MIND over Matter

When several of you commented after I chose not to weigh in following a stellar "dieting" week and questioned the state of my sanity levels, I thought about it and had a brief moment of clarity. I'm sure for everyone, my revelation will be countered with a resounding, "No duh!", but for me, it was time to reflect and 'make peace' with the scale. And while I do realize that most of you, for very good reasons, will never part with the scale, I've decided the time has come. For now.

I've said it so many times in the past, "I will not weigh myself or be controlled by the numbers!" Yet every time I attempted to 'feel it out', I either gained weight or lasted a whole two weeks before panic set in and I needed some mathematical validation.

Too many times we've used the scale as a form of punishment, "Let's see how much damage those Christmas cookies did." Or we hope those half-assed, three days of exercise will produce a miracle on the scale. Honestly, sometimes, I believe the only reason I weigh in is to prove, "Nothing I do is good enough," even though I know I could do more, push harder.

But then there are times when we actually do work hard. In our mind we envision a major loss for the week, or we feel our stomach is flatter, but it's not enough to 'think' and 'feel' -- we want real proof. So we hop on that scale, hopeful and optimistic that our feelings will match a random number, only to see that we didn't do as well as we thought. More often than not, the weigh in defeats us and takes the wind out of our sails more than it uplifts us. As a result, we end up eating foods we normally wouldn't, or we don't work out as hard because really, "What's the point?"

But what would happen if you worked your butt off- I mean really worked your butt off- ate 100% healthy, 'felt' a good three-pound loss, were genuinely content and happy BUT DIDN'T WEIGH IN? The most obvious thing is your results and weight would be the same as they would if you had weighed in! Even better -- you would stay motivated, feel happy and in control and would want to keep pushing to produce those same feelings of accomplishment and triumph again and again.

What I now realize is that I'm working out hardcore- harder than I ever have in my entire life (not counting the previous 4 PT sessions I did in the spring), and I don't need the scales to tell me how hard I've worked out or even that I did well. I don't need validation from the scale -- at least not right now. When I'm "cheating" or half-assing diet/exercise endeavors, then yes, I need that scale to keep everything in check. But now that I'm 100% committed & devoted, I have no time or room for negativity, and as we all know, every party has a pooper and the scale is usually the bringer of, "SH*T!"

I get a bigger, much better high knowing I'm working out to the max and eating healthier, as opposed to when I see that I've lost 2 pounds in a week. It's a high that lasts much longer, days and weeks on end. A constant stream of health and good feelings, not a gamble with a clunky piece of cold metal that lurks in my bathroom corner.

I don't need the scale to tell me I'm pushing myself and succeeding in doing so; I have a trainer who busts my ass, sweat-drenched workout clothes and restful nights that validate my efforts. The scale can come back eventually, but I have no plans to see it anytime soon. I'll be gauging my success with weekly 'trying on of the too-tight goal pants'. I'll even take pictures and post them every two weeks. The muffin top will tell my story for me, because This Feeling I'm Feeling, is waaaaay too good to sacrifice to the Gods of the Bathroom Scale.