This book is so timely.
When I was first approached about reviewing Friends with the Scale: How to Turn Your Scale Into a Powerful Weight Loss Tool by Linda Spangle, RN, MA I couldn’t help but think about my own angst about the scale. At a recent medical visit I kept thinking about what I could do to ‘fool the scale’ into showing a lower weight*. Surely my sneakers weighed about 5 pounds. Well, not really and so I asked the nurse to write down the number and not share it with me.
* From her book, this is Power Key #2: Remember that I can’t trick the scale.
I’ll include a review and other tips from her book in another post, however, I also reviewed Linda Spangle’s ‘8 Ways to Have a Healthy Relationship with Your Scale’ and I know you will connect with these (I’m connecting with 5 & 6). These are also in the book and so much more.
Please include a comment about the one that helps you the most.
8 Ways to Have a Healthy Relationship with Your Scale By Linda Spangle, RN, MA
The scale isn’t our enemy. We allow negative self-talk, pressure from others, life-long behavioral patterns, and other factors to give that number on the scale more importance than it deserves. It’s time to use the innocent bathroom scale as the helpful tool it was intended to be!
The way to do this is to change your relationship with the scale and make it your friend. Here are eight ways to do this.
1. Step on, step off, leave.
You don’t brush your teeth in the morning, then obsess all day about whether you should brush them again. With the scale, build a similar routine. At your chosen time of day, step on the scale, note what it says, write it down if you like, then leave the room.
2. Look, then move on.
No matter what the scale says, learn to treat it as a number, and nothing else. More important is what you do after stepping on the scale. Eat a healthy meal, take a walk, or do something that’s productive and moves your thoughts in a positive direction.
3. Note how you’re trending.
By recording the number on your scale at regular intervals, you can track your progress over time. As you do, don’t concern yourself with the daily number, but whether it’s trending in the right direction.
4. Don’t assume you’ve gained weight.
A jump in the scale number may have nothing to do with your weight. In reality, your body takes a long time to translate food intake into actual fat stores–so let go of guilty thoughts. Among other factors, eating an extra-large meal or food high in salt can cause that scale number to go up. One bad evening doesn’t translate into a higher weight.
5. Detach from the numbers.
If you get a poor grade on a school midterm exam, it doesn’t mean you’ve flunked the class. Instead, it provides information about what you need to do before the end of the term. Likewise, the scale number is merely information. Learn to say something to yourself, such as “That’s interesting,” and then get back to work on your healthy living plan.
6. Stick with your scale.
One of the quickest ways to let your weight get out of hand is to stop weighing yourself altogether. Don’t ignore your scale because you don’t want to see what it says. Instead, stay aware of your weight situation and keep your data current.
7. Don’t discuss your weight.
Avoid discussing the scale, your weight, or your diet plans. You can say, “That’s information I keep private.” This will help prevent naysayers and curiosity seekers from sabotaging your success, and it will also help you avoid engaging in self-critical talk. At the doctor’s office, you can say you prefer not to be weighed. Or you can weigh yourself at home and then ask your doctor to record that number at the end of your consultation.
8. Use the three-day rule after holidays.
After you’ve been traveling or celebrating holidays, take a three-day break from your daily weigh-in ritual. Often a change in routine or diet will cause a temporary uptick in the scale number. Your body will get back to its old self after three days, and the reading will be more accurate.
More information about Linda:
Linda Spangle, RN, MA is a weight-management coach recognized nationally as a leading authority on emotional eating and other psychological issues of weight loss. A registered nurse with a master’s degree in health education, she is the owner of Weight Loss for Life, a healthy lifestyles coaching and training program located in Denver, Colorado. Her newest book is Friends with the Scale: How to Turn Your Scale into a Powerful Weight Loss Tool (SunQuest Media, 2014).
Photo credit: Pixabay
