As we gain more confidence in trusting our bodies in exercise and around food, we may find that facing a number on the scale is still somewhat shrouded in shame or fear. Whether we find after losing weight we gain muscle and see the number go up and feel fear in that increase or have been battling the need to gain healthy weight and be happy at the new natural set point our bodies have attained and hold.  Weight by numbers is not something we should count as a measure of self-worth.  It is simply a metric of the vehicle that carries you through your day and life.

Rather we should focus on how we feel happiest and healthiest-chase that. Not one data point, that is only slightly relative to the rest of your life. The scale, of course, indicates habit change, eating patterns, and physical activity changes, but we shouldn’t allow it to become something to be feared.  Easier said than done, but focusing on using the scale as a useful tool to just check in with from time to time becomes easier with time and exposure.

Turning the focus away from the numbers we see on the scale and towards what our bodies are now capable of accomplishing. Perhaps now you are strong enough to complete a yoga class, run, or hike.  Maybe your body is now healthy enough to allow you live your life free from the restrictions of disordered eating patterns and the symptoms that follow alongside them.  These milestones and actions are worth celebrating.  The change in your feelings and emotions is worth your notice and attention, not a measurement, which in actuality means nothing. The surprising realization may be that nothing and everything has changed.  Your number may have shifted, but you are at your core, you.