Balancing the Scales

This post might seem like a no-brainer-common-sense-kind of topic, but in my experience people I know, fit and not-so-fit, have major issues with this.  So let’s talk about…..

The bathroom scale.  That evil, vicious contraption that sits on my bathroom floor and taunts me every single morning.  I swear sometimes I can hear it saying, “Do you dare challenge me today?  I know you had salty pizza and beer last night.  Feeling bloated are we?”  I used to weigh myself 2-3 times a day just to see if skipping a meal or purging made any difference in the numbers staring back at me.  And during shark week (use your imagination on what time of the month that could be)….forget it.  Talk about depressing when I’m already an emotional disaster.

Here’s the flip side though – it’s such a fantastic feeling when you see those nasty numbers actually DECREASE.  Suddenly you’re a skinny super hero ready to kick ass at whatever comes your way.  You now have superpowers that include the will to decline those French fries at lunch and sucker-punch doughnuts to the curb. Bring it on pizza places!!! 

So how do we balance the scales on…well…. the scale?  Here’s my theory on how to use the scale in a productive, non-self-deprecating way to boost your confidence and take measurements to accurately keep track of your weight loss and fitness achievements.

First off, do not, I repeat, DO NOT weigh yourself every single day.  Your weight is going to fluctuate daily and there are all kinds of contributing factors that can play in or against your favor.  I would suggest weighing yourself once a week, on the same day, at the same time of day.  I also suggest measuring yourself at that time as well so go get yo’self a tape measure!  You’re going to lose inches as you start eating healthier and incorporating exercise into your lifestyle, but the numbers on the scale may not show that accomplishment as consistently, or as quickly, as some of us might like.   If you’re working out, you’re going to gain muscle, which of course (as we’ve all probably read a dozen times in fitness magazines) weighs more than fat.  I used to think, yeah, whatever, blah blah, I’m still going to weigh myself every day no matter what those stupid, skinny fitness experts say (no offense to any of my fit and fabulous friends out there!).  However, I didn’t realize what a significant amount of inches I was losing until I joined a weight-loss challenge at work as part of my motivation to start getting healthy and fit.  I was doing P90X and lots of Zumba at the time, so I was definitely building muscle.  The scale slooooowwwwly went down throughout that challenge, but I consistently lost a good amount of inches each week.  I ended up winning 2^nd place in the challenge and bought myself some new, smaller clothes with my prize money.  Talk about feeling like a super-hero!! 

That’s also how I knew I had to be losing fat and getting fit – my clothes literally started falling off of me.  If you put on your pants one day and they nearly fall off without the serious help of a belt, you’re doing something right!  So what if you’ve hit a plateau on the scale?  Those numbers aren’t a testament to the muscle you’re building and the overall tone your body is getting.  The moral of the story – don’t over-emphasize the numbers on the scale when it comes to weight loss and fitness! 

Now if you’re one of those people that can’t help yourself and you STILL get on that damn scale every morning, ask one of your family members or a friend to hide it from you for a while.  Seriously.  As I mentioned before, that thing just taunts me when I physically SEE it lying on the bathroom floor every morning.  Out of sight, out of mind right?  So tell your hubby, wifey, sister, bestie, or whomever to put it some place where you can’t see it (or maybe even reach it), and stick to measurements for a while.  Pay attention to how your clothes are fitting, and more importantly, notice how much better you FEEL once you start living a healthier lifestyle.  

<3 Ida