When you’re trying to lose weight, taking on a new fitness program, starting on a new medication, or doing any number of things, there is always conflicting advice. “They” say to do this, and “they” say not to do that. When it comes to weight loss, some of “they” say that stepping on the scale as often as possible will keep you motivated, and the rest of “they” say not to do it too often or you’ll get obsessed and fret over every fluctuation.
In the beginning I weighed myself at the same time, under the same conditions, every morning. It was both motivating and infuriating. It was motivating when the numbers were dropping, and aggravating when I’d experience a seemingly pointless gain (I cut back calories or increased my exercise, so why did it go up two pounds?!?!). During the holidays, or any other major splurge, I got out of that habit. These days, if I’m having a good run, I check often. Whenever I splurge on sweets, I wait several days to weigh myself. Why? Because the truth is, I know if I’ve gained or lost. If I’m eating well and exercising, chances are it’s going to make me happy to see the numbers on the scale. If I’ve had a piece of cheesecake, I’m not going to like what I see.
Why do I put so much stock in what the scale says when I can practically predict what it’s going to read? I get so mad over every gain, so disappointed, so angry at the scale. Clearly, it’s not the scale’s fault.
I came down with a cold on Friday. I’m not one of those people that loses her appetite due to an illness. If anything, I want to eat even more because the food is nourishing, makes me feel good, etc. And when you’re feeling crappy, what’s better than comfort food? The weekend was one long vacation from my healthy life. I didn’t want to weigh myself, but I couldn’t stay away from the scale. It wasn’t as bad as I’d predicted, but I still feel like I got set back a lot. These days the weight is taking even longer than 1-2 pounds a week. But I can’t yell at or kick the scale. I’m the one that at the cake and cookies.
