Lots of talk today about the scale… It’s smacking me in the face from all angles… Twitter, Google Reader, Facebook, Bookieboo… All “communities” I hold near and dear. A DEAR friend of mine @RubyLinz posted a riviting blog about emotions and how they relate to the scale…and I was moved to write my own post.
I suppose there are several schools of thought on the whole
“To weigh or not to weigh”
debate…
discussion….
call it whatever you want.
I guess, the way I see it, there are two schools of thought…
Some will say “Don’t weigh your self EVER. Judge yourself based on how you feel or how your clothes fit.”
And that’s great… for some… but not for me.
I need to weigh in every week to keep track because if I don’t, I backslide. SERIOUSLY BACKSLIDE… I got to almost 300 lbs because I didn’t look at a scale. I thought I felt good because I didn’t know any different. and over the course of the year, I’ve managed to continue to lose the weight I need to BECAUSE I use the scale as a benchmark. The scale is not evil. We are actually friends… mostly because when I look at the definition of a “friend” I believe it to be someone (something?) that will care enough about you to tell you the truth NO MATTER WHAT. Even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts. Even when I don’t want to hear the truth.
what CAN be evil is the weight (pardon the pun) that you put on the number the scale says.
If you see a gain, that does NOT make you bad. It doesn’t mean you F-ed up. ALL it means that you need to take a close look at the week before.
- Did you get in your fitness you planed, scheduled and committed to?
- Did you give 100% DURING those workouts?
- Did you eat in ways that positively fuel your body at least 80% of the time?
If the answer is YES – then don’t worry about the number. You could be retaining water, gaining muscle, or not fully digested that bowl of shredded wheat you ate at 11:00 at night. Many things can account for scale fluctuations….
but what if the answer is no… AHHH… that’s where it gets hard. being honest with myself if I haven’t done my workouts or have made poor fuel decisions is the hard part. the scale is just the not so gentle reminder.
The scale is a tool. Period. Use it in conjunction with your workout log, your food journal, your measuring tape, your pictures, your energy level, or whatever else you are gauging. and then KEEP DOING WHAT YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO DO. The scale will catch up 🙂 I PROMISE!
So what are your thoughts on the scale? Please share them in the comments below 🙂
OMG – I’m totally with you! I have the same school of thought. I have to know. I can’t always judge by my clothing. Some days it’s tight and some days it’s not and other times it’s off in weird places. Ugh!
honestly! I use the scale on a every 3 months.., just to keep an objective eye on things. I do, though, use other metrics, such as time of day, how long ago I ate, how much I have been working out, how I feel and how my clothes fit..thats all!
Great point Sarah. Use it as a measurement TOOL! Thanks so much for your input 🙂
I’m right there with you – I use the scale on a regular basis, just to keep an objective eye on things. I do, though, use other metrics, such as time of day, how long ago I ate, how much I have been working out, how I feel and how my clothes fit. I’m a big advocate of “use the tools you have” to help yourself – and if it helps – why not use it? It seems to me that if you never have to use a scale to check in, you might not really understand my situation! Good luck on your continuous quest for happiness and good health.
I see it as a tool as well. I step on it a lot but it doesn’t exactly effect me emotionally. It usually just validates what my clothes have already told me, one way or another.
However, those who suffer medically from eating disorders I am sure have a huge struggle with the scale. I can only hope that they are getting the help they need to keep themselves healthy and to deal with the scale.
I agree Toni