Health Goals Are More Than Scale Goals

When embarking on a wellness journey, the first thing many people do is set a “goal weight.” They watch the number on the scale rise during months of celebration, times of struggle, and as the years pass. It seems like the only way to gain control is to set a hard, often unrealistic, number and work relentlessly to achieve it. Having a goal weight isn’t necessarily bad, and it is important to listen to the advice of medical professionals. However, the mindset around basing the entirety of your health on what you weigh doesn’t embody true wellness. In fact, it often leads to unhealthy behaviors that aren’t long lasting because the focus of the journey is more so about restricting yourself until the number on the scale is smaller, as opposed to enjoying and celebrating other victories.

This isn’t a novel concept at all, yet numerous posts still flaunt titles such as “Lose 5 Lbs. Fast” or “Shed the Quarantine 19.” It’s trendy, people love a supposed quick fix, and unfortunately, the media has notoriously advertised that smaller numbers on the scale are better – ignorant to the fact people have different body compositions and heights; a healthy weight is incredibly personal. Gaining a few pounds doesn’t mean you’re less worthy of happiness or need to immediately take drastic action to return to some imaginary number. Likewise, reaching that number doesn’t equal instant happiness and wellness without a solid foundation of self-love and truly healthy habits.

“When I hit my goal weight, I will finally be happy.”

There is this huge misconception often early on that reaching a goal weight will solve every problem and instantly boost your self-esteem. However, usually at the core of why we want to weigh a certain amount is the fact that we think we will look and feel better. Perhaps it’s deeper than that and we are seeking approval in the eyes of others after years of feeling convinced perfection is smaller, prettier, better.

If that latter is the case, reaching a number likely won’t change the mindset that being imperfect makes us less worthy of loving ourselves and enjoying our bodies in the now. It’s not the number on the scale we’re battling – it’s our inner self. That’s why mindfulness, self-exploration, and patience are truly important practices during a rounded wellness journey. They help us stay present, see ourselves from a more realistic viewpoint without self-criticism, and help identify unhealthy patterns of thinking that may seem promising for a short while, but end in lack of consistency. You can start to feel better in your own body before the scale ever changes just by keeping the promises you make to yourself for a healthier lifestyle.

What should I focus on instead, you ask?

Pick one or two healthy habits that you can track and start there. This might look like going for a walk four times a week, only ordering takeout once a week, or replacing an afternoon soda with water – it will be different for everyone and that is okay! Implementing small, realistic changes into your day sets you up for success. Consistency is among the most important factors when wanting to foster a healthier lifestyle. When you make promises to yourself and keep them the way you would with anyone else, you start to believe in your own power and allow your self-respect to flourish.

Say this with me: consistency, NOT perfection, is key.

If you know getting to the gym seven days a week is not possible for your schedule, don’t set that as a goal because when you don’t hit seven days you will feel like you failed. When we feel like we’ve already failed, we often just quit. This creates the cycle of starting, stopping, focusing, quitting. Consistency and realistic non-scale goals are imperative.

Using the scale to measure your success is the same concept as aiming for seven days and only hitting five. If your weight doesn’t go down, or it goes up, you feel like you’ve yet again failed, forgetting that weight varies daily based on factors out of your control. Becoming hung up on a number puts less importance on the other lifestyle changes you are making that are going to play a larger role in overall health with greater longevity. Directing your focus towards being consistent with exercise and eating nutritious foods will better serve you than obsessing over the scale. You are much less likely to feel discouraged if you check the scale once a month or every two months than if you check in every single day.

Likewise, maintaining your healthy habits will become second nature if your entire journey is based around embedding them into your routine as opposed to using them as means to an end – the end being reaching a particular weight. Then once you reach your goal weight, you think you’ve crossed the finish line and slowly settle back into old routines which results in putting some of the weight back on. Rewind back to thinking “I’m a failure” and now the cycle of quitting and going full force resumes. Consistency builds habits and viewing these habits as part of a lifelong journey because you love your body creates consistency; the two go hand in hand.

“I weighed less a few months ago and now I feel like I’ve lost all my progress.”

It is completely normal for your body weight to fluctuate throughout the week, let alone over the course of your existence. Life is constantly changing, and so are you. Think about that for a second. Hormones, celebrations, new jobs, breakups, babies, love. Humans are so incredible; our bodies are a vessel for who we are on a soul level, so it makes complete sense that as we flow and grow through this journey our bodies don’t remain stagnant. Coming to terms with this is life-changing and helps you to be more aware of all the various components of true wellness.

Gaining weight during different periods of your life doesn’t mean you’ve thrown away all your hard work. This is a perfect example of a negative thought pattern that arises from only focusing on the scale. Basing your journey on simplicity and consistency will prevent you from giving up. Being self-aware and having a foundation of flexibility in your health journey will allow you to approach life and body changes with grace, finding solutions that work for the person you are now – because we are ever evolving.

Remember you are more than a number on the scale, and so is your health.