Weighing In on Weighing In

How do you use the scale?  Is it a helpful tool or is it the enemy?  As my friend Mary says so often, this keto weight loss journey is about getting our heads right.  And my head has not always been friends with the scale. 

I went for years not weighing.  It was so depressing and I didn't know the first thing about what to do about my weight so I just avoided it altogether.  After all, I knew what it was going to say--it was always a higher number than the last time. 

But now  I know that all that old dietary advice--like cut calories, move more, eat low fat, eat small meals--is based on faulty assumptions.  Now  I know the hormone insulin--not calories--is  responsible for my weight gain.  And I know what to do about it.  YaY!  Stepping on the bathroom scale isn't such a scary thing anymore.

So here are my step by step instructions for making the scale our friend, not our enemy.  Assuming of course that you're eating low-carb healthy-fat!

1. Before you step on the scale, take a deep breath and tell yourself "This is  a number, a piece of information.  It has nothing to do with who I am.  This is a good day before I get on the scale and it's  a good day after I get off the scale.
2. Weigh. 
3. If the number is lower, smile & give yourself a pat on the back.
4. If the number is the same or higher, smile & give yourself a pat on the back.  Then think about--in a non-judgemental compassionate way--what might have influenced the number.  1.
   
   1. Have I been keeping my carbs at a good level? 
   2. Am I eating enough fat?
   3. Have I been drinking enough water?
   4. Have I been eating when I'm not hungry?  (also known as eating too often)
   5. Have I had higher salt intake lately?
   6. Is it that time of the month?
5. These questions are just ways to uncover possible clues as to what's happening.  Maybe there's nothing to change.  Just keep going, don't give up.  If there is something you want to tweak, then make a plan and go for it. 
6. And this last step is as important as the ones above:  Eat good keto food the very next time you're hungry and enjoy your day.  This is the keto life :)

Now there are some people who know that for them, it's better not to weigh very often.  Maybe it's better to weigh no more than once a week or once a month.  Or just when you go to the doctor's office.   Some people throw the scale out and go by the way they feel and how their clothes fit.  And if that's best for you, then that's a great plan.

For me, I know that I need to weigh more often.  At this point in my journey, I need that daily feedback to keep me on track.   For me, going back to not weighing daily would be a way for me to to cut corners, allow a little extra carb here and there, give myself permission to eat a snack even if I'm not really hungry at that moment.  Maybe one day in the future when I'm in maintenance, I'll skip the weigh-ins.   Or maybe not.  I'll have to see when I get there!

I hope these thoughts about using the scale as a friendly tool are helpful.  If you try them, let me know how it goes :)