Scale-less Weight Loss
I found this article by Nicki Anderson that I soooooo agree with, I thought I would post bits of it here! I know I've been caught up in my weekly weigh-ins with Weight Watchers, but this is the mentality that I'm trying to develop as well. Last week I was certain that I'd put weight on, and I was prepared to step on the scales yesterday and find that I was a pound or two higher than the week before, but I was still happy because I'd just had to buy a pair of size 14 jeans on Monday! And better yet, with all the walking up and down hills I've been doing, my stamina is increasing, and my heart rate is improving.
The scale has become our gauge when we evaluate our failure or success with weight loss. But here’s the important thing: a scale can provide guidance but it cannot tell you how your overall health is doing. A scale simply provides a number that can make or break your day. And why? Why do we allow an inanimate object to wreak havoc on our emotions? Whose great idea was it that the scale is king?
C’mon, we KNOW when we’ve eaten too much and we KNOW when we’ve had a really healthy week. We KNOW when we’ve exercised regularly and we KNOW when we have not. Why must we continue to rate our weight loss attempts with a scale when, more times than not, it isn’t an accurate reflection of our overall health?
The truth is, the scale can work as a motivating force behind our weight loss efforts but remember that as much as that scale can build us up, it can tear us down. So, what do we do? How can we reconcile ourselves to the fact that the scale is NOT always our best friend and it often doesn’t give us the full story?
Well, it begins with understanding the job of the scale. The scale is not a buddy to bond with because it hides the truth - the truth being health vis a vis weight. Though many of us know that dropping a few pounds will enhance the quality of our life, the scale isn’t always the best source for positive feedback. Making small changes over a long period of time will get us to a healthy goal, but the scale may not reflect positive numbers fast enough.
Here are some ways to measure your weight loss success rather than using the scale. By the way, when it comes to weigh-ins, weekly weigh-ins are sufficient. If you’re doing the 3 times a day weigh-in, you’re doing yourself (and any attempts to change your lifestyle) a serious disservice. Here’s the scoop:
Clothing You know how it feels to put on a skirt or dress you’ve been unable to wear for a year? Nothing is better than being able to comfortably fit into that article of clothing that you considered giving away because you never thought you’d be able to wear it again!
Attitude When you begin to eat better and exercise more regularly, you will find yourself feeling more positive about the changes you’re making. Having a positive attitude plays a large role in keeping you motivated and moving forward. Feeling positive allows you to make more decisions that are positive!
Taking Up Less Space Before I lost 3½ stones, I always felt like I took up an unusual amount of space wherever I went. Whether it was a party, a meeting or work, I always felt that I took up more space than anyone else there. Once the body and the weight start changing, suddenly the space you take up seems much smaller. Getting into your car, getting on the train, going to the cinema or flying. Any of those venues can give us a feeling of taking up a lot of space. Once your nutrition is healthy and your daily activity increases, those spaces will magically seem to have more room!
Active Participation I don’t know about you but before I lost my weight, going anywhere with friends or family was dictated by the amount of exertion involved. The thought of long walks or, heaven forbid, climbing something, was an immediate, “No thanks.” Once I started practicing a healthier lifestyle and my body began to respond, I wasn’t as reluctant to try new things and go places.
Friendly Comments The best part of changing your lifestyle to healthy eating and daily activity are the comments you’ll begin receiving from others. Being told, “You look great!” goes a long way in reminding us that our efforts are well worth it. A scale cannot measure feeling great and looking great cannot be seen through a scale. Making positive lifestyle changes and connecting with the way your body responds to them is a wonderful way to reinforce the benefits of eating well, exercising well and living well! Scale down the need to weigh in every day and get your reinforcement through a means that makes sense!
Source: MSN Women
I experienced the last one yesterday when I picked Ricky and Jack up from school. One of the other mums said, "Wow, you look like you've lost some weight!" When I said that I've lost 17 pounds so far, she said, "Good, maybe now when I tell people you aren't pregnant, they'll believe me"! How funny is that!
The scale has become our gauge when we evaluate our failure or success with weight loss. But here’s the important thing: a scale can provide guidance but it cannot tell you how your overall health is doing. A scale simply provides a number that can make or break your day. And why? Why do we allow an inanimate object to wreak havoc on our emotions? Whose great idea was it that the scale is king?
C’mon, we KNOW when we’ve eaten too much and we KNOW when we’ve had a really healthy week. We KNOW when we’ve exercised regularly and we KNOW when we have not. Why must we continue to rate our weight loss attempts with a scale when, more times than not, it isn’t an accurate reflection of our overall health?
The truth is, the scale can work as a motivating force behind our weight loss efforts but remember that as much as that scale can build us up, it can tear us down. So, what do we do? How can we reconcile ourselves to the fact that the scale is NOT always our best friend and it often doesn’t give us the full story?
Well, it begins with understanding the job of the scale. The scale is not a buddy to bond with because it hides the truth - the truth being health vis a vis weight. Though many of us know that dropping a few pounds will enhance the quality of our life, the scale isn’t always the best source for positive feedback. Making small changes over a long period of time will get us to a healthy goal, but the scale may not reflect positive numbers fast enough.
Here are some ways to measure your weight loss success rather than using the scale. By the way, when it comes to weigh-ins, weekly weigh-ins are sufficient. If you’re doing the 3 times a day weigh-in, you’re doing yourself (and any attempts to change your lifestyle) a serious disservice. Here’s the scoop:
Clothing You know how it feels to put on a skirt or dress you’ve been unable to wear for a year? Nothing is better than being able to comfortably fit into that article of clothing that you considered giving away because you never thought you’d be able to wear it again!
Attitude When you begin to eat better and exercise more regularly, you will find yourself feeling more positive about the changes you’re making. Having a positive attitude plays a large role in keeping you motivated and moving forward. Feeling positive allows you to make more decisions that are positive!
Taking Up Less Space Before I lost 3½ stones, I always felt like I took up an unusual amount of space wherever I went. Whether it was a party, a meeting or work, I always felt that I took up more space than anyone else there. Once the body and the weight start changing, suddenly the space you take up seems much smaller. Getting into your car, getting on the train, going to the cinema or flying. Any of those venues can give us a feeling of taking up a lot of space. Once your nutrition is healthy and your daily activity increases, those spaces will magically seem to have more room!
Active Participation I don’t know about you but before I lost my weight, going anywhere with friends or family was dictated by the amount of exertion involved. The thought of long walks or, heaven forbid, climbing something, was an immediate, “No thanks.” Once I started practicing a healthier lifestyle and my body began to respond, I wasn’t as reluctant to try new things and go places.
Friendly Comments The best part of changing your lifestyle to healthy eating and daily activity are the comments you’ll begin receiving from others. Being told, “You look great!” goes a long way in reminding us that our efforts are well worth it. A scale cannot measure feeling great and looking great cannot be seen through a scale. Making positive lifestyle changes and connecting with the way your body responds to them is a wonderful way to reinforce the benefits of eating well, exercising well and living well! Scale down the need to weigh in every day and get your reinforcement through a means that makes sense!
Source: MSN Women
I experienced the last one yesterday when I picked Ricky and Jack up from school. One of the other mums said, "Wow, you look like you've lost some weight!" When I said that I've lost 17 pounds so far, she said, "Good, maybe now when I tell people you aren't pregnant, they'll believe me"! How funny is that!
posted by Melinda at 9/07/2005 11:30:00 pm
4 Comments:
That's great! Congratulations! I am just starting to get back in to working out...and what I would really like to do is crawl into bed. This post was much-needed motivation.
It is good to read something like this isn't it? To me it was more exciting wearing my new size 14 jeans today than finding out I'd lost a pound and a half! LOL
Those words are very true! Not even the BMI (Body Mass Indicator) is an accurate measure of health. It will tell you if you are simply overweight, or if you are obese, but it says nothing about how much of your weight is body fat or not. I use a variety of things to help me (even though right now I seem to be going nowhere in terms of weight). I go by my weight, my BMI, and my hip to waist ratio. I think the standard I'm using for the hip to waist ratio is probably geared more to men's physiques, though, because I got it from a men's magazine. The ratio for women is probably different.
My problem right now, though, is more a lack of exercise than anything. I'm occasionally inconsistent with eating healthy, but I do better on it more than I don't.
I'm definitely exercising regularly by going on long walks at least three times a week (and by long walks, I mean three to four miles up and down hills). I'm starting to actually see a bit of difference when I stand in front of a mirror clothes-less (not something I recommend anyone else witnessing), but the main difference has been in how my clothes fit and my stamina and energy levels, both of which are more important to me than the number on the scales. I'll still go to Weight Watchers for now. It does seem to be working for me!
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