It's just a number

Why is it that intellectually you can know something to be true and the right thing to do, but it is still so hard?

Every blog, report, pamphlet or article that you read on weight loss will all say the same thing: Don’t be a slave to the scales. It’s just a number. Don’t weigh yourself every day.

But what do I continue to do? Yup, weigh myself every day.

There is so much more to being healthy then just a measurement of my current weight. How I feel, my energy level, how I move, my appettit, how I’m sleeping, my moods and how my clothes fit are all better indications of how I’m doing overall than a simple number on a scale. Then there is the problem that every scale is different. I weighed 5 lbs more at the doctor’s office then I did at home 30 minutes before hand. The current medical standards all say that I should weigh 165 lbs. But how will I feel at 165 lbs? Will I like the way I look or move? My goal is to be fit and healthy, not to mould myself into society's current definition of what a woman should look like.

Logically I agree with all the reasons for why I should not weigh myself everyday. I know that my weight can fluctuate from day to day just from existing and it may not have anything to do with actual weight gains or losses. And at some level I know that it’s just a number. For me though, that number (at least right now) is an encouragement and not a detterent to my resolve. I celebrate the losses, no matter how small and the gains make me more determined to make better choices. I won’t let myself get to a point of obsessing over the number each day. I may be disappointed by a small gain, but I’m not going to punish myself by doing more push ups, or cutting back my calories drastically for the day. I do reflect on what may have caused the gain and I decide if it was worth it, like last week when we ordered in Indian food (yes, it was very much worth it).

I would like to get to a point that I am comfortable with not weighing myself so often. To be confident in my food and exercise choices to know that I’m doing all the right things and that the weight loss will just naturally follow. One of the things that might help me with that is the Tribesport challenge to stay off the scale for 21 days.

Take the Challenge to Stay off the scales for 21 days and see if you can improve your fitness, mental happiness and waistline in that time!

I'll let you know when I'm ready to start the challenge.  It should be soon.