Torture

It’s tough for me to write about bathroom scales because I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with mine. I love all the new fancy things that a bathroom scale can do; I just hate what it tells me. I’ve named my weighing device “Patch” because often it is the DEVIL!

I haven’t yet called in a priest to exorcise the evil, lying contraption, but I’ve often considered it. You see I was a chubby kid, and I’ve always struggled with my weight. I know, I know, I shouldn’t punish the messenger (good ole Patch), but it’s always been difficult to have positive feelings about weighing myself. I have a very unhealthy relationship with my bathroom scales.

Signs You Too May Have Bathroom Scale Obsession

Here are a few of my sicko scale symptoms.

What my scales tell me in the morning can play a big part in how I feel about myself all day.

Capt’n Clean and I have been married 17 years and it wasn’t until a year ago that I revealed to him how much I weigh.

If I get on the scale and don’t like what I see, I step off and reposition it or readjust how I am standing. If I weighed more after adjusting, I figure that the first number was correct. If I weighed less, well, obviously it wasn’t set right the first time.

I always weigh butt naked. Duh. The horror of all horrors is having to weigh at the doctor’s office. To begin with, I think that all doctors set their scales heavy. I always remove my shoes but I’ve yet to find a doctor who would let me strip down to the buff prior to weighing in his office.

Okay, if you’ve read down this far, I’m assuming that you, like me, used to do some of the things listed above. Maybe you still do a few of them. Gulp, maybe I still do a few. So today, whether you are a “Skinny Minnie” or a “Doughy Chloe” I’d like to help turn this unhealthy sicko scale stuff around for us both. Here are some ideas about how to improve our relationship with our bathroom scales.

Set a Schedule for Weighing Yourself

While trying to lose weight, it’s easy to become obsessed with weighing yourself often. I used to weigh every day, sometimes twice a day. Granted, you need to weigh regularly, but not necessarily every day. If you keep a day planner, designate certain days to weigh yourself (once or twice a week). Weigh at the same time of day each time. Be aware that your weight will fluctuate according to your bodily functions (menstrual cycle, bowel movements, etc.), stress levels, and even the earth’s rotation (believe it or not!) Every time you weigh tell yourself that you are doing this to monitor whether your weight is going up, down or staying the same according to the fitness goals you have.

Set Realistic Goals for Your Weight

Often people set a goal weight number and obsess over it. I’d love to weigh what I did in high school, but realistically that’s probably never going to happen again. Also, if you are consistently working out your muscles will build up. Some people call this “skinny fat” if you are judging the “fat” part by how much you weigh. Remember, muscles weigh more than fat.

Pick Up On Your Cues

Finally, there are a lot of cues, other than the numbers on your scale, that are important. How your clothes are fitting and how strong and healthy you feel are just as significant as what the number on you scale is. If your clothes fit great and you feel great, then why torture yourself with weighing yourself so much?

The bottom line is, don’t judge yourself based on a number on the scale. Keep exercising and sticking to healthy habits and don’t obsess about how much you weigh.

Let me repeat that last sentence because I’m preaching to myself here.

Keep exercising and sticking to healthy habits and don’t obsess about how much you weigh.

Your worth is not based on what your demon scale tells you. No matter where you are on your life journey, learning to appreciate what your body can do, and not constantly trying to shrink it, is what it’s all about.