I hate to admit it, but I obsessively get on the scale and then calculate my body mass index.

As somebody who’s relatively knowledgeable in the field of health and fitness, I should know that weight fluctuation, especially during a 24-hour period, is totally normal. Since I can get wrapped up in numbers and thus weigh myself several times a day, I’ve recently committed to completely avoiding the scale for two months in favor of better measures of health and fitness.

I’m in a sociology class where a lot of the discussion is about the body, what’s considered ideal, what’s considered healthy and what’s considered normal.  

One of my classmates, an insanely talented athlete with a body carved from stone, brought up how her size and weight are considered “big” for her height. 

Say you have two 5-foot-7-inch, 21-year-old women, who weigh 160 pounds. Woman A eats junk food, rarely exercises and pounds beers at The Boot. Woman B is an athlete, hits the gym, lifts weights and eats well. Woman B has more lean muscle mass than Woman A, but is going to have the same BMI.

These two individuals should not be in the same category of “healthy.” The body is very subjective and individualized. It shouldn’t be categorized into a standardized table of normalcy and health.  

Don’t get wrapped up in numbers, especially if you’re incorporating weight lifting into your routine. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you notice that your weight isn’t changing or that it has increased a bit, don’t worry.  In fact, stop using the scale completely. You want this muscle, even if you’re a woman.

Even sitting on the couch watching “Jersey Shore,” a body with more muscle is burning more calories than a body with less.  

There are three best ways to keep track of your fitness progress. First, keep a calorie journal. Write down everything you eat for the day, including any drinks if you go out at night.

Second, keep a gym journal. Take note of calories burned and the various exercises you did.

Third, take note of how your clothes fit. Don’t worry about the size. An honest effort toward a healthy diet and effective exercise will cause your clothes to eventually fit a bit looser, or your newly found buff glutes may fill your jeans out a bit more.

Don’t think of yourself as a number – not your weight, not your pant size, nor your standardized BMI.  

Caitlin Spieker is a sociology senior and personal trainer who is working on a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. She can be reached at [email protected]