I'm always surprised by how much stock we all put in the numbers on the scale. The scale doesn't know how hard I've been working out, how much muscle mass I've gained, where I am in my cycle, how much salt I ate the night before, how much water I drank or any of the other factors that make up "the number."
I know I've allowed "the number" to have a big affect how I feel about myself on any particular day. I can feel righteous when I see a loss and fall into despair when I see a gain. I've even been tempted to throw in the towel on this journey if I've done everything right and the stupid scale shows I've gained instead of lost. It's time to stop giving the scale the power to throw me off my game.
Why do we continue to give that piece of metal so much power? I haven't been to the gym since Monday because I pulled a muscle in my back (yes, the doctor agreed it was most likely muscle soreness) but when I got on the scale this morning I was rewarded with a 4.8 pound loss for the week. Huh? That is the most I've lost in a single week this year even though I've worked out harder and longer and ate better on other weeks. I spent the past two days lying flat on my back and not doing the least bit of activity and lost 4.8 pounds. Does that mean I should spend more time lying on my back than in the gym if I want to lose weight? Of course not. It just means the scale doesn't know everything and we should stop giving it so much credit.
I think it's about time we learn the lesson that the scale doesn't know it all. It's just one small way to measure ourselves but we shouldn't let it have so much power over our minds, our self confidence and our actions.
Take the number the scale spits out with a grain of salt. If you're working hard and doing the right things, keep doing it no matter what the scale says. Know you are on the right track and don't let a stupid hunk of metal tell you how to feel.
How much power do you give the scale?
Posts
My idiot of a scale showed I gained half a pound today!! I'm so mad! I wanted to kill something!!!! Then again I'm expecting my period soon. But come on! I've been tracking my food and working out for two full weeks and I should've lost something! GRRRRRRRRRR Scale is my enemy I guess and I'm keeping it way to close...
ReplyDeletegreat post, i agree with what your saying. i do go by the scales my weight loss scale of hate is the BMI index.
ReplyDeletei do think if your clothes fit better and you look better that the number isn't important. good luck and i hope your back gets better soon x
Baby, it's all about moderation and for me--the scale is arbitrary. I know I've lost or gained by the way my clothing fits (or doesn't!)
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself!
your comment made me laugh (in a good way) good luck on becoming "normal" i'm looking forward to being over weight!!! i almost missed becoming obese its only becasue my consulant text me!!! small thingsx
ReplyDeleteI've banished my scale to the attic for a good few months now and it's been great. In the last week or so I've been tempted to get it back down as I'm afraid I'm gaining too much but I've resisted so far. I just need to have confidence in myself.
ReplyDeleteJust read the Easter Basket post and thanks so much!!
ReplyDeleteWow, you had an amazing loss and you are right that it is sooo not about what the scale says.
The scale used to dictate my life. I ended that by hiding the scale. A year later and I haven't lost any real weight, but the scale and I are friends again and I have my sanity back. I have come to accept the number is just a number and sometimes it is up and sometimes it is down.
ReplyDeleteSadly the scales rule my life. There is no way around it, it's just how I am. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI am at the stage where I REFUSE to let the scale rule my life. The most change I have seen is in my clothing sizes. That is a huge booster for me.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'll take any loss. Man, right now my scale says I am up 12 lbs. - out of no where I have a huge gain. F! I weigh myself multiple times a day - because I am insane.
ReplyDeleteI never know what is going on. Half the time my weight is up and the other time it's down. I take what I can get, when I get it.
Celebrate the loss. :)
Julia
http://jewliagoulia.blogspot.com
after decades of weighing myself at least once a day, a few months ago, in an effort to break a little bit free from the compulsiveness of this ED, i started getting on the scale once a month. i thought i would die, but you know what, it was so easy and i honestly don't miss it a bit.
ReplyDeleteFor the longest time, up till I was 29 I didn't even have a scale!
ReplyDeleteThen I started the whole weight loss journey and bought one. I stood on it once a week and even that really screwed with my emotions. So I cut down to once a month. But that didn't work either, it gave me too much 'freedom' so to say.
Now I'm back to once a week and it's OK. So far, only losses. I do have a different view on the numbers. They are only number and the scale doesn't know everything,but the numbers are also a small motivation. Especially when I know that I haven't been doing well. ;)
Boy do I need to learn this lesson. I give way too much credit to the almighty scale. It's as if when I step on I'm momentarily suspended in time, waiting to find out if I'm worthy. If I get an acceptable number then I feel good. If it's a good number then I feel great. If though, it's a bad number (something higher than acceptable), then I feel like throwing in the towel and binging on something to fill the feeling of worthlessness. Logically I know that the scale is but one method of feedback, but somehow there is a gap between knowing it and believing it. I wish my innermost self would get a clue.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to smash my scale this weekend, and then this morning it coughed up a loss. It seems so arbitrary! But I know that when I ignore the scale I go off the rails like a crazy train. I have to Watch the scale, but I have to keep my head about it and not let it rule my life.
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