The Scale: A Love/Hate Relationship

Every morning for the past, oh…about 7 months, this is my morning routine:

1. Wake up (this is a hard thing in itself for me to do. )
2. Go to the bathroom.
3. Go downstairs, and step on the scale to weigh myself.

This is how I start my morning. By seeing how much I weigh. Why you say? That’s like a small form of torture! Well it is and it isn’t. I have been on a mission since the New Year to feel healthy, get running and loose some weight. The first two obviously help the third  I have done this resolution a thousand times before. Weighed myself a thousand times hating the results and then soothing myself by eating more. That was torture.

This time around I am not letting the number on the scale rule me, quite so much at least.  If I get on and my number is up, I don’t stress. I accept it and know to keep at it (‘it’ being my routine of healthier eating and exercise). If I get on and the number is lower, I know what I am doing is working. But the bottom line is, either way I am not letting it gauge how my day is going to be, nor letting it get me down. Yes, sure there are times when I think “oh phooey!” (except you know that’s not the word I am sayin’ lol), but who doesn’t?! But I am not letting it rule my life like I used to. I did the diet regimen where weekly you step on the scale at a meeting, and yes, I did loose 50lbs that way. But I didn’t keep it off, and I always felt like a failure when the scale hadn’t gone down, needed some excuse etc. Now, it is just a number, it doesn’t tell me who I am or what I am worth.

I know some people will tell me to throw away the scale! Get rid of it! You don’t need to do that to yourself every day! I do find though, that it keeps more more accountable to myself. I tend to not weigh myself as regularly on the weekends, and this of course is when I am more apt to ‘go off the tracks’ so to speak.

So it is what it is. For now I appreciate the feedback it gives. But I could change my mind again in the future, I am sure. It is always a love/hate relationship. How often do you weigh yourself or do you care to at all?