The scale is the end-all-be-all of diet culture. We live for the number on the scale. Our whole goal is to work hard in order to see a small number. In diet culture, we allow the scale to determine our worth. It tells us whether we’ve been doing our diet right or if we messed up.
As you learn about intuitive eating and start to embark on your journey, you will have a strong urge to get on the scale. The fear of what the number on the scale might be can be scary, but it is a very normal feeling. We don’t weigh ourselves in intuitive eating so that we can actually start to listen to what our body is asking for. When we get on the scale and we see a number, it contaminates our intuitive eating journey because it causes us to make changes to how we eat. When you have fear around gaining weight and getting on the scale, just remind yourself that it’s a normal feeling and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Why is the scale such a scary thing for you?
We have many clients who have weighed themselves every single day since they were teenagers. If you are someone who is glued to the scale, practice slowly removing it from your life. If this feels scary for you, try to go one week without getting on the scale. Give yourself one week of freedom and see what that feels like. You will be amazed by how freeing it feels to not have to constantly think about what the number on the scale is going to do to you. That number is just a number. It doesn’t mean anything. If you allow that number to hold your worth, your identity, or make you feel a certain way, then it’s going to cause you to make changes to your intuitive eating journey.
Intuitive eating is all about being curious and learning from different experiences. When you stop weighing yourself, you will feel a sense of freedom. It’s going to feel scary, but it will allow you to pay more attention to what’s going on inside your body. I advise you to embrace your fear. When you disassociate your self worth with the number on the scale, you will be able to dig deeper into listening to what your body wants and needs.
Loved this blog? You’re going to want to check out my blog post titled: Eating vs. Drinking Calories!
