Weighing, Good or Bad

obifatkanobi

I just read this in a news letter & wanted to share. I think everyone of us, or perhaps I should say most of us will be able to relate.

Don’t Measure Your Self-Worth
By Michelle May, MD

Do you allow a number on your bathroom scale to make or break your day?

The scale doesn’t measure your self-worth. It simply measures the weight of your tissues (including your bones, muscle, and fat) and substances just passing through (like water, food, and waste). Your weight can fluctuate dramatically depending on time of day, hormones, when and what you ate, and other factors—none of which have anything to do with your value as a person.

When you’re losing weight gradually (clearly the best way), you may not see significant changes in your weight day to day, and perhaps even some weeks. Further, when you exercise you’ll build muscle and lose fat; although the numbers might not change, your body composition is improving. If you’re depending on the scale to tell you how you’re doing, you may feel discouraged and tempted to give up even though great things are happening on the inside.
Weighed Down
If you’ve ever said any of these things to yourself, you already know how weighing yourself can sabotage your efforts:
I did so well this week; I deserve a treat!
I was so good but I didn’t lose any weight. I might as well eat.
I don’t have to weigh in until next week so if I overeat now and I can make up for it later.
I ate badly this week and still lost weight. I guess I don’t need to be as careful.
I only lost a half a pound. It wasn’t worth it.
Take the Weight Off Your Shoulders
Be honest about how the numbers affect you. If weighing yourself backfires, put your scale under the sink or out in the garage.
Decide how often you need to weigh yourself. Some people prefer to be weighed only when they go to the doctor but for most, once a week or even once a month is good.
You never need to weigh yourself more than once a day. If you do, you’re playing games by measuring meaningless physiological fluctuations.
Let go of old benchmarks. You may never again reach your wrestling or wedding day weight but you can live an active lifestyle and make conscious choices that serve you now.
Don’t weigh yourself to confirm what you already know. When you’ve been mindful of your choices, don’t take a chance that the scale will give you an answer you didn’t expect and derail your confidence.
Don’t use the scale to punish yourself. When you know you’re off track, focus on the changes you’ll make rather than beating yourself up.
No Weigh
A man I met at a conference recently said, “I don’t need a scale; I have pants.” I smiled at the simplicity and accuracy of his method of monitoring himself. A few ounces won’t make a difference but a few pounds will determine how comfortable he feels. Look for other ways to assess your health and progress too:
Resting heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, or fasting blood sugar
Minutes of walking, steps on your pedometer, or pounds of weight you’re able to lift
How do you feel? Tune in to your energy level, mood, and stamina
A scale is an external device that doesn’t accurately measure what’s going on inside your body or your head. Focus on the process because meaningful change takes place from the inside out

lavaflow99

thanks for the article!! you're right..can totally relate. weighed myself today and was saddened to see that i way the same. but i feel better and lighter since i have started my healthy journey 2 weeks ago. so definitely won't be relying on the scale as a measure of health

tammietifanie

>>>>>bump<<<<<



What a great news letter thank you for sharing !!!!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

grlaurie

What a wonderful post I really do let the scale tell me how i am doing and know that it is harmful, however it is just one more change from the old way of thinking and acting that i need to change

TheKitsune6

Weighing and measuring oneself is not intended to be a method for determining ones worth. Frankly I only do it once a week to make sure that I am, in fact, on the right path. If I'm working hard for a month and nothing has changed, how will I know without some kind of measurable progress? That's the point of only weighing/measuring yourself once a week, at the same time, on the same day, wearing the same thing. So you have and overall report of how you're doing. This allows you to look back and see what may have worked and what may have not worked.

Also, studies show that once people are in the "maintenance" phase of weight it's far easier to keep track of oneself by weighing yourself early in the morning. This is because if you notice an upward trend you can nip it in the bud before your pants start groaning against the button.

If you can do weight loss without a scale then that's awesome, you have so much control that I'm surprised you ever got overweight!

Bottom line - do what works for you. For me and my highly logical, mathematical, scientific mind, I like progress reports

vickiele1

Thanks so much for posting this article today - I weighed in a couple of days ago and found that I had actually gained 2 pounds back. I had just gotten a new digital scale, so thought it was probably just the differences in the scale - but then got on the old scale - and nope, it indicated the same thing. So, then I did get somewhat defeated. I did just make a decision to work harder, eat less, etc. This morning, the new scale indicated that I was down a pound - this helped me "feel" better about myself. Now, I am a well educated person, so I know that the extra physical exertion over the weekend of lifting cabinets, doing really hard physical stuff, probably increased muscle mass, etc. But in my head, those numbers "RULE." They speak louder than my logic and my rational mind.

So, all said, this article was just what I needed to read today - gives me encouragement and allows me to be more gentle with myself.

Thank you again

Vickie

brittonymiller

Great article. I'm going to share it with all of my friends who are equally obsessed with weighing themselves. I like the idea of putting the scale in a separate part of the house. It's easy to step on that scale in the bathroom in the morning, or even take it out of the bathroom closet. I'm much less likely to weigh myself if I have to go all the way across the house to do it.

PhoebeM

This was great to read! I love the part of focusing on other things too, like more energy, etc. Thanks for sharing!

LettyM62

WOW! That's an awesome article...I wish everyone would read it. Thank you!

kcurtis05

Thank you for sharing! Great read!

ThaiKaren

What a good article and how very true, thanks for sharing it x

aatul

nice article, I already feel lighter.... CHEERS !

Maggie1960

Thanks for sharing the article, a brilliant read. I weigh myself once a week - any more than that, and I get disheartened and think what the hell, it's not working, I may as well comfort eat.:grumble: Letting the scales take control is not good!

ashtonscoggins

Good article thanks!

alantin

... once a week or even once a month is good. You never need to weigh yourself more than once a day. If you do, you’re playing games by measuring meaningless physiological fluctuations.

This was very well said!
Nothing wrong in those games as long as you remember that you indeed are "measuring meaningless physiological fluctuations". :smokin:

Rhonnie07

Thank-you for the great information. i tend to beat myself up over not losing the weight after a week of be so good at the weight loss journey. Guess it's time to put away the scale for awhile and just let my clothes determine if I'm losing weight and body to tell me I'm doing good by the way it feels. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

obifatkanobi

Thanks to all of you, for your comments. I'm glad sharing this article has generated so much positive energy; that's what this is all about, building ourselves up with positiveness. The scale is a tool to use, and is helpful, but not if it brings on negative energy. Please, remember this article when you weigh and don't let the scale defeat all your hard work. See ya on the skinny side...