Stop weighing!

This is a slightly ironic post.  I’ve posted the below on my Weight Watchers blog on the same day that I’ve officially lost 50kg to the last gram.  Yeup, I weighed in this evening to find that I had lost 2.5kg for the week. Go figure. This was after having a massive dinner last Friday (pork roast, nommynoms!), a cupboard full of biscuits, and way way way too much fruit.  I guess working out a little extra has helped out a lot.

But yes… ironic post is ironic because I hit the roof when I saw some other blogs where the writers were obsessing about the number on the scales and here I am, happy about the number on the scales. LOL  I will allow myself this little contradiction because I know that my weight is excessive.  I’m still 102kg and I’ve still got 30-odd kilos to lose but I refuse to hop on a scale every day, morning and night to see if my weight’s changed in eight hours. No. Not doing it.  Considering I have seen my weight swing over 2kg in a matter of 48 hours on more occasions than I can count, I am not going to put myself through that strain.  This weight loss thing is hard enough as it is.

Scales. I hate them.

As a Weight Watcher, they are a big part of our lives.  We live to see those numbers go down.  A small number on those machines is the Mecca of a person who has done their utmost to change their lifestyle for the better.

But you can become too obsessed with the number. I weigh myself a couple times a week, just to see how I’m going and to mentally prepare myself if it’s not going to be a crash-hot result.  I balk at the idea of weighing myself morning and night. It’s just so… wrong.

Ladies (and gentlemen), the scales show only ONE SINGLE ASPECT of losing weight.

Weighing yourself multiple times a day accomplishes nothing but upsetting you if the numbers aren’t the right ones according to you.

Why do that to yourself?

Stop.  Just… stop.

The numbers WILL go down.  They will.  It just takes time.  It will happen.  And even if they don’t go down, there are always – ALWAYS – other factors involved beyond your control.  Water retention, muscle development, that time of the month, illness, stress. Keep in mind that your ethnicity also plays a big role in your shape and size.

I will qualify this and state that obviously, if you don’t follow the program, you will have a tougher time losing weight – obviously. As much as I hate it, the old “energy out/energy in” equation is still a relevant key factor of weight loss and you need to take that into account. No one ever lost weight stuffing their face and sitting on the couch – trust me, I’ve been there. All 152kg of me.

But I digress.

The number on the scales should only be used as an indicator of your progress. They are not the be all and end all of your weight loss.

Ask yourself these questions:

How many dress sizes have you gone down?
My answer: I started off at a 30-32. Yep, I’d actually bought a size 30/32 top from the states. It looked horrible. It was worn once and then sent back.  I’m now 18-20.

What are you eating now compared to what you were eating say, two months, six months, a year (pick a flippin’ date!) ago?
My answer: Good healthy food but I am still allowing myself to have a treat regularly and I’m not obsessing over my “bad days”. They happen. I can deal with them.  My blowouts these days are generally fruit ones where a kilo of berries will vanish in under an hour.  A blowout 20 months ago was a four-pack of apple pies, a carton of custard, a box of cookies all washed down with a carton of chocolate milk.  In one sitting. Shit you not.  I can’t do that anymore. Just the thought makes me sick.  I have a much healthier relationship with my viddles these days.

How do you feel now compared to before you started?
My answer: I’m no longer in pain from just walking. I can look people in the face and hold my head high. I am confident enough in myself that walking past a pool full of footballers, wearing nothing but my togs, doesn’t phase me in the slightest. I know I am in control even on a bad day when I feel out of control.

How do you look now compared to before you started?
My answer: I have a waist. I have shape. I can fit into NICE clothes now. I can wear sexeh underwear to impress the manbeast.

What are all the things you’re now capable of doing (physically speaking) that you weren’t able to do before you started?
My answer: I can run on the crosstrainer at level 6, on an incline of 30 for 30 full freakin’ minutes without stopping. That equates to about a 3.5km run for me – unheard of 18 months ago. I can go for ages on the treadmill at a high incline and fast speed. I can do planks and mountain climb planks. I couldn’t do that.  Most of all, I can walk anywhere without feeling that horrible, breath-taking pain in my shins.

If you answer those questions honestly, I am pretty sure that you will be pleased with all you have accomplished. I know I bloodywell am.

Seriously, love yourself NOW. Love what you’ve accomplished NOW.  Be proud of how far you’ve come and not upset over how much you think you have to go or that the numbers aren’t moving according to how you think they should. Consider what else is happening to your body as you get fitter and do more exercise. Consider what you’re now able to do with it.  Quit obsessing over a number that will slide up and down continuously throughout your entire life.

xx Ren