Julie Mazziotta is the Senior Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything ... and decided to find out her weight, expecting it to be around 250 lbs. But the scale instead read 304 lbs.

or “You’ve lost so much weight!” While I know most people ... often reducing everything I’ve worked for to just a number on the scale. Many people assume these comments are harmless ...

Research suggests that over 80% of people who follow a weight ... you focus less on the number on the scale and more on your overall well-being. After all, weight is only one measure of health.