Why I never stand on a bathroom scale.

Well, very rarely.

Now, I can openly talk about this one because as you can see from the photo, I have had my own journey with weight and for years and years I was a slave to a scale. Only once I realised it wasn't about the numbers, did my weight actually begin to shift. You see, you are more than a number and that number depends on a gazillion different things at different times of day, month, cycle. If you are the kind of girl that always feels great after standing on a scale then you have my full permission never to give it up, but, if you are anything like me, it’s time to ditch the number on the mean machine.

For starters, the fact that you can gain 3-4lbs just by having your period really miffs me off. Is it not bad enough that we have to handle hormones and ‘real life’ when all we want to do is hunker down under a duvet? Don’t even get me started on if it’s a full moon. . . . Point is, at that time of the month you will stand on those scales, feel like a heffalump and begin a speedy descent into the realms of "I'm just not good enough". Girl, at this point, you need to step far far away from those scales. They will probably just make you cry.

Then there the whole water retention thing that happens especially in summer where again the scale will tell you that you are heavier than you hoped, making you feel super bad about you, your body and the fact that you feel uncomfortably hot. Step away ladies.

Time of day. Now this one also totally sends me into a head spin. I mean, seriously. Can a girl only weigh herself naked, first thing in the morning without taking even a little sip of water?!

I think you get my point.

It stretches, bends and twists the truth. The simple truth that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL EXACTLY AS YOU ARE.

No number on a scale has the power to rob you of that truth YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL EXACTLY AS YOU ARE. Regardless of if your jeans are tight or not, you are STILL beautiful exactly as you are and when you start to really embrace that feeling of self -love is when the healing and the transformation begins.

Now, I am no scientist but I truly believe that keeping your eye on a scale keeps you stuck in yo-yo mode. You quite literally flit between your own personal ideas of "fat/thin", "heavy/light" and it's a constant battle of self approval. I used to have a number on a scale that I couldn't go above as that would send me over into the 'fat' zone and a number I wanted to reach (and could never quite hit, which was a constant reminder that, yes, you got it - I wasn't good enough.). So here's the thing. Take a deep breath and ditch the scales.

Yes it can help with motivation especially at the start of a journey and yes it can help as a comparison once you have reached a happier goal weight (you only need a start and end number!) but it's the constant checking and checking that will keep you on the hamster wheel of yo-yo hell.

Start to think instead about how your clothes fit, how your body feels and reconnect with the true goal, which is in being the best and happiest you can be.

So ditch the scales ladies.

The only time you should be taking that sucker out is to weigh your luggage just before embarking on a fabulous holiday where you can strut your super gorgeous self across a beach or a snow capped mountain. Remember, you are perfect, exactly as you are.