To weigh or not. Got to admit, I’ve had a love hate relationship with the scale. In my years as a competitive bodybuilder the scale would make the world of difference in whether you came in as a lightweight or middleweight, totally affecting the competitors you’d be up against. Yet in this sport (like many others) it is the compass for workouts and nutrition (food). 

Perhaps it’s after those eight years in competition I focused more internal, how food and nutrition felt in my body; energy levels, blood sugars, bloat. 

Working with folks over the years, I’ve noticed an obsession with the scale, to the point where some would consume a meal then weigh themselves. My advice was to throw the scale out; pay attention to how you feel, how your clothes feel. 

I realize now not only is there a happy medium but the big secret in using the scale is not attaching anything to it. 

It is merely a tangible item to show you your progress to a desired goal. 

You tell the butcher you want one pound of ground beef. He scoops the meat and places it on a paper guarded scale, oops a bit too much. He simply removes some to give you what you want. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. 

Chances are if you’ve got off track with your movement time or meal choices you know it. Do not – I repeat – do not use the scale (the tangible number you see) as another opportunity or reason OR excuse to beat yourself up or ditch your goal.  

Onward and downward!