Are you obsessed with the number on the scale? Do you weigh yourself daily (or even more than once a day!) hoping that each time you step on the scale, the number will go down? While it’s good to check in every so often to track your progress, obsessing over the number on the scale is NOT healthy, nor is this number always an accurate reflection of your health and fitness levels. Here are 3 things to keep in mind when tracking your weight so that you can have a healthy relationship with the scale, and with YOURSELF.

1. SET A SCHEDULE

While you don’t want to become obsessed with weighing yourself, you also don’t want to get on the scale on just any random occasion. If you don’t check in periodically, you could find yourself stepping on the scale one day wondering, “How did I gain 10 pounds!?” The goal is simply to monitor the trend in your weight – i.e. is it going up or down?

So, set a schedule by which you will weigh yourself. Typically, once a week is sufficient. For instance, I weigh myself every Saturday (I call it STATurday, ’cause I’m cool like that). If you simply cannot help yourself from weighing in once a day, please know that your weight may fluctuate 2-4 pounds from day to day (see below!).

2. KNOW YOUR WEIGHT CAN FLUCTUATE FROM DAY TO DAY

There are so many things that can affect your weight: for example, the amount of salt in your diet, when you had your last meal, when you had your last bowel movement, your sleeping schedule, etc… So, if you step on the scale, and you’re 4, or even 5 pounds heavier than the day before, don’t freak out!

On the contrary, you also don’t want to get on the scale every day and make an excuse like, “Oh, I must be 4 pounds heavier today because I slept in,” when your weight keeps going up and up each day. You simply want to monitor whether your weight is CONSISTENTLY going up, down, or remaining the same based on your fitness goals.

3. BE REALISTIC

Too often, people get a number stuck in their head – a “goal weight” – that they think they should weigh, and they obsess over it. However, based on a variety of things, it may not even be a healthy or realistic goal for THEIR body type.

The first thing people always ask me when I’ve started a new workout program is “How much weight have you lost!?” (and even if it’s only been a week since I started!). This should not be a deciding factor when you’re contemplating a new routine for a several reasons: 1. Are we starting out at the same weight and at the same fitness level? 2. Are we the same height and, 3. Do we have the exact same diet? Probably not. You can’t realistically use MY results as a comparison – a number of physical and behavioural factors always differentiate us from each other.

Bottom line – don’t judge yourself based on the number on the scale. Keep sticking to your healthy habits and don’t obsess over your weight. Know that your worth is based on WHO you are as a person, not on your body fat percentage. Love YOURSELF, not the scale.