I have been ready to throw my scale out the window lately. I am an obsessive scale person. I know, that is just asking for
problems. There are peaks, valleys,
hills, plateaus, yada, yada, yada throughout this process. But it’s how I deal. I don’t do well with "not knowing".
Every morning after I get up I go to the bathroom (preferably a #2
also, to get a lower number….TMI I know.
But admit it, it DOES make a difference and secretly you ALL want all the help you can get when it comes to weigh in time!) then strip down to my birthday
suit and jump on the scale (while crossing my fingers). And I log all of my daily weights. I have told you before that I am a
spreadsheet queen.
So with all that historical data I have been able to see that I will
fluctuate up and down a bit throughout the week and so in the past I have been
able to expect that as my normal. I also
have been keeping a weekly average that keeps me from getting too sucked into
the daily ups and downs and to realize that I am still losing weight. The problem is that that I don’t think I look
at those weekly averages enough. I think
if I did I might be more patient and less crazy (well a girl can hope!) I got spoiled with GREAT numbers in May…I was
pulling 3+ pound a week losses for a month.
That was NICE! Then I had a week
that I stayed the same and a week that I gained 0.1 (around the time of my
birthday, so understandable) but after that I have gone back to a weekly
average of 0.5-1.5 pound loss per week.
The numbers I am currently seeing are much more realistic and
normal. Every health professional will
tell you 1-2 pounds a week is the safest way to lose weight and keep it
off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but seeing those
big numbers sure feels soooo much better!
And again, especially when you have been spoiled by having good week(s)
(not to mention seeing those around you celebrate the success of big losses!) it is HARD to go back to those smaller
numbers!!
Again, I know those daily fluctuations are part of the normal process,
but somedays I want to throw a full-ont temper tantrum like my 3 year old
(complete with kicking, screaming, stomping, crying, throwing myself on the
floor and flailing around like a fish out of water) because I do the SAME basic
THING every day…eating well, eating my target number of calories, exercising,
drinking water, etc. and one day I will
hit my best number yet and the next I am back up 2 pounds. It just feels like a constant rollercoaster –
ups and downs. In theory it is supposed
to be as simple as calories burned vs calories consumed. But we all know (or are quickly finding out)
that there is sooooooo much more to it that that! At
that brief little moment I sometimes find myself asking why I bother? But it is a very short moment, because I know
I AM making positive changes. And I
would never give up how far I have come.
When I get frustrated, I tend to try to look at the situation
differently and see if there is something else I should try to get the results
I want. So out of my recent frustration
moments I decided to try measurements.
Why the heck not? What did I have
to lose? If the scale wasn’t moving (it
was just wasn’t seeming like it!), maybe something else would.
So I took my first measurements on July 12th. I measured again just over 2 weeks later on
July 28th and I was frankly shocked at the results! I lost over 17 inches total.
That’s over a foot! Holy
moly! This really shouldn’t have come as
a total shock to me since I was exercising more, but somehow just seeing the
numbers made me realize how much things had been changing I just wasn’t aware
because I was only focusing on the one measurement of the scale.
I took my measurements again, just over 2 weeks later, and I have lost
another 4.25 inches
total! That is 21.25 inches total lost in right about a month!!!! Suck THAT you stupid scale!!!
WOW!! But while that is an amazing
result, I find that it leaves me feeling less satisfied that when I hit a big
loss on the scale. I don’t have the same
level of excitement or pride. I don’t
seem to enjoy that success nearly as long as I do hitting a new personal best
on the scale. So that leads me to ask
myself why is that?? Is it because we
are conditioned that the scale is THE measure of success when losing
weight? Well ladies, if so, I think it
is time to change that way of thinking! What
these frustrations have made me realize and finally understand is that the scale is just ONE measure. It is NOT the end-all-be-all when it comes to
success. So remember to take a holistic
view of your success and consider other measures.
- Scale
- Measurements
- How clothes are
fitting?
- try an outfit that
fit before and see how baggy it fits now
- try on an outfit
that was too small before and see how it fits now
- How are you
feeling?
- Do you have more
energy?
- Are you sleeping
better?
- Are you happier?
- Are previous
medical issues improving (blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, digestive
issues, etc)?
I know a zillion really smart people have said before that the scale is
only one measurement. And I should have
listened. But I tend to be pretty hard
headed and stubborn and like to have the brilliant ideas myself instead of
listening to what others tell me. They
are really not my own brilliant ideas, I just like to think/pretend they
are! Someday I hope to try to learn
something the easy way (by listening to others) for once!
Throughout this journey, I really have had no regrets (other than to
wish it would come off faster)…until now.
If asked that question today, I would have to say that I regret not
taking measurements from the very beginning.
If you are just getting started, I encourage you to take your
measurements so that later on you will be able to see in another way just how
far you have come! And use it as a way
to keep from getting too frustrated with the scale when it isn’t moving as fast
as you want it to be. If you have
already started your journey, it is not too late to start taking measurements
now! As with anything in this
journey….just start! Tomorrow is a new
day!
A little thought to leave you with today...
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