30 days without a scale and proof that the scale "lies"

I posted this originally as a blog but I thought I'd share it with the community as maybe a little inspiration for those who are "stuck" like me. I have been gaining and losing the same 4 or so pounds since the beginning of July. I am thankful that I started taking pictures and measuring because I think I'd be a lot more frustrated than I am now. The scale is not the best indicator of what your body is doing ... I never would have believed it if I didn't try it out myself.

On October 1, 2011 I started a challenge on MFP to get rid of the scale for 30 days. Most of you know that the scale had the ability to ruin or make my entire day. It was an obsession and became all consuming. I know why this is, it's totally a mental thing for me. I don't want to weigh over 200 pounds anymore. Why? Because society tells me that anyone that weighsTHAT MUCH is fat. I'm tired of being fat so logically when a 1 starts my weight, I am well on my way to not being fat anymore. ****ed up? Maybe. I really don't know but that's how I think about a lot of this stuff. Or I did.

I took the scale to my parents house because I knew that I would get on it if it was here. I would have no self control and I would never accomplish what I hoped to accomplish with the stupid evil thing in my house. I will admit for that first week I was not happy about it being gone. I obsessed over how my clothes felt, how I looked, kept asking people if it looked like I was gaining weight. Crazy? Why yes, yes I am.

So on October 1, 2011 ... I took my measurements:

Weight 210 pounds
Right Calf 17.5 inchess
Right Thigh 26.75 inches
Hips 44.25 inches
Waist 40.5 inches
Chest 44.5 inches
Right Bicep 14.5 inches

And I took "before" pictures ... here they are



I tried a few different things this month. I zig zagged for about 3 weeks but then this just became something that I knew wasn't for me. I had begun doing a lot of reading on clean eating. Mostly because a very good friend of mine suffers from Crohn's disease and doesn't have a huge support network so I decided to try a modified version of the Paleo diet to support him. I liked it .. a lot. The past two weeks I have felt so much better. I won't say it's easy and I did have a major sugar binge but for the most part, I am enjoying eating clean.

I also started lifting following the New Rules of Lifting for Women and I love it. It's very empowering even though I've had to modify a few things since I work out at home.

My scale came home last night. We had a staring contest ... I won as I knew weighing myself at the end of the day would be a bad thing. So when I got up this morning .... I stepped on the scale for the first time in 30 days. The end result on October 30, 2011 ... a 4.6 pound gain. Talk about feeling like you've been sucker punched. I got on the scale and off about 5 times ... same thing. I changed the battery ... same thing. I ALMOST cried, almost. I could not believe it .. but there the numbers were looking back at me. Every feeling that I had when that scale was in my house every day came rushing back to me. I wanted to say **** it, give up, resign myself to the fact that I was always going to be fat. I mean how the hell could this be? My clothes are literally falling off of me. People are noticing ... I've even been told I'm skinny. Hell my own mother didn't recognize me at soccer last week because she thought that skinny person could not be me. So ... this afternoon .. .I finished the second part of the 30 day challenge and that was to measure. Here's the results ..

Weight 214.6 pounds
Calf 17 inches
Right Thigh 26.25 inches
Hips 44 inches
Waist 39 inches (say WHAT??!! I have a 39 inch waist!!!!)
Chest 42.5 inches
Right Bicep 14.5 inches

When I sat down and figured it all up, in one month I may have gained 4.6 pounds but I lost 4.25 inches ... did you hear me??? 4.25 inches in ONE MONTH!! AND I HAVE A 39 INCH WAIST!!! Hell ... I have a ****ing waist!!! This works out to

.5 inches lost on my calf
.5 inches lost on my right thigh
.25 inches lost on my hips
1.5 inches lost on my waist
2 inches lost on my chest
My biceps stayed the same

So suddenly, that stupid number on the scale doesn't really seem so important and I know, deep down inside, I know that it's not important ... well to anyone but me. I would love LOVE to eventually have a 1 in front of my weight and maybe one day I will but I lost 4.25 inches this month! I am down 2 pants sizes since May and I am HEALTHY and STRONG and that feels amazing!!

Here are pictures from today ... I'm not sure you can see a huge difference but that's ok