Over a year ago now, I stopped weighing myself. I stopped stepping on the scale at my house and at the gym. I started asking to be weighed backwards at the doctor’s office. I don’t know what I weigh and honestly I have no desire to find out.

I went through a phase in life where it meant a lot to me to know my weight, down to the decimal. Seeing my weight on a scale had the ability to change my mood and change my perception of myself, which is truly sad.

It is incredibly freeing to not know my weight, because it allows me to live without feeling like a number dictates my worth. Weight is held to a standard of importance in our society that I’m not sure it deserves. What is more important: the number on the scale or how we feel physically and mentally? I believe most people would say the latter.

I understand we are taught to believe we are only healthy if we stay within a certain number of pounds based on our height. Health, however, is definitely not characterized by having a specific BMI or weight. Health is nourishing our bodies and our minds, managing anxiety and stress, and living actively. When we have a narrow view of health, we miss the vital intricacies of our mental wellbeing, our hormonal balance, and simply, our undeniable genetic makeup. Taking on this constricted mindset, in my opinion, is unhealthier than anything else.