The Power of the Scale

Ah, the dreaded scale. We meet again. Today may be your last day in my bathroom, so enjoy it while it lasts. 

For years I have allowed the scale to rule my life. No joke. I've battled with my share of eating disorders within the past several years but nothing quite like obsessing over that dreaded number on the scale.
I allowed myself to be so controlled by whatever number popped up on that tiny screen. If I saw a number I liked, I felt great! I felt like I was "thin enough" to eat a little more that day if I wanted to. Now if the number was higher than I wanted it to be, I became depressed and would dwell on what I ate the previous days, what I should have done differently and I took drastic measures to get that number down. IE: eating a lot less, exercising more. Obviously this is NOT HEALTHY!

Here's how every morning would go:
Wake up. Drink 1 cup of coffee w/creamer. Catch up on blogs, social media, read the Bible and pray. Then about an hour after waking up I'd have to use the restroom. AFTER going to the bathroom, I would step on the scale w/out anything extra on. Not even my hair tie! This is quite embarrassing but I feel that it may help someone else who is struggling with the scale obsession. I no longer have such a strict "regimen" that I follow, but I do weigh myself, every day. And only at the beginning of the day. We all know we weigh more at the end of the day, so that would just be detrimental if I weighed myself at night! (Kidding)

Now that I've been going to the gym regularly and using heavier weights, I know my weight is going to go up. Muscle mass is more dense (heavier) than fat. Waking up this morning I weighed about 3lbs more than I did yesterday morning. I panicked a little, then kept reassuring myself it was muscle gain because of all the weight training I did this week. I still don't "like" the number but I'm doing much better mentally than I would've about a year ago.

So what am I going to do to fix this obsession over the scale? What do you do with something that has taken over your life in a negative way?

You get rid of it!

This is a huge step in the right direction. I know it may seem silly to some, but for me it's an issue of self worth and I don't want to be controlled by a number anymore!

The number on that scale does not define me as a person! It does not reflect my failure or success! 

So if you're someone who has battled with the power of the scale, please consider getting rid of the scale or at least putting it in a place where you can't see it every day. Out of sight, out of mind! It's time to get mentally healthy!

What are you waiting for? Dump that controlling, electronic square! And remember, YOU are far more valuable than a number on a scale! 

(Please understand that I think using the scale as a way to track progress during weight loss is a great tool for motivation. It becomes an unhealthy tool when it becomes an obsession and starts to take over your thoughts.)