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Ladies: Step Away from the Scale— There is more to body image than a number

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapel Hill chapter.

College can be a tough test of your body image and the way you feel. At a school like UNC, where more than 60 percent of the population is female, you’re constantly surrounded by girls, and sometimes it can be hard not to compare.

For those of us that don’t have metabolisms that work at the speed of light, it can be really difficult to maintain or lose weight. And while it would nice if all girls—regardless of their size—felt beautiful and confident just the way they are, sometimes that’s not the case.

If you’re trying to lose weight, the scale can be a helpful tool. It can allow you to track your progress, give you a starting weight and a goal weight, and alter your exercise and eating habits based on the changes you see. However, it’s also possible to develop an unhealthy obsession with the scale.

MSNBC reported that girls who obsess over the scale are more likely to “skip meals, use diet pills or laxatives, smoke, and binge and vomit to lose weight.” In fact, overusing the scale can actually hurt you in the long run. The MSNBC study found that high school girls who reported weighing themselves frequently gained an average of 33.3 pounds over the course of five years. On the other hand, girls who didn’t weigh themselves as often only gained 18.6 pounds.

Optum Health adds that weighing yourself every day can be frustrating as there can be many fluctuations due to water retention or the amount of sleep you get. The change can cause you to give up or become discouraged if you don’t see the immediate gratification of your hard work.

So how often should you weigh yourself? MedicineNet advises that weighing in once a week or even once a month gives a more accurate representation of your progress. They also suggest to weigh yourself in the morning and to not get frustrated with “plateaus,” which are common when you’re changing the composition of your body.

Most importantly, there are things that matter more than the number you see on the scale. How do your clothes fit? Do you feel strong? Are you setting realistic goals and taking healthy actions to meet them? How’s your diet? Are you exercising? And the most valuable question of all … do you feel healthy?

These questions are much better measures of your self-confidence and body image than a number. There are a lot of things that can define us — our intellect, our friends, our values, our work ethic, our sense of humor— don’t let the scale be one of them.

Sources:
http://www.myoptumhealth.com/portal/Information/item/Losing+Weight%3A+How+Often+Should+You+Ste?archiveChannel=Home%2FArticle&clicked=true

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55489

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16097562/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/teen-girls-should-scale-back-their-weigh-ins/

Images:
http://www.sheerbalance.com/gfx/blog/scale.jpg

http://www.fitnessbyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/frustration-on-scale.jpg

Sophomore, PR major at UNC