Using non-scale victories to help you achieve goals

Since I joined WW in October 2019, I’ve learned a number of valuable skills that have helped me get healthy. One of them is to look for non-scale victories. This has helped me in dropping weight, and it has many other applications in life.

With most weight-loss programs I’ve been on, the focus was exclusively on weight. Every week, you are hauled before the scale to face judgement. And the number that appeared offered either effuse praise or ridicule. “Oh, you only lost a half a pound? You must not be trying very hard. Look at Julia. She lost four pounds last week. We should all be more like Julia.”

There are plenty of problems with this approach. The first is the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. You may have done everything right during the week. You watched what you ate and exercised. You just happened to retain a little extra water at weigh-in, or the increase in lean muscle weight through exercise offset the decrease in fat. The worst part is that it can instill an unhealthy view of weight that can lead to eating disorders.

Important: If you or someone you know is suffering from eating disorders, seek professional help. If this is a life-threatening medical emergency, call your emergency service number (9–1–1 in the United States) immediately.