I Weigh Myself Every Day, And It's Led To My Healthiest Lifestyle Yet

If you asked me six years ago, I'd tell you I was trying to lose weight to fit into size 2 jeans. That was freshman year of college.

By junior year of college, I was an expert at the yo-yo diet. I tried countless cleanses, detoxes and meal plans, but nothing worked.

Naturally, the scale wasn't my friend. Something as simple as a number can be super scary, especially when it means so much to you.

Back then, I'd only weigh myself on two occasions.

One would be when I was very unhappy with my size and wanted to motivate myself. The other was when I felt especially svelte and knew hopping on the scale would result in a quick rush of happiness.

It took me a long time to get away from that nonsense, but after a lot of trial and error, I've figured out what a healthy lifestyle looks like for me.

It involves weighing myself every day.

Weighing myself every day has become one of my favorite habits.

I don't fear the number on the scale anymore because I see it every day.

Watching my weight fluctuate throughout the month based on my menstrual cycle doesn't faze me. I don't even linger on the scale and think about the number.

If my weight is higher than a certain number I'm not comfortable with, I know what I have to do to get back into my comfort zone.

But I don't freak out and pressure myself. Keeping an eye on it keeps my health in check.

It's not about appearance, it's about health.

Weighing myself is my way of being aware of what's going on as my body changes. I know I'll never weigh under 120 pounds again because I'll also never be 18 again.

It's been proven over and over that weight is truly just a number, when it comes to appearance.

For example, this fitness expert and trainer proved that she weighed more at her strongest compared to her pre-fitness weight, even though she looks about the same size. The number isn't as connected to appearance as we may think.

So, no. When I weigh myself, I don't get anxiety about how the number on the scale correlates to how I look.

I'm proud of my strength. The only reason I keep working out and eating healthy is to maintain the years of hard work, not to alter the number on the scale.

My weight can also give me a clue into my overall health. It would be alarming if I saw a sudden spike or decrease in weight.

The only reason I keep working out and eating healthy is to maintain the years of hard work.

Weighing yourself daily isn't for everyone, but you won't know until you try.

We can tell ourselves over and over that the number on the scale has nothing to do with self-worth, and I believe that's true. Getting on the scale every day has helped me put that into practice.

I look at the number, and I don't see my self-worth. I see a number that simply represents how much my body weighs, no more, no less.

I'm not saying everyone should be doing this. Although it's been proven that there are many positives to weighing yourself daily, it doesn't work for all of us.

If you're happy not getting on the scale, keep doing what you're doing.

But if you fear the scale, get on it more often. It's the only way to overcome it.

Citations: New advice for weight loss: Get on the scale every day (USA Today)