Jan 30

Jan 30 Why it's time to let go of the number on the scales - and what to focus on instead

Food Freedom, Intuitive eating, Public health policy, Health At Every Size

I wonder how many people start their days by stepping on the scale… Do they look forward to it, or do they dread it? Does the number they see change how they feel about themselves? Does it affect their confidence, mood, or even their choices for the day ahead?

Some believe weighing in regularly is a powerful tool to motivate weight-loss behaviours. Others believe it can undermine mental wellbeing and even promote disordered eating. Here’s why I started encouraging my clients at Gut Reaction to let go of the scales - and what to focus on instead.

Why do we weigh ourselves?

Let’s start with why people weigh themselves at all. I believe this typically boils down to a couple of core reasons. One is that we care about our appearance and often link that to body weight. The second is out of concern for health, seeing weight as a marker of wellbeing.

In both cases, the scales are usually there to tell us if we’re “on top of things” - whether the steps we’re taking to lose or maintain weight are “working.”

Weighing in on Weight as an indicator of health

First, let’s explore whether focusing narrowly on losing weight for health is really the good idea it’s often made out to be.

Over the past five or six years, as I’ve been learning about Intuitive Eating and looking more deeply at the research (beyond the headlines), one thing has become very clear: supporting health and wellbeing isn’t as simple as reaching or maintaining a so-called “ideal” body weight.

The picture is far more complex than we’ve often been led to believe. Perhaps the medical system has placed more emphasis on body weight and BMI than is truly helpful.

Here are some of the reasons why:

Correlation does not prove causation
It’s true that certain health conditions are often found alongside higher body weight - but the science is not as clear-cut as it may appear, and we don’t know that weight is the actual cause of these diseases. For example, in prediabetes, some people carry more body fat and others don’t, leading many experts to question whether weight itself is the root cause of insulin resistance, or whether both are actually symptoms of a metabolic imbalance. If that’s the case, then targeting weight alone may not address the real issue. The same line of questioning is being explored with conditions like PCOS and other chronic health concerns.
Weight is influenced by many factors beyond our control
Body weight is shaped by many factors - far more than the common “eat less, move more” narrative suggests. In 2007, the UK Government’s Foresight Programme created an “obesity map” showing over 100 influences on body weight - from biology and genetics to environment, culture, and food systems. Surprisingly few were truly within an individual’s control. While our bodies may naturally change shape and size, how we care for them is just one part of this, and trying to manipulate our bodies into outcomes that aren’t naturally sustainable is often near impossible, no matter how much willpower or calorie arithmetic is attempted.
BMI is outdated and misleading
BMI, the tool most often used to judge weight and health, was never designed to be a diagnostic measure. It is now widely recognised as flawed, and there are far better ways of understanding overall wellbeing (see more on this below).
If weight does play a role in health, it’s far from the whole picture
None of this is to say that carrying very high levels of body fat might not place strain on the body in certain ways - but rather that the “weight = cause, weight loss = solution” equation is too simplistic. Health is made up of many interconnecting factors, and body weight or BMI on its own doesn’t determine whether someone is healthy. More research is still needed before weight-loss dieting can be considered a sufficient prescription for better health.

Ultimately, the decision to focus on weight loss is a personal decision, and I believe in body autonomy. But I hope this helps explain why I see using weight as a proxy for health - or presenting weight loss as the primary route to health - as flawed thinking. I’d love to see our cultural definition of health become broader and more holistic.

For instance, with prediabetes, weight loss is commonly recommended in the UK - but losing weight can be achieved in the short term in many different ways, some of which may actually harm long-term health. Isn’t it more effective (and sustainable) to focus directly on what supports blood sugar balance, a positive relationship with food, and habits that strengthen health overall? When we make this shift, and weight loss is no longer the focus, we can acknowledge it’s still a possible (though not guaranteed) by-product of the way someone cares for their body - but it is no longer the goalpost against which everything else is judged.

If you don’t weigh yourself, then what?

You may be wondering: how can you know if the way you’re caring for your body is “working” if you don’t know how much you weigh?

There are many markers of health and wellbeing that are easier to check or reflect on - some measured, some simply felt. For example:

Energy levels
Blood sugar
Gut health (e.g regular bowel movements)
Cholesterol
Blood pressure
Mood
Strength and endurance
Hydration levels
Sleep quality
Eating a wide variety of foods

Our bodies give us signals about their health all the time. Often, we just need to learn how to reconnect with them and listen to their wisdom.

Of course, if weight gain or loss is sudden or unexplained, medical guidance is important. But if we notice our body shape or size shifting, or fat creeping up and we start to feel uncomfortable, might it be more helpful to get curious about what may have changed, gently refocus on self-care, and respond with kindness - without the added pressure of a number on the scales?

WHAT ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK?

Aside from health, the other main reason people turn to the scales is appearance. Understandably, many of us want to look our best as well as feel our best. I feel the same - it’s natural to want that for ourselves.

But when we go deeper and put this into context, many of us only care so strongly about weight, shape, or size because we live in a society that prizes thinness and actively entices us to conform to narrow beauty ideals. The messages we receive make it hard not to believe we’d be happier, more attractive, successful, or confident in a slimmer body.

The problem is that this pursuit of thinness often comes at a cost. A large body of research shows that body dissatisfaction is one of the strongest predictors of disordered eating behaviours, unhealthy weight control practices, and poorer psychological wellbeing. Furthermore, the evidence around dieting shows it often backfires. In fact, dieting is one of the strongest predictors of future weight gain, binge eating, and poorer body image over time.

In other words, the more we tie our self-worth to appearance or the number on the scales, the more vulnerable we are to cycles of restriction, overeating, guilt, and shame - patterns that undermine health rather than build it.

Of course, it’s not my role to decide whether people should feel less attached to appearance. But I often invite clients to ask themselves how their attachment to weight or body image is serving them. If self-worth is so tied to the number on the scales that it affects wellbeing, damages their relationship with food, and detracts from living fully - for example, avoiding swimming with their children or turning down an important date - then it may be time to gently explore those body image challenges.

A brief history of the bathroom scale

It can also be worth remembering that daily weigh-ins at home are a fairly recent cultural habit. Until the early 20th century most people only encountered scales at the doctor’s, the chemist’s, or even in public spaces where you would pay a penny to check your weight. Bathroom scales began to appear in middle-class homes in the 1920s and 30s, marketed as a symbol of modern health and beauty. By the 1950s they were common household items - their rise coinciding with the growth of diet culture and the increasing medicalisation of weight.

In other words, stepping on the scales every morning isn’t a timeless health practice - it is a cultural trend, largely shaped by the diet industry and advertising.

BEYOND THE SCALE

I understand that letting go of the bathroom scales can feel novel, or even scary. And even if it’s something you want to do, challenging ingrained beliefs about weight doesn’t happen overnight.

But gently exploring the origins of our beliefs, and loosening a rigid attachment to body weight, does not mean letting go of your health, wellbeing, or even a healthy interest in appearance.

When my clients reconnect with and build trust in their own intuition around food, their bodies, and their health, they often allow their bodies to naturally find their own healthy, biologically appropriate size and shape. (You can read more about set-point weight here).

It’s easy to forget that the human body has its own innate weight management system, drawing on powerful physiological mechanisms to stay balanced and healthy. It gives us cues all the time to help us support it - we just need to relearn how to listen.

There’s also strong evidence that Intuitive Eating - the opposite of controlled, restrictive dieting - is linked to improved nutrient intake, reduced eating disorder symptoms, and not with weight gain. In fact, several studies have found intuitive eating to be associated with lower body mass. It has also been linked to improved cholesterol, healthier blood pressure, and reduced inflammation.

MY CONCLUSIONS

Mounting evidence suggests that society’s fixation on the number on the scales, whether for aesthetics or as part of weight-centric healthcare intervention, has many issues and has potential to do more harm than good. The potential downsides can span both physical and mental health - from long-term weight gain, food obsession, and body dissatisfaction, to serious eating disorders. And is it not ironic that weight stigma and weight cycling may explain many of the associations we see between higher weights and poor health outcomes?

With all this in mind, do we really need scales in our homes tinkering with our mood, influencing our habits, and interfering with our intuition around food?

For me, the scales represent the ultimate symbol of diet culture, and I believe that focussing on the number of the scales has greater potential to undermine health, than it does to build it.

So for most of the people I work with at Gut Reaction, my answer is no.

Take a nourishing step forward today

Are worries about food, weight, or overeating draining your time, energy, and peace of mind? Are you struggling with low mood, persistent food cravings, poor gut health or digestive challenges?

Old mindsets and habits can be hard to shift on your own. If you are looking to find peace with food and your body, and eat with more confidence and ease, I can help you.

Please check out my private programmes here, or book an exploratory chat to find out more.

Research links and resources for this blog