You wake up in the morning feeling great. Ready to go. You hop out of bed and head to the bathroom…and there it is…the SCALE. You step on the scale just to see where you are, and then it happens…you weigh 3 pounds more than you did yesterday. Immediately your mood changes. You feel fat and look over at yourself in the mirror with disgust. All of the energy and vibrance you had before; has left you and you feel like a deflated balloon. It is amazing how three numbers on a scale can cause your mood to change so suddenly.
Now, because you feel fat, and you “think” you are gaining weight, your day is just shot. Nothing fits right, so you spend an extra 15 minutes trying to find something to wear to work or to run errands for the day. Your husband sees you and wants to get a little frisky and you push him away because you feel unattractive and fat. You skip breakfast because you don’t want to gain any more weight than you already have. In addition to that, because you feel fat, you can’t even get your hair right…so here comes the bad hair day. Your entire attitude has changed all because you stepped on the scale.
On the flip side, if you wake up feeling crappy and step on the scale…if it reads ONE pound lower than it did the last time you weighed yourself, you’re elated.
This scenario may sound far-fetched but it happens to women every day. It used to happen to me before I learned better. As women, we are so emotionally and mentally fragile at times, that a number on a scale can dramatically fluctuate our mental and emotional state. Therefore I have come to one conclusion…THE SCALE IS THE DEVIL!!!!
No but seriously…we tie so much weight to that number and there are some many variables that can cause the number on the scale to fluctuate. First of all, naturally your weight can fluctuate up to 5 pounds. So, regardless of what you do, your weight will change. Water intake and retention can cause your scale reading to change. During the menstrual cycle (if you still have one), most women, retain water. That’s why we are bloated and irritable. So chances are, if you weigh yourself during that time, your weight will be higher. Also, having a high-salt, high carb diet can induce water retention and may cause an increase in your scale reading.
So what should you do? You have to weigh yourself, right?
Yes, you should weigh yourself; however, not every day. Checking your weight about every 5 days will give you a good idea of where you stand. I recommend choosing a set day and time to weigh yourself once per week. For instance you may choose to weigh yourself every Monday morning before breakfast. Honestly, I recommend weighing yourself on Friday morning. The reason why is because, most people abandon their diets and healthy eating on the weekends. If you weigh yourself Friday morning, it will be fresh on your mind as you enter the weekend and help to tame the “weekend diet abandonment” most people fall prey to. If you weigh yourself on Monday morning and the scale doesn’t show you what you want to see, it may cause you to have a crappy start to your week.
Life changes and weight loss are as much mental battles as they are physical. You have to do things to put yourself in the best MENTAL state to succeed. You cannot allow three digits on a scale to zap your energy, change your mood, and even impede your drive to be intimate. You do need to weigh yourself to understand where you are; however, understand that your weight will fluctuate up to 5 pounds and resolve in your mind that if you don’t like the number you see on the scale, do something to change it.
Let’s get tough ladies. You can win the battle of the scale!
Tell me what you think. Does the scale “kill your joy”?
Melinda
