Dump the scales campaign

And why Australia needs to dump those scales and learn some healthy habits. Yes to dumping the scales and accepting yourself. Its what’s inside that counts.

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I got inspired by the Growing Butterfly’s Dump the scales post and decided to write my own. Hope Virgo started the campaign in London and there is a popular petition going on with about 71000+ signatures. I think it can also apply to Australians as we are fixated on weight. It is about the way that the NHS have treated these patients by turning them away.

In fact, some of us have developed eating disorders because we are so fixated on the number on the scales. Sane defines it as a mental condition that affects 1 million Australians each year. The National Eating Disorders foundation says that 16% of Australians have developed an eating disorder. About 88% of those have bulimia. In 2015 I really wanted to lose weight so I was on the scales quite a lot and was fixated on going to the gym without eating much. As such during my periods I threw up and was quite PMSY on the first day of my period every month.

I also didn’t have a lot of energy to do my cycle classes properly because I was eating not enough calories and I was too light.

Fast forward to 2017 where I went to the gym and ate a lot and no I did not go on the scales a lot. I am happy with who I am and I don’t really care about those scales. Yes, there are still members that do this to this day. I see those new members at my gym that does it as they want to lose weight fast. They also may not know that eating after a class is actually ok as your body needs the protein to function.

Once in a while, I still get those ovulation pains and throw up sometimes.

Sometimes the scales can be inaccurate and the BMI can be also inaccurate as you may have more muscle and a lot less body fat and you’ll still weigh the same. It is recommended that you weigh yourself only once a week and not every day.

Verywell says that the scale can create a negative experience for some and some people get anxiety around the scales. Every time that number creeps up people get a bit unhappy about it even though they did the right thing. It could be just hormonal especially for ladies. It’s ok not to reach your goal weight as your body is quite different. Just accept it for what it is and be grateful for what you have.

Its healthy habits that count and not the scales.

If you or someone else has an eating disorder or continually measures themselves on the scale, its best to give the Butterfly foundation a call. Or Lifeline.