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If you google “ditching the scale” you’ll find tons of articles on why you should throw out the scale. The biggest arguments being that the numbers on a scale aren’t always indicative of your overall health and fitness accomplishments. Also, for many of us we become obsessed with the number on the scale, it consumes us; what begins as weekly weigh-ins, turns into daily weigh-in. For those who’ve been on the journey long enough the hardest part can be when the body hits the inevitable plateau, which can last for weeks… sometimes months. We become fixated on that number glaring back at us from the scale. It’s a vicious love/hate relationship.
I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum; obsessively weighing, counting calories, measuring myself and conversely not weighing myself, counting calories (or watching intake), and not measuring anything. Both are unhealthy places to be in.
As a Libra (yes, I’m one of those folks), I’ve found that I’m at my best when things are in balance. With that in mind, I recently ordered myself a brand new digital scale. This wasn’t the easiest decision, one I mulled over for the past 2 months, asking friends for their opinions (lots of “NOPE”), adding it to my cart, deleting it, and finally last week, I just bit the bullet and did it.
While weighing, measuring, counting, helped me lose 70+ lbs, it wasn’t the best mind state to be in. Everything becomes a numbers game, and since being healthy is a lifelong journey, it’s not sustainable for me. However, neither is completely ditching the scale and being intuitive, I just haven’t gotten that good yet! I don’t want to count calories, I’m at the point where I can pinpoint my issues, and I don’t want to only go by how my clothes feel either.
It’s simply about adding some structure back into my regimen. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that what I weigh isn’t a reflection of my strength or how I feel. But after some reflection I’m ok with seeing a number that I’m not necessarily pleased with. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna cringe, but I’m not going to beat myself about something I did to myself. It’s part of taking accountability for being a bit reckless and falling of the bandwagon. I’m committed and determined to not making it become about a number, but using it to add some structure back into my routine.
Scales do have the potential to be a burden, but only if you allow it. Knowing how your body, and acknowledging the non-scale or weight related victories along the weigh definitely serve as a buffer. But hey, to each their own.
What are your thoughts? Do you choose to weigh? Why or why not?
xo,
Tam