I haven’t been on a scale for a number of years. I stopped my morning ritual of stepping on the scale every morning because I didn’t like the way I felt. No matter what number appeared, I wasn’t happy.

If the number on the scale was up a pound, my internal self-talk was very negative. “You’re so fat.” “You aren’t exercising enough.” “You have to be more disciplined.” “You should look like ___. Each day I’d fill in the blank with somebody else’s name: a friend, a TV personality, a movie star, etc. Every thought that came into my head was the equivalent of “bad girl.” Heavy feelings stayed with me all day, even if I tried to hide them behind a smile.

If the readout on the scale was down a pound, I was unhappy because it wasn’t down 2 pounds or 10 pounds. My internal self-talk still was negative. “You should be losing weight faster.” “I’ll never get down to my “magic number.” “My _____ is/are still too big.” Each day I’d fill in the blank with one or more body parts that I didn’t like. Instead of feeling proud of myself for getting rid of unnecessary weight, I was dissatisfied. I never felt “good enough.”

Being aware of the Law of Attraction, I didn’t get near a scale for several years. I knew that if I wanted to feel good about my body and my appearance, I had to stop focusing on the negative. Being critical of myself didn’t make me feel good in the moment. Quite the opposite; I felt bad about myself. Keeping the scale out of sight and not stepping on it helped. I wasn’t giving myself negative messages on a daily basis and, as a result, I was more accepting of my body. I didn’t get to the point of loving my body but I was grateful for my body.

Now I acknowledge that it’s through my body that I experience the world. My arms help me to embrace life. My legs take me to new destinations. My senses enable me to experience all the wonders that abound. I need my body and am committed to treating it as a beloved friend rather than as an abhorred enemy. Easier said than done!

Today, for some reason, I took the scale out of the closet. I stepped on it, read the number and, as if on autopilot, heard my inner critic start chattering. All my old self-criticism was active once again. Just for the heck of it, I stepped on the scale a second time. This time the number that appeared was lower than it was the first time. Phew! I felt a heaviness lift and I felt better. I felt lighter. All this took place in less than a minute. I went from feeling negative to feeling more hopeful.

That was my “aha” moment. I realized that I’d given the number on the scale the power to determine how I felt about myself. I knew that was the case but to actually experience it was a real eye-opener. I was the same person with the same personality as well as the same hopes, dreams, skills, abilities and intelligence no matter what number appeared on the scale.

I’ve decided to put the scale back into the closet and to put myself on a diet – one that controls negative self-talk instead of calories. I’m committed to catching myself when I say something negative about my body and replacing it with a statement of gratitude for my body. I’m looking forward to feeling better.

Next, I’m going to tackle my feelings about myself when I look into a full-length mirror. Once I master my relationship with the scale, it should be easy for me to apply the same principles when I look at my reflection. My new mantra is “I love and approve of myself no matter how much I weigh or how I look.” I’m anticipating excellent results.