“You’ll learn a lot about yourself. The scale disconnects you from yourself and life in general. Many people are not aware that weight worries are often an effort to cope with the stresses and uncertainties of life,” Alex says.Well, that hit the nail on the head. My life certainly feels in flux and all over the place. I had a baby seven months ago, and I still feel like I’m adjusting to the new normal. Becoming a mom has also had an impact on my career as a freelance writer that I didn’t anticipate (namely: I feel like I’m always drowning in to-dos and can never catch up). If I focus on my weight — a concrete number — then I have less room to really think about how this new, abstract, messy life totally freaks me out.The concept of “intuitive eating” is hot right now. Basically, it means you’re in tune with your hunger and fullness cues. You eat when you’re hungry, enjoy every bite, and stop when you’re full and satisfied. There are no rules for how much and what you eat, but you put trust in your body. And if you have a cupcake? You savor each morsel of sugary sweetness. And it seems to work: “Generally, intuitive eaters enjoy better health and wellbeing than dieters,” Alex says.But it turns out, weighing yourself doesn't leave any room for mindful eating. I used the number to tell me how hungry I was. If my weight was down that day, I was “hungrier” and ate more; if it was up, then I told myself I those stomach rumbles meant nothing. All this is pretty ironic, because weight has little to do with health — something I know intellectually but have trouble internalizing.“The scale distracts you from your body’s wisdom,” Alex says. And it can make it more likely that I will make not-great-for-me choices, especially when my weight fluctuates a bit for reasons unrelated to a healthy lifestyle (such as totally normal hormonal changes). “For example, you might make positive changes that feel good, like eating more produce, lowering stress levels, and exercising, but if you’re weight-focused, not seeing the number you’re hoping for can discourage you from maintaining those healthy habits,” she says.By taking the month-long break, “you’ll likely find it becomes easier to notice how your body feels and what it needs,” says Alex. That might be my hunger, but also if I’m craving salad or need fries to feel satisfied, as well as when to go balls-out with exercise, take a walk, or just put my feet up on the couch.Like any habit (er, obsession?), this one was hard to break. I almost cheated on day three. I walked into my bathroom, saw the scale, and wanted just to see — to make sure that my weight wasn’t spinning out of control. (Not logical, I know, but nothing about this is.)Physically removing the scale would be ideal, says Alex, because the sight of it can trigger you to step on. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something I could do, because my husband uses the scale like a normal human. If his weight is up, it’s just that — it’s up, and he’ll consider eating fewer chips at lunch (but not obsess over it). The scale stayed.So what was I supposed to do in that first moment after I woke up, when my mind would beeline to how much do I weigh today? The key was distraction. I had to find something else to do or focus on. What worked for me: chugging some water, taking a quick walk, or going for a coffee run.Next problem: How was I supposed to eat? Intuitive eating sounded good, but I had zero practice listening to my body. If I didn’t have to answer to the scale anymore, would I still make healthy choices?