The Obstacle Is The Weigh
Inspired by Ryan Holiday’s
The Obstacle Is The Way (The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph)
a.k.a.
My “Course Correction” (and why I continue to share it publicly…)
This morning, I stepped on my InBody body composition scale, and my numbers were up.
I want to start there because that moment still matters. Even for me. Even after everything I’ve experienced, studied, guided, and lived through over the last couple of decades, the reality is that a number on a screen can still reach up and grab me for a second. Not because I’m fragile or weak, and not because I don’t “know better,” but because I’m human. And because if you’ve ever fought for your health, your confidence, your peace of mind, or your sense of control in your own body, you understand exactly what that moment can trigger.
The scale doesn’t speak, but our minds do. And if I’m not careful, my mind can turn a simple data point into a dramatic headline before I even have time to breathe. In less than ten seconds, a number can become a verdict, and a verdict can become a story. I’ve watched it happen in my own life, and I’ve watched it happen in thousands of other lives that I’ve consulted one-on-one through the lens of their body composition results. A number rises, and suddenly the mind begins narrating the worst-case version of reality: “Here we go again.” “I blew it.” “Nothing works.” “Why even try?” That story doesn’t just disappoint you. It pulls on your identity.
This is why I’m writing this article today. Yes, my numbers were up, and I’m not thrilled about it. But what matters more to me is what I didn’t do next. I didn’t spiral. I didn’t hide. I didn’t try to rationalize or spin the data into something it wasn’t. I didn’t disappear. I didn’t reach for the soft little scripts that sound responsible but often protect us from the discomfort of being measured. I didn’t say, “I’m working on it...” or “I’m going to...” or “I’m trying...” or “I’ll start again Monday...” Those phrases might sound harmless, even mature, but if you’ve lived in the start-stop cycle long enough, you know what they can become. They can turn into comfort cushions. They can give you the feeling of movement without requiring the courage of action.
I’ve learned the hard way that a slip isn’t failure. Disappearing is. That’s where the real damage happens, and it’s not because the scale went up. The real damage begins when you stop looking. When you stop checking in. When you stop tracking. When you stop telling the truth. When you stop staying present with yourself because the discomfort of what you might see feels heavier than the discomfort of doing the work. In my experience, the number itself isn’t what derails people; it’s the meaning they attach to it. It’s the shame story that follows. It’s the emotional snowball that starts rolling downhill until it becomes easier to pretend you don’t care than to face what you do care about.
That is exactly why, for people who have spent a lifetime losing weight, gaining it back, and living under the pressure of “Why can’t I just stay on track?”, the most powerful thing they can build isn’t motivation. It’s disappearing insurance. That may sound like a strange phrase at first, but I mean it literally. Disappearing insurance is what protects you from going invisible when things get messy. It’s what keeps you from drifting so far away from your own honesty that coming back feels impossible. Disappearing insurance can be public, like sharing your check-ins and lessons openly, or it can be private, like journaling, tracking, or simply taking daily measurements consistently. Either way, it’s the same purpose: staying connected to reality in a way that makes course correction possible before the drift becomes a full-blown detour.
That’s why I’m calling what I’m doing right now a course correction, not a reset. I don’t like the word reset because it implies you’re broken. It implies you failed and now have to start over as if nothing you’ve done matters. I’m not doing that. I’m not starting from scratch. I’m adjusting my direction based on feedback, like anyone who is committed to getting somewhere meaningful. And that’s exactly what this is. It’s not a collapse. It’s a correction.
Two things can be true at the same time, and both are true for me today. I’m not happy with where my numbers are. And I’m proud of myself for not running from them. That’s leadership. That’s the work. That’s what I want people to see when they read this. You don’t have to love the numbers to love yourself through the numbers. You don’t have to be thrilled with what you see to stay present. And staying present is what changes everything.
I’ve spent years teaching people that the scale isn’t the enemy. The scale reports; it doesn’t insult. It doesn’t shame you. It doesn’t have an opinion about your worth. It isn’t out to get you. But the mind, if untrained, can turn measurement into meaning, and meaning into identity. That’s the trap. A number flashes, and suddenly, your whole day, your whole mood, your whole belief system can tilt. The scale becomes a headline writer instead of a reporter. That shift is small, but the consequences are enormous, because when your measurement system becomes emotional, you don’t just stop tracking the numbers. You start avoiding your own life.
This moment matters even more to me because it sits inside a longer story that I’ve been intentionally living into. One hundred twenty-eight days ago, I made a declaration that I was creating something again. I didn’t say it casually. I didn’t say it like a slogan. I said it because I knew what it meant to commit. I’ve created an incredible transformation before, and I’m creating it again, not as a performance, but as a life. I’m honoring that journey today, not by pretending it’s been perfect, but by telling the truth about what it actually looks like to stay on a course when you’re not getting the results you want as fast as you want them.
I also need to say something that surprised me this morning when I saw the data. The numbers aren’t horrible. They aren’t some shocking disaster. They aren’t wildly different from where I was when I made a big personal declaration a hundred and twenty-eight days ago.
That doesn’t mean I’m satisfied, but it does mean something important: this isn’t a failure moment. This is a drift moment. And drift is exactly what consistent measurement is designed to catch. The scale doesn’t exist to punish you. It exists to show you your direction. When I saw my direction today, I didn’t need shame. I needed leadership. I needed honesty. I needed an adjustment.
There is one more piece of truth I want to share here because it’s part of why this happened, and I think many people can relate to it. Recently, I changed how I share my stats. I thought I was being clever. I simplified everything so it would be easier for me to post and easier for people to absorb. But what I’ve noticed since making that change is that the wheels have quietly started coming off. Not in a dramatic way, but in the way things often unravel in real life: subtly, gradually, quietly. When I simplified my measurement, I simplified my attention. And attention is everything. So, I’m going back to what works for me. It may not be the system that works for everyone, but it works for me, and at this point in my life, I’m far more interested in what works than what looks clean and simple.
That brings me to the title of this article. The Obstacle Is The Weigh is a play on one of the most influential books I return to when I need a course correction: Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is The Way. I’ve read it and listened to it countless times, and every time I return to it, something new lands for me. The message is timeless: the obstacle isn’t blocking the path; the obstacle is the path. Today, my obstacle isn’t simply “weight.” My obstacle is what that weight tries to do to my mind. The obstacle is the temptation to disappear, to avoid, to delay, to numb, or to pretend I don’t care. The obstacle is the story that tries to attach itself to the measurement. That is the real battleground, and that is why this moment is valuable.
Five specific distinctions from Holiday’s work are shaping my “course correction.”
The first is perception...
The number is not my identity. It’s information, and it’s feedback. I can interpret it as proof of failure, or as a signal to adjust.
The second is control...
I cannot change yesterday or the last 128 days, but I can control my next decision. That’s where power lives.
The third is endurance...
I’m not trying to build a moment; I’m building a life. Real life doesn’t have a final episode, and it doesn’t hand you applause for making a good decision at dinner. That means you need a vision worth staying visible for, and meaningful endpoints that keep you moving forward. My “I’m Possible” goal is to see these results... 50% body water weight, 110 LBS, skeletal muscle mass, 15% body fat, and 185 LBS total body weight, on or before September 21, 2026, not because I need pressure, but because I need purpose.
The fourth distinction is action...
Course correction is not emotional; it’s behavioral. It’s a simple plan executed consistently, without drama.
The fifth is purpose... This isn’t just about me. I’m writing this because I know how many people are sitting in their own version of the messy middle right now, feeling like they’ve failed simply because they’re not seeing instant results. I want this article to be a mirror, not a lecture. I want it to help people realize that they don’t need perfection; they need presence. They don’t need punishment; they need truth.
My “course correction” is intentionally simple...
I’m continuing to “check in” daily, with my weight and body composition results, not to judge myself, but to stay anchored in reality. I’ll continue to track what I eat, not perfectly, but honestly. I’ll continue hydrating and moving daily, understanding that consistency beats intensity for sustainable change. I’ll continue to support my body with protein and strength-focused habits, because I’m not trying to simply lose weight; I’m trying to build a body I can live in. And I’ll continue to protect my sleep because fatigue makes everything harder, including judgment and decision-making.
So, if I’m continuing to do all those things, what's missing...? What was missing was not visually journaling my journey as completely and timely as I was in the past, because the one thing “I know to be true,” as Oprah shares, is anytime I get sloppy with staying aware and conscious with what I’m thinking and doing, the wheels start falling off. I’m not saying that that’s the only way to “Stay The Course,” but for 15+ years, it’s worked for me.
Most importantly, I’m checking the story I’m telling myself before I check the results I’m getting.
That’s the heart of my work, and it’s the heart of this journey. It’s mind work first. Measurement helps you see how your mind is working. Metabolism is what you support through smart choices and, when necessary, through working with the medical community. In my experience, it’s always mind first. The mind drives what you do. Measurement reflects what you did. Metabolism is what you work with, so the system can actually respond in a healthy, sustainable way.
I’m continuing to share my journey publicly because I want to normalize course correction. I want people to stop treating a small setback like proof they’re broken. I want them to stop treating measurement like punishment and start using it as protection. I want them to understand that you can be honest about where you are without making yourself wrong. You can be disappointed without disappearing. You can be in the middle without being lost.
If you want to do your own “course correction” with me, I share my daily check-ins and what I learn along the “way + weigh” on my @my_last_100_lbs Instagram account. Not perfection. Progress. Not pressure. Practice.
If that resonates with you, you should also subscribe to my newsletter at www.jaylynnjacobs.com and “Stay The Course” with me.
Because the obstacle isn’t the weigh.
The obstacle is what the weigh tries to make you believe.
And today, I’m choosing a better belief.
I’m still here, and I’m staying... thanks, Ryan!
Before You Go…
If you’re already a subscriber, thank you… more insightful stories are on the way.
If you’re not subscribed and this article opened something up for you, you’ll want the next one.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to my “LOSE THE WEIGHT… GAIN THE WORLD” Newsletter.