Women’s Health – The Reddit Trick You Need To Steal If You’re Trying To Lose Weight

Losing weight is a marathon, and this time of year can test even the most stalwart health goals. Relying too heavily on the scale as your only measure of success can set anyone up for frustration, especially when the scale doesn’t always track immediately with your efforts. When embarking on larger goals, having more than one measure of success can help you stay on track.

I was very pleased to weigh in on this compilation of non-scale measures of health success. To read the full post at Women’s Health, click HERE.

Reddit is filled with stories of non-scale victories, and there are a few reasons why sharing these victories has become so popular. For starters, celebrating non-scale victories helps you notice the progress you’re actually making, says licensed clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D. “Noticing progress, in a variety of forms, can lessen your reliance on the scale number and diversify your goals,” she says. “The reality is that a scale is simply a measure. A scale is easier to define and track, but other goals are arguably more important even if they are trickier to articulate.”

The fact that people love sharing them with others is no accident, either. “Social support is well known to help keep people functioning at their best and staying on track,” Clark says. “Encouragement from a friend or fellow health pursuer can help bolster our resolve when our personal resources might be flagging.” And reading about the NSVs of others can be empowering to help other people lose weight, too.