When people come to see us at “RISE” their goal is nearly always the same.
Initially, before we work to change their mindsets, and get them to look at things from a different perspective, nearly everyone that comes to us wants to change the number shown on their scales when they stand on it.
Now, we understand why people feel this way.
The number on the scales is the way we’ve been taught is socially acceptable to verbalize everything we feel related to our body-fat levels and appearance.
Saying “I want to lose weight” is considered to be more socially acceptable then saying:
- “I hate looking at myself in the mirror”
- “I’m scared shitless of getting in my swimming costume as I feel everyone will laugh at me”
- “I don’t think my other half wants to have sex with me since I’ve gained weight”
- “When I have to sit down after playing with the kids for 5 minutes, a little part of me dies inside”
- And so on
Ultimately, when we work with people they realize that the number on the scales is not important.
When they realize the number on the scale is just their body’s relationship with gravity.
When they realize the reason they’re coming to us isn’t so much to change that number on the scales, but it’s to change how they feel about their appearance.
It’s to get rid of the many negative emotions that they are suffering related to their body-fat levels, health, and fitness.
We’ve worked with so many people over the years that we know it’s never really the number on the scales.
You are not a number.
You are not what the scales tell you.
Society in general seems to be more and more working towards making us all a series of numbers.
We like to find out what percentage we are on quizzes and intelligence tests on Facebook.
We like to know how many repetitions of an exercise we did compared to the last time, what percentage of improvement we have achieved.
Again, I repeat – We are not just a number.
If you can take one thing away from this article, it would be to stop thinking of yourself as your weight, stop thinking of yourself as a number the scales tell you.
You are much more than that.
You are the one and only you.
There is only one you in the whole world.
Only one person who has your unique combination of gifts, abilities, friendship circles, and everything else that goes into making up “you”.
You are more than a number.
If you still feel that you are not happy with your weight ask yourself if it genuinely, genuinely is the weight, the number on the scale, or that’s just society’s way of putting across how you feel about other things.
If I told you that you could wake up tomorrow looking like, say, Cheryl Cole or Brad Pitt, but the scales would have to say 20 stones – would you take it?
If the answer is yes (and it has been for anyone that I’ve ever asked that question), then it’s not your weight you’re wanting to change.
It’s how you feel about your appearance.
How other people perceive you.
It’s your health, your fitness, and your general well-being.
When you start to concentrate on those things and forget about the number on the scales, changes come much more easily.
