Defending The Scale

There is a lot of talk about scales in the fitness world and often they’ve come to be demonized or are thought to have no value at all.

The reality though, is that there is nothing wrong with having a scale or using it to measure your weight provided that you are able to remember that the number on the scale is one of many possible means of assessing progress and not a measure of your worth.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that a scale does actually provide some valuable information in the context of measuring progress.  Not necessarily as a single data point, but to evaluate a trend over time in conjunction with other measures.

The key, of course, is to have realistic expectations about what type of changes you should be expecting on the scale and not obsessing over them.

Basically, the problem isn’t the scale itself but how most people choose to view it. If you view it for what it is it can be useful. But it shouldn’t be the primary determinant of your self esteem or your mood.

If it is, it isn’t something that is wrong with the scale. It is something wrong with your mindset.