Thursday, March 24, 2011

Day 33 - Not About the Numbers

Hello all, after getting on the scale the last three days in a row and fretting when I don't lose anything and even questioning the amount when I do...I have come to a decision.  I am going to stop getting on the scale.  I am way too tied up in the numbers.

I am realizing that the numbers have been one way that DD (see previous posts...DD is the Diet Demon who loves to sabotage me and destroy my attempts at dieting) gets to me.  I can be super disciplined one week and then beat myself up when I get on the scale and discover that despite all the discipline I might have only lost 1/2 a pound or even stayed the same.

Likewise, in my long and illustrious diet career, I have many times of cheating and not being disciplined only to get on the scale and lose weight anyway.

That darn scale is messing around with my brain!

Yes, I agree with you naysayers that the number is important in some respects.  It gives medical personnel a lot of information.  It does provide a good record...over a length of time...as to whether or not a new lifestyle or eating plan is effective.  But, I think the key here is "over a length of time".  The daily weighing and checking in has to stop.  There are just too many variables, especially in women, that can affect our weight on a daily basis.

So, from this point on, I have decided to only weigh myself once a month.  I started this journey on Feb. 20.  I have my weight at the end of my 30 day challenge.  The next time I plan to get on the scale to measure my progress will be April 20, then May 20, and so on...  I am just not going to be caught up in the daily worry of analyzing what went wrong or what went right the day before.

In reality, I do not want to think of Paleo as a "diet".  I want to think of Paleo as "just the way I choose to live my life."  I can just tell from my daily activity that I am losing weight and feeling better each and every day...I don't need a scale to prove that to me.

So, check back on April 20 if you want to see how I am doing...number-wise.

But, keep coming back before then if you want to see how I am doing...lifestyle-wise.

2 comments:

  1. Your post is timely, I am obsessed with my scale! And who wouldn't be!? I mean this thing has been SO positive lately :)
    The problem is that it is all consuming isn't it...I too need to stop. I worry that if I don't keep checking the weight will creep up again, I dream at night that I gain it all back again and it was just a dream/illusion.
    Sometimes it just seems too good to be true.
    I am so happy to have found your blog and share in your journey!
    Keep it up! You're doing great! xo

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  2. Awww...thanks Laurie Anne. It sounds like we are kindred spirits. You keep going as well and we can support each other! :-)

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