The Key to Health?

If you are currently dieting or have a history of dieting, then you may have had a goal weight that you thought would change your life. You might have stepped on the scale (if it was a “good” day) and held your breath as you watched the needle move, calculating in your mind how many pounds away you were from happiness. In fact, when we held our EatWell meetings in person once upon a time, this would play out all too frequently. When we would greet folks and ask how they were doing, the most common answer was “We’ll see…” as they stepped on the scale (yes, the scale was a part of our programming back then; and yes, we’ve evolved).

“We’ll see…” Should the scale be able to make or break our day; define how we are doing? In my book, that is way too much power for a little platform with a spinning dial. This little platform is just a tool, not a key to healthy behavior or to health in general. External measures of regulation and control, like a scale, calorie counting or trackers are not helpful in the long term for most clients I’ve worked with, and can actually lead to pretty unhealthy behaviors. What can be more helpful and healthful is to learn to access your internal measures like, “How is my energy level?” “Am I hungry/full?” “What emotion am I feeling today?” “Am I satisfied?”

Weighing on the scale only serves to keep you focused on your weight, which is not a reliable indicator of health. There are so so many different body sizes and shapes in this world - and none of them is a guarantee of health status! If you really want to truly improve your health, I suggest you look within to find the key. Not down.