Let’s talk about that little square of plastic on your bathroom floor.
It can ruin your mood, your breakfast, and your entire sense of self before your coffee has even finished brewing. One second you're feeling strong and proud, the next you're wondering if your body hates you and contemplating a juice cleanse you’d never actually do.
The scale.
Here’s the thing: the scale isn’t evil. It’s a tool. But it’s one of those tools that’s super easy to misuse, like tweezers under a magnifying mirror.
Personally, I don’t weigh myself regularly. Not because I’m afraid of the number or trying to avoid data, but because I just don’t find it very valuable. For me, it’s kind of bottom-of-the-barrel data. A distraction more than an insight. It doesn’t tell me anything meaningful about my strength, health, or energy that haven't already gathered from other places. So I don’t bother.
That said, I’m at a place in my journey where I could weigh myself consistently and be totally fine. Not because I’m immune to the old narratives, but because I’ve done a lot of deep work to unhook myself from the diet culture remnants that snuck in when I was young, impressionable, and convinced those 17 magazine models with their thigh gaps were "It".
But for a lot of women I work with, the issue isn’t the number. It’s the mental spiral that follows it. It’s how fast we abandon what’s working because the data didn’t instantly reward us.
So... who shouldn’t weigh themselves?
People who spiral after seeing a number.
People who cut back food out of panic.
People who weigh “just to check” and end up reworking their entire life plan at 7am.
People who feel defeated, derailed, or full of shame if it’s up half a pound.
Who should?
Maybe no one. But if you want to, I'd make sure you check off the following boxes first...
People who are curious, not reactive.
People who use the number as a breadcrumb, not the whole story.
People who understand that water, hormones, soreness, digestion, sodium, alcohol and sleep all impact the number.
People who are tracking other forms of progress and not putting all their worth in one metric.
Let me say that last one again: people who are tracking other forms of progress. If the scale is the same or up but your waist is down, muscles popping, energy is up, cravings are down and your A1c is looking better, you better NOT act like what you're doing isn't working. I mean, you can do what you want but don't bring that energy near me unless you want a major pep talk.
If you do decide to track it, don’t let it be the only thing you track. I suggest weighing three times a week, first thing in the morning, and taking the weekly average. The daily ups and downs mean almost nothing in isolation. They’re noisy. We want trends, not tantrums.
Also... don’t weigh yourself on your period, after flying, after eating sushi, or when you already feel emotionally wobbly. You deserve better than that setup.
The scale can’t tell you:
If your clothes are fitting differently
If your metabolism is stronger
If your cravings are down
If your mood and energy are more stable
If you're preserving muscle and burning fat
If you're showing up in your life in a way that feels grounded and powerful
Those are the real wins. And they happen long before the scale ever catches on.
If you know the scale isn’t for you, here’s what I recommend tracking instead:
Progress photos
How your clothes feel
Strength gains (more reps, more weight, better form)
Meal consistency
Daily protein + fiber
Sleep, mood, energy, digestion
And my favorite... how often you’ve avoided spiraling after a “bad day” because you know how to get back on track
That’s what progress looks like. That’s what I coach on inside The Metabolic Edge.
Last week, I led a workshop called Becoming Her: The Psychology of Results. It wasn’t about motivation or willpower. It was about identity. About shifting into the version of you who already has the results, before the results show up. And I realized... some people just need to be in the room for the shift to happen.
Not everyone inside TME uses all the meal guides or completes every workout. Some don’t speak up in the group chats or catch every workshop. But they’re in the room. They’re surrounded by women going for what they’re going for. And something about that starts to unlock things. Quietly, powerfully.
You are the average of the 5 people / communities you surround yourself with.
So if you’ve been needing to stack wins, if you’ve felt stuck or stalled or unsure what to do next, maybe the first step isn’t doing more.
Maybe it’s just being in the room with us.
You’re not meant to figure this all out alone. Let’s take the pressure off and start tracking what actually matters.
XO,
Tara