What's in a Number? 18 Celebs Sound Off on Skipping the Scale 

America Ferrera, Mandy Moore and more stars share why they don't obsess over that number
By Lydia Price
November 09, 2018 03:00 PM

1 of 18

AMERICA FERRERA

Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty

"I have changed my relationship to food [since having a baby]. I swore off scales a long time ago. More than anything, I just try to be aware of how does what I eat make me feel. Do I feel better? Do I feel energized? Does this make me tired and not feel great? I try to go easy on myself."

— to Health

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2 of 18

BUSY PHILIPPS

Credit: Valerie Macon/Getty

"I stopped weighing myself almost two years ago, because I noticed that it was giving me anxiety and really affecting my mood. If you are somebody who wants to make a life change and that scale gets you the motivation of, like, ‘Yes, I got down two lbs. this week!’ I for sure get that. But for me, just being stable in my body has helped me a lot."

— to Health

3 of 18

SHAY MITCHELL

Credit: John Parra/WireImage

"For me exercise is all about getting stronger. It's not about weight. I've never even weighed myself. I don't think you can trust the scale … Exercise is about how I feel. I have more energy when I work out. It makes me amped for the rest of the day, and I feel strong."

— to Shape

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4 of 18

MANDY MOORE

Credit: Amanda Edwards/WireImage

"There’s no real endgame for me with fitness. I've always been the girl who goes by how my clothes fit. I don’t weigh myself — I just like to feel good in my body."

— to SHAPE

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ALISON BRIE

Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty

"I was transitioning fat into muscle without losing weight or gaining weight. But I say that loosely because I don’t own a scale. I haven’t weighed myself in years."

— to Women's Health

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KATE WINSLET

Credit: J. Countess/WireImage

"I don't know how much I weigh — I haven't weighed myself in 12 years. Top tip, it's a great move!"

— on The Tonight Show

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KATE UPTON

Credit: Shark Pics/Splash News Online

"I never get on a scale because you can’t judge yourself for how much you weigh. What really matters is how good I feel … I reached a place in my career where I didn't think of my body as something that I wanted to fit into a certain size; I started looking at my body as a function to help me live my life the best I can — to have energy and to feel strong."

— to PEOPLE in 2017

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PINK

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

"Would you believe I'm 160 pounds and 5'3"? By 'regular standards' that makes me obese. I know I'm not at my goal or anywhere near it after Baby 2 but dammit I don't feel obese. The only thing I'm feeling is myself. Stay off that scale ladies!"

— on Instagram in 2017

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KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN 

Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images

"I don't believe that a weight defines you. I don't weigh myself, because I don't care what number I am. I think to be happy comes from within… There's so many miserable people that are thin and they're hungry!"

— to ET in 2017

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TINA FEY 

Credit: John Shearer/WireImage

"I don't weigh myself. I just go by if my clothes fit. I try not to participate too much in the incredible amount of wasted energy that women have around dealing with food. I just feel like being healthy is sort of a job requirement to be on TV, and being a writer is so much coping with fatigue and stress, and you just eat. You eat to stay awake."

—to Vogue in 2010

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LENA DUNHAM 

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

"Fact: I only weigh myself on rusty scales in foreign countries. Otherwise, I go by how my bracelets are fitting."

"Million dollar idea: a scale that says CONGRATS BABY where the numbers would usually go."

— on Twitter in 2013 and 2015

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CHRISSY TEIGEN 

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

"Honestly, I was so stuck on the scale game. Like, I was the kind of person that was, you know, pre-baby, I weighed myself like three times a day. I knew how much I weighed at 8 a.m., and I knew how much I was supposed to weigh at 1 p.m., and I knew how much I was supposed to weigh at 8 p.m. …You start to realize that it's not about the number on the scale, it's about how you project yourself."

— to ET, in 2017

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KELLY OSBOURNE 

"When you change your body, you start to get selfish. You're like, Oh, but that's still fat and that's still gross and why can't I look like that? To stop myself I have to look at how far I've come. I've learned how to eat right and look after myself. Also, I don't weigh myself. If you like what you see in front of the mirror, then what's the f---ing point of getting on a scale?"

— to Self in 2013

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CHRISTINA AGUILERA 

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

"I don't weigh myself — it's all about how I feel in my clothes. What looks good on one person might not look good on another body type. I happen to be very confident in my own skin. It takes time to get to that place, but it's all about embracing yourself and your body."

— to Marie Claire in 2012

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KRISTEN BELL 

Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty

"I like to stay fit and challenge myself. But I'm not going to try to be a certain size, or weigh a specific amount. I don't own a scale. My goal is to feel good and look healthy."

— to Shape in 2010

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ANNA PAQUIN 

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

"I dont know that there is such a thing [as a happy weight]. I think the numbers game gets a little treacherous… I do [have a scale]. Truthfully, I'm usually happiest when I'm not going anywhere near it. But you know what size your body is. And if you're working out and have a lot of muscle, you're going to weigh more. I feel good when I feel like I'm really strong. And that's not necessarily when I'm at my numerically most gratifying weight."

— to Health in 2011

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KATHERINE HEIGL 

Credit: Jay/Photo Image Press/Splash News Online

"No, [I don't own a scale] because it can make you kind of crazy. I used to weigh myself every day at a certain time of day. Then I would write down the number and measure my body fat. It wasn't a healthy way to live. Now I can tell if I've gained or lost weight just by the way my clothes are fitting. But it's tempting to buy a scale, because I'd love to know what I weigh. Whatever—I'll just lie and say 120."

— to Glamour in 2007

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KYRA SEDGWICK

Credit: Mark Sagliocco/Getty

"Food has never been easy for me. I came back from that [role in War and Love], and it triggered something ... I ate everything in sight. My weight went up and then too far down … I'm so grateful [now] that I don't get on a scale, because it's never going to be the right number."

— to More in 2010

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By Lydia Price