But the newest addiction craze seems to be being hooked on a scale. I've heard people say that they've lost a quarter of a pound over night. How do they know they did that? The only thing I can think of is that each morning they run from their beds straight to the bathroom scale. I've know people that run to grab a cigarette just as they get up, but running to a scale is a new one to me.
Some eating plans encourage members to weigh themselves each and every morning. Why? To see if a half of a pound was lost or gained every night1x And just what happens if there is some water retention and the scale shows a higher number than the previous morning? You feel terrible. You feel like a failure and you might even give up. This sort of negative feedback is not for me.
Once I went on a very strict eating plan. I had devised it myself. It wasn't very healthy but boy was it strict. I ate close to nothing for a long time. Things were going pretty well at first. I was loosing weight, which my daily trip to the scale confirmed. On my last week on this plan, I thought I was doing great. I ate exactly seven plums during the whole week. I stepped on the scale happily anticipating a massive weight loss. After all, I nearly starved that week. I was feeling sick, I was always hungry, but I had remained true to my diet. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had somehow gained exactly seven pounds.
That was the last straw for me. Not only was I starving myself but it seemed like I was gaining weight while doing it. The scale didn't tell me if I was losing fat. There had to be a better way of measuring my weight loss. The first thing I did was to get rid of that scale. There is nothing wrong with it for an occasional weight check, but not on a daily or even weekly basis.
I started to look around for my trusty measuring tape. I measured every part of my body. Those numbers don't fluctuate depending on my monthly cycle...much. I then made a note of how my cloths fit me each time I put them on. I had a pair of jeans in a size too small. It had been in my closet for a while. I started to use those jeans as my "designated pair of pants." I put them on every month to see how they fit.
As each month passed, I was thrilled, amazed and happy to see that those pants slowly came from barely getting over my knees, to eventually closing around my waist. I was even able to sit down without passing out from lack of oxygen. I decided that this way of measuring my weight loss was far more appealing to me. It was much better then stepping on a scale that fluctuated depending on how I stood on it.
There are many ways of measuring success. A scale is not the only way. After all, it's not the numbers that are you are truly measuring, it's how healthy you have become.
Numbers are not as important as what you loose.
