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by
Larry Tobin
Part of our ultimate
goal in doing all
this habit changing
is to lose weight,
of course. We've
talked about making
goals and keeping
our eye on them, and
how to set
achievable
benchmarks for
ourselves as we do
what we can to make
ourselves healthier.
Part of that is the
practice of weighing
in and seeing what
our progress has
been. Unfortunately,
this is another area
where people too
frequently miss out
on developing a good
habit, and find
instead
discouragement and
frustration.
The
tricky thing is, sometimes
the scale doesn't have good
news. Sometimes we stand on
it and we don't see the
decrease we want, or, worse,
we see we've picked up a
pound somewhere despite all
our hard effort. This is
hard to take sometimes, and
is one of the biggest causes
of giving up. However, just
like all other problems,
there is an explanation and
a habit that can help solve
it.
The Weighing Habit Step 1 -
Picking the Time
The first problem that tends
to come up is setting the
wrong time length for our
weigh-in sessions. Eager to
see results, we often start
by weighing in every day. On
the surface this feels
logical. After all, we keep
a daily food journal, make
daily goals into weekly
milestones, and try to plan
daily meals for ourselves.
However, body weight takes a
long time to settle
properly, and can actually
fluctuate from day to day.
So even though what we see
as an extra pound we've
gained between today and
yesterday might not be a
permanent thing, seeing it
there causes discouragement.
Instead, set your interval
for one week. Don't even
look at the scale in the
intervening days! A full
week is enough time for your
body to begin responding to
changes, so waiting a week
lets your measurements on
the scale have more impact.
That way the short term
swings and dips don't give
you the wrong impression,
and you gain an idea of the
way your weight is trending.
Also, make it the same day
and time every week, to
establish firmly in your
mind that this is a habit to
be followed, not something
you squeeze in when you can.
The Weighing Habit Step 2 -
Treat it as Information
Information is neither good
nor bad; it's just something
we can use — if we're
willing. If all goes well
and we stick to our plan,
then we should see a steady,
downward trend in our
weight, and we can be happy
about that. However, if we
trend upward for one week,
we shouldn't get too
discouraged.
The body responds to all
manner of things in its
environment. Some people
retain more weight in the
winter, and peoples'
metabolisms react strangely
to diet changes. If, in
fact, you aren't trending
downward, simply accept that
it means you need to either
keep at it, or perhaps
change something more,
instead of giving up.
The Weighing Habit Step 3 -
Keep it Consistent
Gathering information can be
tricky, and there are ways
to fool ourselves into
thinking we aren't
progressing as much as we'd
like. There are elements
that can be adjusted or
changed in order to make
information-gathering more
accurate. These are what
scientists call 'controls,'
because they allow someone
to keep control of the
information.
First, make sure you weigh
in at the same time every
week, as we mentioned
earlier. Your body has
patterns that it follows,
and may weigh in differently
in the morning than at
night. Set a convenient time
you know you can meet again
and again, and stick to it.
Second, make sure to weigh
in wearing the same clothes,
every time. Your clothes can
add a significant weight to
any scale you stand on, so
make sure you note down what
outfit you're wearing the
first time you weigh in, and
wear it every time. This
will make your results more
accurate, and help cement
the habit of the matter in
your mind.
Third, always use the same
scale. Different companies
calibrate their scales to
different standards. Broadly
speaking, they should
provide similar results, but
a digital scale could
present differently than a
counterweight scale in a
hospital, for example. So
even if you're at a friend's
and they have one handy,
don't hop on for a quick
check. Stick to your scale,
each and every time.
Fourth, remember your system
of rewards. The best way to
use the scale is to
integrate it into your
whole, habit-building and
habit-changing plan. When
you reach a benchmark that
you're proud of, reward
yourself somehow with
something you enjoy.
Reinforce the positive
aspects of reaching your
goals, even while you make
sure not to beat yourself up
over temporary setbacks.
The scale is a tool. It
isn't a judge that we should
fear or feel guilty before.
Like any tool, it allows us
to address matters
professionally and
systematically. Sometimes
our weight will seem higher,
other times it will seem to
trend lower, and the scale
can help us with that. Don't
treat it as something to
dread; learn to use it
properly, and it will be a
tremendous help in setting
up a good, solid habit.
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