The Scale Isn’t the Problem — Your Mindset Around It Is

00:00The scale is like one of the biggest mental roadblocks when it comes to anyone's fitness journey. The scale can change by several pounds on a daily basis overnight and for so many reasons that have nothing to do with actual fat gain. When you step on the scale and you see a higher number, instead of freaking out, just ask yourself these questions like, did I eat more carbs or did I have more salt yesterday or am I close to my period and or have I had a bowel movement yet today?

00:30What's going on, you guys? Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkie Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. And on this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I'm your host, Nikkie Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode number 245. And before we even get into today's episode and the topic that I want to talk to you guys about,

01:04I just want to first say that I'm excited to be back here and recording a new, fresh episode for you guys. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been doing tons and tons of traveling, and so we've been sharing tons of the WarriorBabe success interviews because I got behind on recording some new episodes for you guys, so we used those as some fillers. But I'm excited to be back here with you guys and bring this episode to you here, fresh new one. And today, what we're going to talk about is how the scale isn't the problem. It's more so your mindset around it.

01:35And I feel like the scale is like one of the biggest mental roadblocks when it comes to anyone's fitness journey. I've heard it time and time and time again, like people pretty much, if the scale is going up or down, it means that they're doing good or bad along their journey. If it goes down, it means they're winning. If it goes up, people feel like they're frustrated. Like how many of you have stepped on the scale and like you see a number that you didn't like and you immediately felt like you failed or like your hard work wasn't paying off or now you need to eat less and do more cardio or I don't know, maybe you just want to like quit altogether

02:11or vice versa. If you see the number go down, it's like, sweet, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm going to keep following this plan. I'm going to keep showing up. I'm motivated to go do my workout today, right? It's like that number is literally tying like you have an emotional roller coaster when it comes to that number. If it goes up, you feel a certain way. If it goes down, you feel a certain way. And like I said, like I see it all the time. People let that single number dictate their mood, dictate their self-worth, dictate their commitment to their fitness goals.

02:43But here's the truth, you guys. The scale doesn't have to be the enemy. The problem is how you're using it and what you're making that number mean. So what I want to talk about in today's episode is why does the scale fluctuate daily and why most of it isn't related to any type of fat gain. Like if you see the scale going up three or five pounds, it doesn't mean that you just gained three or five pounds of fat. And even vice versa, if the scale went down three to five pounds, it doesn't mean you lost three to five pounds of fat.

03:17So I'm going to talk about why. So you guys can understand the behind the scenes of it, why that number fluctuates on a daily basis. I want to talk about how to shift your mindset and stop giving the scale so much freaking power. Because I'll tell you guys this, if you just a little insert to what I'm going to talk about. But if you guys continue to give it so much power, you're letting that number pretty much write the whole story of your journey. And it's so much more than just the number on the scale. And then I want to give you guys some tactics, obviously, like better ways to track progress beyond just stepping on the scale.

03:50And how to use the scale as a tool so it's not like going to kill your mood. Because that's exactly what it is. It is a tool to your fitness journey. And that is it. So if you guys, you know, have felt any type of ways of which I just talked about, I hope this episode resonates with you. And I want to first just get right into talking about how your reflection, the weight that you see on the scale and in general is not just a reflection of like your body fat.

04:20It's not a reflection of like I'm gaining fat or I'm losing fat. The scale can change by several pounds on a daily basis overnight. And for so many reasons, I have nothing to do with actual fat game. So what I want to first dive into with you guys is why does this fluctuate on a daily basis? And hopefully you guys can see it that like, okay, it's not that I'm gaining fat or I'm getting weight. And maybe you guys know this, but maybe this is just like a refresher along your journey. Maybe you've been in the game for five years, eight years, and you had a season of knowing this.

04:55And you stepped off the scale and you weren't using it, you know, to measure solely your progress. But maybe you step back on because maybe you're going into a cut and you want to see some progress via the scale. And it's just, I hope this is just maybe a reminder for you guys that if you see it fluctuate on a daily basis, it doesn't mean that you're gaining or losing fat. It could be for several other reasons. One being water retention. Like think about it from the day prior. If you ate more carbs or you had more sodium than usual, then your body is going to hold on to extra water.

05:30And it isn't fat. It's just temporary water weight. And it will balance out in like a day or two. So water retention, like if you're, you know, even sugar can do the same thing. And so your body's just holding on to more water and it's not fat. Another reason could be your hormones. So women, we fluctuate several pounds throughout our cycle. And that's because of the hormones that are shifting in our body during our cycle. So if you're approaching your period, I always used to say this to clients.

06:00I'm like, let's like ones that we're trying to build a better mindset with the scale. I would always say the week prior to their, to them getting their period, like let's just not weigh ourselves that week. Let's go on a bi-weekly basis at that point so that we can see, because it's almost guaranteed. Now I have clients who just are like, yeah, Nikki, I'm starting my period this week. Because they know that when they approach their period or they're in that last phase, the luteal phase of their period, they know that they're going to be gaining some, the scale is going to increase.

06:33Like I don't even want to say gaining weight. Like the scale is going to increase. So expect the increase in weight from water retention. And again, that's from your hormone shifting. Another thing is thinking about like, we're going to talk about poop on this podcast right now. Digestion and your bowel movements. Like if you haven't gone to the bathroom yet, you're literally weighing undigested food. So I always say for people like never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever weigh yourself at night. Because first of all, the scale is going to increase.

07:04You're going to have a higher number, especially if you weighed yourself in the morning and then you weighed yourself in the night the same day. You're going to be like, why did I gain five to ten pounds? It's because you're literally weighing one undigested food. You're weighing all the food that you consumed and the water that you consumed and the sodium and the carbs and all the things throughout the day. And of course, the number is going to go up. A higher weight on the scale doesn't mean, again, that you gained fat. It just means, one, you need to digest this food, speaking to the bowel movements, and you need to poop. And then I bet you, after you go to the bathroom and you weigh yourself again, you're going to see that the scale has gone down a little bit.

07:42That is because you just pushed out the digested food now. So just keeping all of this in mind. So water retention, your hormone shifting is going to increase from water retention as well. Sodium, carbs, sugar, all the things are going to make temporary weight gain. Not pooping and then weighing yourself, you're going to have a higher number on the scale. It doesn't mean that's a fact. And the last thing is muscle soreness. Like if you just had an intense, like I always remember when I did leg day and back day,

08:12and then I weighed myself the next day on the scale, it always increased. And that's because I had an intense workout. And at that point, when you have an intense workout, your muscles hold on to water to help repair them. So the more sore you are, the more likely your weight will be temporarily higher. So just keeping all these things in mind, especially if you're new to the fitness space, and like you're just starting out on this journey, and you're so attached to the scale, and you're wondering why it fluctuates so much, here are the answers. But also as a reminder, if you're going into a cut, and you're experiencing one of these four things,

08:46or even other things, like it's the number on the scale solely isn't telling you the full story. So the major takeaway to take away from the fluctuations that you may experience on a daily basis is your weight is going to fluctuate two to five pounds in a single day. And it can, and it will. And it has nothing to do with actual fat gain. So when you step on the scale, and you see a higher number, instead of freaking out, just ask yourself these questions like, did I eat more carbs? Or did I have more salt yesterday?

09:17Or am I close to my period? Or am I super sore from a workout or just sore from a workout in general? And or have I had a bowel movement yet today? Just keep these in mind, because when you start seeing the scale as data, not emotion, which is exactly what it can be roped up in. If it's like I was saying earlier, if it's higher, if it's low, you have an emotional response to it. If you can see the scale as data, it stops having power over you.

09:48And basically you have power over it, because you can ask yourself deeper questions. When you see it increase slightly, or, you know, whatever, if there's any type of negative emotion to it, you can ask yourself those questions that I just said, and it will bring you back to like center and not have, not be able to not have to ruin your day for the rest of the day. Now, to those points, next, I want to talk about your mindset. The problem isn't the scale itself. It's not the device itself. It's how you're interpreting the number. Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode,

10:21take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. So many people like use a scale as like a mood check instead of like a data point. As I was kind of just saying, if the number goes down, they feel amazing. If the number goes up, they spiral into like self-doubt, restriction and frustration. Like I'm going to give up. I'm going to fail. This isn't working. But here's the thing.

10:52Your weight doesn't define your progress. That number on the scale does not tell you the whole story. It doesn't define your worth. It's just one piece of the puzzle along your fitness journey. And so what I want to challenge you on is like ask yourself these things. Would you throw away your entire plan just because your progress photos look off one day? Because these are different things like a shift to start seeing the scale as a tool and not necessarily like as a judge. And just as you take pictures and you should take pictures because pictures are going to

11:23tell you so much more than the scale is going to tell you. I've seen people lose only three pounds on the scale, yet their photos look drastically different. So in this, would you ask yourself if you're experiencing those things from the emotional aspect of it? Would you throw away your entire plan just because your progress photos looked off for a day? Or would you quit strength training just because you had a bad workout? Of course not. So why would you let the scale and what that number is showing you derail you?

11:54Instead, I want you guys to detach yourself emotionally from that number, which is a lot easier said than done because in that moment, you have to catch that emotion that you are experiencing and be able to course correct it. And that's not easy for everyone, especially when the scale has had so much control over you for a long period of time, which it has for a lot of you guys listening to this podcast. But right now, now that I'm bringing you like to become aware of it, I want you the next time you step on the scale to be able to tap in and be like, am I having an emotional reaction to this?

12:25Or can I just look at it as data, like tracking your workouts or your macros? Because that's exactly what you need to do to switch your mindset and to start changing the narrative. Like if you're someone that weighs yourself daily, like if it messes with your head, stop doing that. Try and this is what working with a coach is so valuable because you may not be able to see the emotional attachment that you have and be able to remove yourself from that like situation and look at it from a 30,000 foot view down. But what you working with a coach can do for you is like, oh, I see that this is triggering

12:58you in some way from the coach's standpoint. Like if you're constantly bringing up or you're constantly frustrated about it, you're constantly X, Y, and Z, we're going to be able to read that in you and be like, all right, let's, can you, can we make a plan moving forward where you're only going to weigh yourself for maybe a week or every other week or every week or outside bi-weekly, three times a week or maybe once a month, whatever it needs. Like that's why a coach is so solid because they're going to be like, this is how we're going

13:28to navigate this together. And then you're going to focus on other progress markers instead. And then outside of those two things, which I think are really important things to identify, one is, again, it's just data. And so in the moment, can you emotionally detach yourself from the number? And then seeing how it's going to best support you if you should weigh weekly, if you should weigh every other week, or if you should weigh once a month. And I want you to ask yourself like, is the scale the only thing that defines my progress? Ask yourself that right now.

13:59Like, what's the answer to that? As you're listening to me say that, is the scale the only thing that defines my progress? And the answer should be no, because the answer is no. And so that's why I want to talk about like, if it's stressing you out, shift your focus to other ways to measure progress that actually show long-term changes. First and foremost, progress photos, hands down. And look, I understand. It's uncomfortable, but it's a form of accountability. And it's a form of like, you taking pictures day one, and then being able to see the changes

14:30six months later, because there's going to be some pretty cool changes if you've been consistent with your plan. Because the scale doesn't show you body composition changes. It's literally like you versus gravity on that scale. And that's it. Like, the scale doesn't know the muscle mass, unless you have like a cool, fancy like scale. It doesn't, it's just a number. It doesn't know your bone mass. It doesn't know your muscle mass. It only knows you against gravity and how much you weigh. It doesn't show you body composition changes like photos do. So if you take pictures, and this is where, again, if you work with a coach, it should be

15:05cool for you guys to know what best fits for you in case like some pictures are, you know, weekly is too much. You can do it every two weeks, you can do it once a month, I would say every two weeks, because you're going to be able to see some changes that after like a course of a form of a four week or six week period from day one to week to day to week six. And you want to make sure when you're taking these photos, you guys, you're in the same lighting, you're in the same conditions at the same time around the same time of day, wearing the same things. First thing in the morning, those are like some of the ideal situations to take the pictures

15:38under. Another thing that you could measure that is outside of the scale too is your measurements. Sometimes your weight is going to stay the same, but your waist, your hips, your arms are going to start shrinking. And or they're going to start getting more defined too as well, which is going to be noticeable in the photos. If the scales are moving, but your inches are going down, then you're making progress. So measurements is another really good one. Another measurement without the scale is how your clothes fit. I mean, if you're constantly taking two of the pictures in the same clothes that you

16:12started taking the photos in at the beginning of your journey, then those clothes should be getting looser or feeling a little bit different if you're wearing the same things or as you continue to take your progress photos. Or if your jeans feel looser or your sports bras like isn't as tight, that's real progress. If you're going shopping, which I love hearing this from warrior babes, they end up getting a pant size smaller, then that's progress and continuing to go pant sizes down. And let me tell you guys again, I said this earlier, somebody could only lose three to five

16:45pounds, yet they could be down five dress sizes or they could look drastically different in their photos. Okay. And then a few other things is like, can you lift heavier? Are you running faster? Are you feeling stronger in your workouts? These improvements mean that your body is changing in ways a scale is not going to show you. How's your energy? How's your confidence? Are you sleeping better? Are you able to focus more on tasks throughout the day? Are you feeling more confident in your body? Those are things that you should be paying attention to outside.

17:18Either no scale and you're focusing on all the things that I just said, or you're focusing all the things and you're also using the scale. But first you have to get past the emotional barrier that the scale has on you. And if you can see it as just data, then you're winning. If you're not quite there yet, then just focus on those points of how you can track your progress outside of the scale. Okay. Now, if you guys want to know, like, I don't look as, I actually haven't weighed myself in I don't know how many months. I don't look at it like that anymore.

17:49I see myself in the mirror and I look at, you know, my, I can see progress that way and what I need to change or what I need to, you know, switch up or incorporate if I'm doing the right thing and I keep doing the same things. Um, that's totally the way that I track my progress and maybe some in body from here, um, here and there time and time. But if you guys like, and it took me, I don't know, like maybe three, four years to really get past using the scale as like an emotional barrier to it, especially during, uh, when

18:19I was competing. Now I can solely, and I've gotten the clients and a lot of our worry babes are able to understand this that it is just a tool and you can use it without feeling frustrated. If you do want to use a scale and you do want to incorporate it in all the ways in which you can track your progress, then the right way to do it is to weigh yourself one at the same time, as I said, under the same conditions, morning, after the bathroom, before food or water, wearing the same thing. The second way that I would also do it is if you're at this point where you are recognizing

18:52that you don't have the emotional attachment to it and you see it as just a tool and data. What's really cool is you can weigh yourself daily, but you track weekly averages instead of daily fluctuations. And if you can track weekly averages and you weigh yourself seven days a week and then you're averaging them out and you can see either a decline or you're staying steady or whatever, maybe you're increasing and then you know you need to make some changes, but that's how, that's a data point. Okay. And then you're using the scale as a one data point, not your only measure of success.

19:26So what I love doing, and I've had clients that understand that this is just a tool, they've gained some really cool insight by being able to track their weight daily and seeing how much they fluctuate. And also when they fluctuate in the month, if they start getting their period, they bring more awareness to the number and to the data point rather than having an emotional charge because they are weighing themselves periodically throughout the month and it's different every single time. And then also what I can say with only weighing yourself once a week, if that's what you need

19:59to do to create a better relationship with it, then that's the most important thing. But if you're only weighing yourself once a week, you could be weighing in, say on a Saturday during a fluctuation at a high. Does that make sense? So like each week, if you are weighing in Saturday, but Fridays, maybe you go out with friends or you have a cheat meal or you overeat that day or X, Y, and Z, or that's a leg day. And all of the things that I said earlier, you could be weighing in the next day at a higher

20:31daily fluctuation. So it can skew an average, like weighing in once a week can skew an average. Which that's what I would do, like if you're learning to make this a better relationship with a scale, I would do it bi-weekly or I would do it bi-weekly. That's what I would recommend. But what's cool is like when I said, like when you do weigh yourself every single day, you can see when the daily fluctuations happen that you take the averages from the weeks over the course of time. But as I was saying, you guys, like if the scale ruins your day or if it's dictating your

21:03self-worth, take a break from it because there are plenty of other ways to measure your progress. So bottom line to this episode is the scale isn't the problem. I want you guys to have a better mindset around it. And I'm hoping from this episode that you guys can gain that better mindset around it. Knowing that it's a data point, it's not an emotional, like it is emotional for some of you. I want to honor that. But being able to build the self-awareness when you step on the scale to see it differently and being able to ask those questions I said earlier, did I have a little bit more cars

21:36yesterday? Would I eat more sodium? Is it my period? Did I poop today? All of those things can bring more of the factor of a data point into it for you and that can start shifting the narrative. And then there are way better ways to track real lasting change, progress, photos, measurements. How are you feeling inside the gym? Are your clothes fitting better? If the scale is stressing you out, please put it away. Please put it away and start tracking via other ways. All right, you guys. So if this podcast helped shift to your perspective or if some light bulbs were going off of, you

22:06know, you feel better around what the scale, how to navigate the scale situation, please. All I ask is that you can share this episode with a friend who also needs to hear this because there's a lot of people still struggling with a scale. And it's one of the biggest things that I feel like gets in the way of someone successfully having an awesome fitness journey. All right. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I will see you in the next one. Peace out. Real quick. If this episode resonated with you or gave you the push that you needed, I'd love for

22:38you to pay it forward. Drop a quick rating and review. Share the podcast with someone who might need it and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps to show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so, so much for your support.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.