I’ve always found it fascinating how as a society we have become so obsessed with using the scale when it comes to evaluating whether or not we are making progress with our training in the gym. Granted the scale can be a useful tool when used in a correct manner but I just don’t understand how one little number can dictate a person’s results with their own physique when there are so many other contributing factors that need to be taken into consideration. And yet, I continue to see the same people weigh themselves on a daily basis. I wonder what they are expecting to see. I mean can your body weight really fluctuate that much in one day? And if it does go up or down by 2-3 pounds what does that exactly mean? Let’s find out!

Being involved within the fitness industry for over a decade has given me the opportunity to work with a wide variety of people with different personalities and ofcourse different training goals. Some people have hired me to help them lose weight, gain muscle and/or a combination of both. I’ve worked with athletes who have sought out my assistance for the sole purpose in helping them improve their skill set in their desired sport so that they can move up to the next level. I’ve trained young adults who want to get a kickstart on their health and fitness in life and senior citizens who’s sole purpose for training is to prevent injuries, diseases and just help improve their overall quality of life.

Whether a new client decides to workout for their health or pure vanity reasons is irrelevant to me. As long as they are exercising and achieving the results they desire then I’m happy. Where I become concerned though is when I see or hear of a client obsessing over a number on a scale or a recorded measurement that’s been taken on certain parts of their body.

Believe it or not, this is more common then you might think. No matter how much I preach and lecture about the scale and measurements not being the only tools to use when evaluating results and progress in the gym, I continue to see and/or hear some of my own clients obsessing over the numbers. In my opinion this can lead to significant psychological disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphia, just to name a few.

So what can a person do if he or she is obsessed with continuing to weigh his or herself? Is it even possible to break this potentially harmful habit? In my opinion it can be done however I can tell you first hand from someone who is a recovering “Weigh-In Addict” it’s definitely not an easy addiction to stop. It can take months to even years of reprogramming your brain to not get caught up on a number on a scale or a on piece of measuring tape, but as I said, it can be done.

Here’s what worked for me:

The first thing I did when I knew my little scale addiction became unhealthy was throw out my home scale. This took me right out of my daily routine of weighing myself first thing in the morning when I would wake up. At first, it was a bit difficult but within a week or two I had fallen completely out of the habit and forgot about my daily morning weigh-in ritual.

The second thing I did was cut down on my weigh-ins all together. You’ll find that most gyms have a scale somewhere where you can weigh yourself. In addition to weighing myself in the morning on my home scale I would also weigh myself on the gym scale after every single training session. To break this habit I started to weigh myself every second day as opposed to every single day. With no effort on my part this soon turned into every third day and then every fourth day. At one point it even became a burden for me to go strip down and do my weigh-in all together. Eventually over time my weigh-ins stopped completely.

Now I’m not suggesting that you discontinue to keep an eye on your physique. Obviously if your jeans are getting tight around your waist or you are starting to notice a double chin in the mirror it might be time to reduce your calories and incorporate a little extra cardio into your workout routine. But by weighing yourself everyday I believe that a person is just setting themselves up for failure.

It’s important to understand that your bodyweight will fluctuate from day to day. For example, I know that I’m very sensitive to sodium because I don’t have much of it in my own diet. So whenever I go out for dinner or have a few slices of pizza or some type of salty food I can almost guarantee that I will be up at least 5lbs the very next day on the scale. Now it would be quite difficult to put on 5lbs of pure fat or pure muscle in one night. However according to the scale my weight went up. So should I freak out and starve myself for the next few days until my weight goes back down to where it was before? I prefer to just let it go back on it’s own by continuing along with my training and regular diet. There’s no need to suffer for days after consuming a few extra hundred calories in a manner of minutes.

It’s no secret that I compete in bodybuilding shows. And I can honestly tell you that the only time I ever weigh myself now is when I have to do a weigh-in the day before a contest. And even then I don’t do it, someone else does. The only reason this is done is so that the organization knows what class to put me in. Half the time I don’t even remember the number they tell me partly because my carbs are so low at that point and my brain is not functioning properly and and partly because I really just don’t care.

The only thing I use to judge my progress with my physique is the mirror and how I’m feeling. I’m brutally honest with myself. If I feel as if I’m getting a little soft, I lower my caloric intake for a few days and/or add in a few extra minutes of cardio to my workout routines. Remember, the mirror doesn’t lie. And yes, I understand it’s difficult to distinguish whether or not your body composition is changing when you see it everyday however just as it’s important to listen to your body it’s also important to pay attention to the minor details that can change over the course of a few weeks to a few years.

Whether you decide to continue to use the scale as a measurement for success or failure is up to you. For myself personally I’ll just continue to measure my own success with my physique by how I look and more importantly how I feel.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove