When embarking on a health and fitness journey, whether it’s to lose weight, gain muscle, eat more plant protein, or anything in between, it’s just as important (if not more!) to have non-scalable victories as scalable victories. Non-scale victories are important because they allow us to feel accomplished based on emotion, not metrics. Metrics have a time and place. For example, tallying how many times your kids left their dishes in the sink so that you can give them the equivalent amount of chores. 🤣
Non-scale victories allow us to just be. Imagine looking in the mirror and absolutely loving the body you’re in. Imagine pulling on jeans that fit like a glove, and imagine running without once feeling like quitting? You’d think you’re absolutely crushing it! Now imagine after doing and feeling all of those things, you stepped on a scale and you’re 15 pounds OVER the weight you thought was going to stare back at you. Regardless of how great you felt, somehow that silly, stupid number on the scale (which means nothing by the way) will probably stick in your head the rest of the day, if not week, month, or year. UGH!
Non-scale victories, such as confidence, allow us to celebrate our weight loss wins without attaching any sort of calculations to them. After all, it doesn’t matter how much you weigh if you drop two pant sizes and feel sexy as ever in a swimsuit, right?!
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What are non-scale victories (NSV)?
- Body image and mental health: what’s the connection?
- List of non-scale victories to celebrate
What Are Non-Scale Victories (NSV)?
If you’ve ever seen a magazine article or Instagram post talking about NSV, you may have wondered, what does NSV mean? Non-scale victories, also known as NSV, are positive health, wellness, and fitness outcomes that have nothing to do with a number on the scale. They “track” things like mood, complexion, confidence, and energy. Notice how most of those things would be a hassle, if not near impossible, to actually track? These are just a few examples of non-scale victories.
How Body Image Affects Mental Health
“Look good, feel good” may be a fun way to justify buying cute, new workout outfits, but it actually has some research to back it up, too! Women with high self-esteem tend to have better relationships and be more resilient in their lives. [1] When someone is suffering from low self-esteem, it not only affects how they feel about themself, but the way they carry themselves in everyday scenarios. In a world that’s so focused on being “the perfect size”, it can be difficult to feel confident and empowered in your own, unique body. Non-scale victories are a great way to boost self-worth, because feeling poised and courageous should not be solely based on a number!
10 Weight Loss Wins You NEED To Celebrate!
1. Your clothes fit better
This NSV needs no introduction. Those jeans you dread, and shirts that used to hug in all the wrong places now feel, and look, oh so good!
2. You feel healthy without medication
Maybe it’s only been a few days, but then without realizing it, a month goes by and you haven’t taken any medication. Your pills have been replaced by sprints or meditation or a little bit of all the activities you used to say “just aren’t for you.”
3. You stopped obsessing over numbers
This one is hard, believe me. We’re conditioned to care about the number on the scale and our clothing tag size. Slowly but surely, I promise you, you will care less. You will be so happy in your own skin that it won’t even cross your mind to think twice about “the numbers”. For me, this was the most satisfying, and special, NSV milestone to hit.
4. You are more confident in your own skin
LADIES! This is the nirvana of weight loss wins. I could cry talking about how important it is to feel important in your body. The body that got you through the hardest times of your life. The body that may have given birth, or survived unthinkable trauma. The body that is what literally allows you LIFE. When you feel confident in your skin, you will feel confident in your life.
5. You look forward to your supplement regime
Remember as a kid when you would beg for your vitamins because they practically tasted like candy? Well, SkinnyFit made a bundle that provokes an adult version of that SAME excitement. It’s their Total Reset Bundle, and it has alllll the goods. AKA my personal favorites: Beauty Juice (beautifies your complexion and improves overall glow), Detox (slims you down, eliminates toxins, and boosts energy without the crash), and Super Youth Peach Mango (goodbye, wrinkles and joint pain, hello stronger hair and nails, and improved digestion!).
As I neared a plateau in my workout regimen, these three supplements gave me the confidence boost I needed to keep going. Not longer after implementing them into my daily routine, I was dropping pounds in a healthy way, my skin was clearing up, and my bloating seemingly disappeared. Even after noticing physical changes, it was the way they made me feel good in my own skin that made me a true believer.
6. You have more energy
Remember the days you hit snooze a minimum of five times? They feel like a distant memory. You are up and out of bed EXCITED for the day and workout ahead. Your 3 PM slump is gone, and when it’s time for bed, you’re actually ready, and not crawling with exhaustion. *Snaps to that*
7. You’re more adaptable
This was the most surprising NSV that I experienced on my weight loss journey. As I began to drop pounds and gain confidence, I noticed that not only did my mood increase, but I was more adaptable. Any set back, whether in life or in the gym, was met with a solution-oriented mind rather than my usual “I give up” or “what’s the point” mentality. This is a huge win in my eyes.
8. You move better
It’s a trickle effect, all these weight loss wins. When you have more energy, you have more confidence. When you have more confidence, you move better. I’m not just talking about running faster or working out harder, though that does happen! I’m talking about the way you enter a room and carry yourself through life will change, BIG TIME.
9. You look forward to your workouts
For anyone shaking their heads nope, I promise you will get here. Just like you once looked forward to pizza for dinner, because you know how it made you feel, you will now look forward to working out because you know how it makes you feel!
10. Your appearance is brighter
Yup! You will appear brighter, you will glow, your whole aura will just radiate. If you could just stand next to the same you that sat more than walked, and ate dessert more than vegetables, your jaw would drop to the floor. Your appearance will exude a light you never knew you had! The woman who walks into a room and lights it up, will be you.
The Bottom Line On Non-Scale Victories
All in all when it comes to weight loss wins, the only scale that matters is your own. If a win for you is feeling confident in an itsy bitsy bikini, that’s great, own it. If a win for you is not dreading the gym, that’s also huge! Whatever it is that makes you feel like the best, most amazing version of yourself, aim for that. By defining what makes you shine, you get to be the master of your own mind and body! So, the next time you’re dreading whatever number is glaring back at you—on the scale, in your shirt tag, whatever!—check back in with yourself, your true self. How do you feel? Are you hydrated, active, happy? Those are the scales that matter.
