Well, that’s a really big one because it doesn’t matter what that scale says because their relationship with food is I think the biggest victory in all of this. So if you’re somebody who always I know ate, and you had no idea, cause you never listened to your body and you didn’t know really what your body was telling you. And then all of a sudden you’re able to like identify when you’re hungry or maybe you’re like really able to be like, okay, I’m satisfied and I’m not hungry.
Well, I would say that’s the biggest victory of them all. That’s pretty great. And that’s an awesome non-scale victory. Maybe you are better able to be mindful about what you eat or maybe you’re able to pay attention a little bit more to what you’re eating. That is amazing. I think an easy way to is to really, you know, if you’re somebody I’ve worked with women before, who can’t get on the scale at all, because it triggers so much negative emotion for them. And so the easiest thing to do is probably instead of getting on the scale, just trying to figure out how your clothes fit, because then over time you’ll be like, okay, this is a little bit more loose. And then this one, and then this one, it could be for somebody else. It could be that maybe you are able to shop in a clothing store that you hadn’t been able to shop in before.
Well, that’s got to feel great. My gosh, what if you are, have like that, you feel like you’re having like an enhanced overall quality of life that you’re able to do more things with your kids. And you’re able to do more things as a family. Maybe if you want to go for a walk every night or ride bikes every night, maybe that’s something that you’re now able to do that you previously weren’t able to do. Other examples of non-scale victories, which I think can be really subtle, but pretty amazing, especially if you are consistently able to do it is that you have like that you’re eating more fruits and vegetables or maybe you’re drinking more water and less alcohol. That’s pretty great. Maybe you’re having an improve digestive health. So maybe before you were eating such crap all the time that maybe you were constipated or your bowels were all over the place.
And now you’re actually like pooping and having like regular bowel movements and your GI and digestive system feels like it’s much more regular and you feel much better in that way. I think GI health has like very under, like talked about, and it’s the kinder is so much in people live. So maybe that’s a really great small, small victory or a non-scale victory that you experienced along the way. Maybe it could be something like you feel like you’re getting more sleep and that you feel like more control over just your life in general. That’s some really awesome things that I think are better actually than anything that this gal could tell you because the scale doesn’t tell you any of that. And then I think the biggest non-scale victory is an improved, like improved number. So if you’re someone who has had like high cholesterol or high triglycerides are high diabetes, you know, all of a sudden normalizing those numbers, that’s a really big deal in terms of disease risk.
And then also, you know, maybe if you’re even able to prevent going on medicine or going off of medicine, if you’ve already had that diagnosis, I mean, that’s gotta be amazing when it comes to a non-scale victory. So when it comes to health, you know, I think the takeaway here is to concentrate on things that are non-scale victories that really will, you know, I almost feel like they’re more important in some ways, because they’re going to be these little benchmarks away along the way, and they’re going to be so subtle and they’re going to just be these little great things that we may not even, I bet they’re going to be something that you’re just kind of like, Oh my God, I can’t believe I did that, but not really celebrate it. So the takeaway is to celebrate those small victories because they’re awesome. And if you keep celebrating them, then your quality of life and your health is going to be so much better improve than just looking at that number on the scale, which by the way, it doesn’t tell you anything about your lifestyle.
It doesn’t tell you, you know, it doesn’t do accounts or tell you like, Oh, you ate like so many fruits and veggies yesterday. And look, you had you meditated yesterday or, Oh my gosh, you exercise yesterday or any of those really great things it’s got, doesn’t tell you any of that. So let’s start thinking about redirecting our focus from this gal to these non-scale victories that really are these subtle like wins that we need to celebrate so that we can stay motivated and doing all the health things that you want to do to get to your goals. So let’s focus on, you know, seeing the achievement in that and then trying to maintain that consistency. And then the heaver surrounding that consistency rather than focusing on the scout, remember like you are not your weight, regular healthy behaviors and celebrating those non-scale victories are really the things that are going to help improve your health and self-worth and feeling that you’re not making that commitment every day to yourself to work on the behaviors and celebrating those victories will get you going in the right direction, focus on the behaviors and the victories that are non-scale related.
Because as long as you keep doing the behaviors and practicing and acknowledging those non-scale victories, you’re going to get where you need to be and making those small changes every day are going to lead you to the goal that you have when it comes to health, wellness, or soft care. So get on out there, start thinking about your small scale victories and write them down. I want you to celebrate them because you’re doing a great job and I just want you to see how awesome and amazing you are. I’ll see you guys back here next week. Thanks for listening. If you found value in this podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on iTunes. Being a busy woman or mom doesn’t mean that we have to give up on our health wellness or self care together. We can take tiny, imperfect steps towards creating the whole health we desire and deserve. You can find us@wholehealthandpower.com or on Instagram at whole health power. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next week.
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