Thursday, January 22, 2015

Out of balance?,then step off the scale

 

Hello All,

A co-worker approached me and was very frustrated with the results from her scale. She felt she has done everything right and was not losing enough pounds, in fact she said if she did not see a difference by her next weigh in she felt like jumping off a bridge. I would toss the scale over the bridge myself.

She is stuck in the brainwashed pattern that the most important number in your life is that number on the scale. To be fair there is value in a scale if you want to see how many pounds you are at any given moment. I decided to try an experiment for one month and weigh myself everyday at random times/the same time or whenever I came across a scale.The results were my weight bounced around from as much as 7 pounds in one day and as little as 2 pounds over the 30 days even though I was exorcising and eating healthy.

I have also been caught up on the scale madness in the past because I believed everything I heard instead of challenging conventional wisdom.

Now for the same month I watched the scale I also took measurements at my neck,chest,hips,waist and thighs. The scale did not account for the lean muscle I am slowly building. A simple cloth tape measure did,and so would a pair of jeans or a shirt that was too tight to button. This year I gave up using a Fitbit because after a year of using it I had developed a good habit of walking everyday to get in my 10,000 steps. I may have days when I am well over 10,000 or just under that exact number doe not matter ,what matters is I am moving everyday.

Tools to track your health are just that, a tool and nothing more. They should not become your justification for happiness.  I am all in favor when you begin a weight loss program of checking your weight and your body fat percentage (far more important) along with your measurements. If your focused on numbers your missing the big plan of being fit and healthy.

I’m working on adding more muscle to my frame to help burn off the extra fat I have still. I check my stats at the start of each month. I see my daily progress in how well I feel , ease of lifting something heavy and the fact that its been over two years since I was sick.

 

I have never met a person and thought “I wonder what they weigh at this moment so I can  justify my thought that they are attractive or healthy”  You know when you are feeling good and so does everyone else by your actions.  Numbers have their use, but to get obsessed with a number is a path to madness.

I would rather measure how  I’m feeling along with what I am doing. When I eat healthy, move often, sleep well, and laugh more my life is just better.

Go for a walk, eat more plants and animals ,avoid all the processed foods and watch how everything starts to go your way.

Peace and love

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