The ever powerful.......scale!

I wanna talk about scales today, the ever dreaded, or excitement for some people, of weigh in day! I woke up today and realized that in one week from today it will be January 31...which as part of my new diet plan is the day I will weigh in again.

 Now I have been thinking of this, and I find it kinda funny because when I started I knew that I needed to weigh myself less. I am the type of person that cannot weigh to regularly I have decided because as we all know and as science tells us our weight fluctuates. In fact your weight can fluctuate 3-5 pounds daily! I know that seems like a lot, and when you are trying to lose weight it is potentially devastating to see that happen. Weight fluctuates for a lot of reasons, too much salt, not enough water, too much carbonation, different fluctuations in our bodies...on and on and on. So for me, I decided that once a month would work best so I don't get discouraged with myself when I see a 5 pound gain in a day I have perfectly followed my plan..all because it's that time of the month! ;) Plus I like to see bigger numbers, it somehow makes me feel like what I am doing is paying off. But now, I have lived in bliss because I have not had the pressure of getting on a scale at the end of every week, it sort of took the pressure off of myself which was nice. But all good things must come to an end and so a week from today I will have to weigh. I'm not saying that I don't think the number is going to be good (It damn well better be with how hard I have working) but I just can't help the feeling of dread. What if for some reason it's not, what if I have failed and worked so hard for nothing? I know that some of you have got to feel this way too. Almost everyone I know who has struggled with weight has a love-hate relationship with their scale.

Today even though I still have a week I am already stressing and I realized that we have got to stop doing this to ourselves!!! I know it has been said before but it really truly is NOT all about what number pops up on the scale. We all set goal weights and have all these numbers running through our minds all the time. Our current weight, our goal weight, how many pounds we need to lose, how many pounds we still have left once we have lost some, how many pounds away from our smaller goals....GEEZ that's a lot of different numbers!!

That's part of why I just love the new Special K weight loss commercials, all these women are getting ready to get on a scale to weigh, and instead of numbers, words come up, inspiring words like sassy and beautiful. Scales don't have words to tell you your doing a great job, or what an amazing friend or mom you are!
Wouldn't it almost be a dream if there were no such thing as a scale, no such thing as a number that we weigh, or no such thing as a chart that tells us what we are supposed to weigh? That would be nice because lets face it...there are a ton of other things that can let us know what we are doing is working. Our perfect weight or body doesn't have to be a number. What if we all just said "I am going to keep working and losing until I look in the mirror and I like what I see?" or "I am going to keep working and losing until I can fit into the jeans I wore before I had kids?" or "I am going to keep working and losing until I feel fit enough to do all the physical activities I want to do?" Those are the things we should be thinking. I know the charts are important for doctors to make sure that kids are growing at the proper rate, but do we adults really need to be smashed into a numbers mold and told we have to be a certain number in order to be considered healthy?? Numbers aren't everything, and everyone is so different that it is impossible to come up with a system that customizes what each individual person should weigh...the chart is universal, we don't all fit into that mold. The BMI chart says I should weigh between 120 and 135 or something like that, I'm thinking that 120 is a bit low for me...now I could be wrong and I have set my goal weight at 140, if I get there and think I need to lose more, then I'll cross that bridge, but more than anything I just want to look in the mirror and like what I see! If we could quit focusing on numbers we can take the pressure off of ourselves a little bit.

It's absolutely amazing to me how much that little scale can affect my attitude and the way I look at myself. Whether or not I am proud of myself, whether or not I feel like I have done a good job, and worked hard. That is just not a good feeling. So lets all work on that together. Let's share our victories that aren't all about numbers, let's be proud of ourselves because we are putting forth effort to reach our goals, we are working to make improvements to ourselves, and our tarnished body images. Let's be proud and brag when we know we have done a good job and we have a pair of jeans that's getting to big, or when we look in the mirror and notice our thighs or our bellies are noticeably smaller!! Woo hoo!! And when the day comes that you get on the scale and your number is a good one we will celebrate that too! And on the same token if the day comes that you get on the scale and it's not what you wanted to see, let's go to each other for support because sometimes we all need someone to say....your still doing a good job, and it's still worth it, and your still going to get there, and I'm going to support you one way or another!

Because after all we are all definitely more than one little number! :)

You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance. 

Get off the scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life. 

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free