Today was my weigh in day at Weight Watchers (WW).. and for the second week in a row, I stayed the exact same weight! Yep! I have been working out 4-5 times per week, tracking all of my points and staying within my allotment... yet, I have still stayed virtually the exact same weight (I guess I did go down .4ounces today). So that said... I had a BREIF moment of discouragement but the thought of giving up did NOT even cross my mind.. not even once... now I would say, that is progress! The old me would have seen that number on the scale again for the second week in a row and said to hell with it......but not the new me! The scale does not... and I repeat.. does not know everything!
What my scale and that number doesn't tell me and others is how much better I feel since I have been working out... how much stronger I feel, how much more in control of my life I feel. Several months ago I could barely finish 10 minutes on the elliptical...now, I can do 3 miles on that same machine in 35 minutes. It doesn't tell me how great I have done when eating out with friends by choosing an extra side of vegetables instead of the potato option that I really wanted. It doesn't tell me how much looser my clothes are fitting, or how much less IBU I have been taking each day for back problems... all it gives me is a number. That's it! A number.. nothing more!
This experience really got me thinking....why do we focus so much on the scale and not how we feel. Why do we rely on the scale to tell us if we have had a good week or a bad week (or day for those of you who weigh yourselves daily). Why do we let that number determine how we feel about ourselves? Why do we give the scale the power to make us discouraged and want to give up, or motivate us starve ourselves just so that damn number can go down? Seriously, the scale can only give us a number... It doesn't know how fabulous we are.. and we are way more important that a number.
Anyway, those were my random thoughts for the day! Don't forget that friends... you are all fabulous and I feel blessed to know each and every one of you! Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me on this journey! You ROCK!
First of all, I'm so proud of you for having this attitude. It is hard when you know you're doing what you are suppose to be doing and the "numbers" don't reflect it. It's a lifestyle change and the scale will fluctuate. You may be losing fat and gaining muscle, you may be retaining water, etc. This morning I'm up two pounds. Keep going Cami!
ReplyDeleteGirl, I just realized this in the last few months myself because the weight was not coming off despite working out and eating better. I realized that I was losing inches, I was feeling better, I was stronger, I was more disciplined, and I had more confidence. I also realized that I better work on my attitude about my body and my relationship with it in spite of what the scale says. For that matter, what happens if I lose all this weight and the scale goes up one day for whatever reason? I better have a good relationship with myself so that I don't revert to hating myself for not being slimmer. I think letting the scale just be a factor in this process has allowed my self-acceptance to grow and has helped with my self-esteem a lot.
ReplyDeleteGirl, you are so much more than that stupid number. That number does not define you.
Love you lots!