A few months ago, I clearly remember a conversation I had with my mom. She had recently gone gluten/soy free and was looking great. I asked her if she had lost any weight since giving up the gluten and soy. What she told me shocked me: “I’m not sure — I don’t really weigh myself. I do feel better.” My heart instantly stopped. In my head I was thinking, “How could you not weigh yourself? How could you live without knowing what you weighed?” Looking back on this conversation now, I see I missed the most important part of what she said: I feel better.
You see, up until a few months ago, I was tied to my scale. Every morning regardless of any other factors, my morning routine involved stepping on the scale to see what I weighed. If you are wondering why, habit has a lot to do with it. I initially began to weigh myself when I started to incorporate healthier eating habits and exercise into my diet my sophomore year of college. At that point, I used it as a weight loss tool. As a weight loss tool, I think it is a great electronic device.
However, I am not/was not trying to lose weight for many years. It didn’t matter though — I am a habitual person and it just seemed like the right thing to do. There’s nothing wrong with knowing how much you weigh, right?
If you’re a normal person, that’s probably true. If you’re me, well then, it might not be so great.
After my wedding, I was at a very low weight for me. I was tired, stressed, and had just completed two half marathons within 3 months of each other. I knew I had to pack on at least ten pounds. The thought of it was actually comforting. I wanted to gain that weight. My eating habits hardly changed. My body started to creep back to it’s “happy weight” naturally when the many stressors in my life began to disappear and I had stopped training for races. I was feeling okay about it — I wanted it to happen, remember? What I wasn’t ready for was the number on the scale to begin creeping up as well.
It seems only natural — you gain weight, the scale increases. However, in my mind, the entire world was coming to an end. The scale began to determine my mood. I was happy when the numbers stayed the same (which wasn’t very often as I was obviously gaining for the better). I let the scale make me angry, tired, depressed, moody, and distressed when the number kept going up. In fact, I can remember being in a bad mood and instantly wanting to go step on the scale just so I could have something to be mad about for a little bit longer.
One thing I also remember is the last time I weighed myself — it was actually this day. It put me into such a downward spiral that I was hurting internally for days upon days. I’m an avoider and a person who internalizes by nature — I can make it look like something or someone else is the problem when in reality, it is me.
Please don’t misread this — my scale addiction had nothing to do with how I really felt about my body. My curves were back — I had a butt for the first time in who knows how long, and I actually was enjoying the way I looked. But the second I stepped up, I knew a self-loathe would come along, and that is not how I wanted to feel about myself. Self love starts with, well… yourself. If I didn’t love me, how could others?
There is nothing I would love to do more than throw my scale off a ten story building and watch it smash to smithereens. It’s collecting dust, which I couldn’t be happier about. The most important thing i have learned is that a number doesn’t define me or anyone else for that matter. My character — my sarcastic sense of humor, my stubbornness, my ability to fight to the death one minute and love another — defines me and what I stand for.
And you want to know what? I feel better.
Question: What are your feelings on the scale?
{ 99 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a big problem with weighing as well. Despite the fact that I know i need to gain a good 5 pounds or so I’m 5″4″ 105 pounds I’m scared to death to see that # on the scale go up. I quit weighing everyday and now only weight once a month but its still scary. I’m trying to gain some lean muscle so I’ve upped weight training and cut cardio completely hoping this will allow for healthy weight gain w/o freaking me too bad. Its a horrible feeling. Boy, this hit home. I weighed this morning.
Amy, I feel your pain. I’m 5″5 and 108 and I know that I should probably gain some more… but I dont want to. It’s like I want to stay hovering around the 107-108 range.. maybe even get back to my 105 status (FAR TO SMALL… pictures made me look like a skeleton).
I haven’t weighed myself in YEARS. I found that keeping track of my weight on the scale was actually leading to more UNHEALTHY behaviors than HEALTHY. Instead of consistently making good choices, I would make really EXTREME changes for 1-2 days based on what the scale said. I find I am much better at making consistent healthy living decisions when I am not constantly tracking my weight on the scale. In fact, I think my yearly doctor’s appointment is the only reason I have any clue what my weight is!
Wow Chels…..amazing post! Thank you for being so honest… I am sure a lot of us can relate big time! Crazy but my mon recently said the same thing and I was shocked!!! I had the scale addiction too and I am easing off to once a week (cause I am trying to gain a few more) but I love not feeling tied to the stupid thing and my whole day doesn’t depend on what the number says! You are so beautiful inside and out and yay for a booty!!!
Thanks Janae - I love it too, and you are beautiful as well! <3 you for your encouraging words!
I really encourage you to get rid of your scale. Instead, weight yourself more by how you feel (like you said!) or maybe by how your clothes fit (as long as they arent supper small!) I had an eating diorder and would do the same thing…weigh every day and hate myself and that number for so long. Finally once my dietician made me get rid of my scale and only she could weigh me, I noticed I was gaining weight but didnt have a stupid number to control me (and since I was eating normal finally, my body stopped gaining weight when it was healthy and made me realize you can still eat over 2,000 cals a day and not gain weight). And I realized once I gained the weight, I looked so much better, and most importantly feel and look HEALTHY. Now the only time I know my weight is my once a year doctors check up…and I like it that way
Praying for you and hope your will be able to “ditch the scale”.
I have ditched it completely! I haven’t weighed myself in a long time and have no plan to do so again. The way it was making me feel was NOT healthy!
PS- Thanks for doing this post! from reading some of the comments, it looks like you have encouraged many!
I actually didn’t use a scale during my eating disorder. It wasn’t about my weight, it was about control. But during recovery when I was gaining weight, I HATED the scale. It showed me getting heavier…fatter.
I’ve had ups and downs with weight gain and weight loss, and am getting MUCH MUCH better about the scale. I use it only a few times a week now. I think what has helped is that when I’m maintaining a healthy lifestyle, even with splurges and “bad weeks”, the scale doesn’t fluctuate much. So weighing myself every day isn’t necessary. I can trust the lifestyle now!
I don’t own a scale, but jump on one we randomly have at work (why it’s there, I’m not really sure…) maybe once a week. But even then, I don’t really pay attention to the number. I think I weigh more than I have before, but know I’m gaining more muscle than I’ve ever had before. So the number really doesn’t bug me *as much* as it used to. Which is nice.
I can so relate to all of that. I gave up the scale when I had to gain weight to conceive because I knew the mental games would ruin me. It’s so much better going without, huh? I can’t wait to see how it goes losing weight without one too.
I can’t wait to see how it all works for you after Baby B makes his appearance too!
I used to be a scale junkie until I gained weight and then got very scared of it. Now, I go by feeling (most of the time), but still haven’t resorted to using the scale since my wedding probably (October, 2009). It may also be, because the scale is actually broken…so I might have a mild heart attack if it read higher than it actually was…and yes, I would know if the number were higher than it should be lol. This is my story and I’m sticking to it!
I love the honesty of this post. I am actually very anti-scale just because I KNOW I would get obsessed and it totally isn’t necessary. Glad you’re happier now!!
I totally agree and know where you are coming from! I have not weighed myself in monthssss. I know around where I am and its “whatever” but if the scale was flashing that number I would be cranky all day. Its weird how we focus so much on that little number! Even if we feel like we look good! If we step on the scale and see a number we do not want its like “‘ohhh crap , I look awful!”
I know - isn’t it crazy how your mood can go to happy to absolutely devastated in just a nanosecond?
This was beautiful. As a girl who’s struggled with disordered eating on and off for five years, this was incredibly uplifting. You see, I’ve never been a girl that weighs herself - my habits would always come from clothes not fitting the right way, or fat in the wrong place. I’m so glad that you were able to share this with the bloggy world, I can barely even do that! It’s so inspiring, and girl, you are BEAUTIFUL! Don’t forget it:)
wow thank you for posting this. i totally relate with you. a few years ago, i used to weigh myself ever morning, but for at least the past half year i haven’t really weighed myself at all (maybe once a month at the most). but last week i got really paranoid about my pants feeling really tight and then weighed myself - and the number just totally ruined my day! i got over it, but you are right - our time is precious, i should not let a number (OR my pants) dictate how i feel! i know im eating how i want to eat and i do exercise and i feel energetic and healthy, so i need to just be comfortable where i’m at - the number on the scale is NOT reflective of whether or not i’m healthy… i need to tell myself that!!! thanks for being so honest in this post chelsey! =)
we don ‘t own a scale. I don’t even know what I’d do with it. I think it is a good tool to use for some, but i like what your mom said. Its all about how you FEEL! Thanks for sharing this, well said.
LC
Great post Chelsey! I think a lot of us can relate. I’ve been trying to ditch the scale for awhile now. I’m not really trying to lose weight- so what’s the point? I’m trying to go off of how I feel rather than letting the scale tell me how to feel.
Thanks so much for sharing. I’m sad to say that I’m not there yet — I’m still stepping on the scale every day and caring way to much about what it says. I had to gain weight after getting really sick a couple years ago. I gained back the weight, and I am mentally ok with it — but emotionally, there’s a gap. Ya know?
I definitely know! Mentally I was all for it, but emotionally I wasn’t ready.
Chelsey! I know just what you mean..I lost a healthy amount of weight last year when I went to college for the first time, and truly felt great. However, I probably did lose a bit too much for my frame (not unhealthy, just much thinner), and so over this past fall my body naturally gained a bit back. My mom makes comments now about how I look like I’ve put back on a few pounds and how great I look-and I agree, I’ve gotten a little more booty back too! But hearing her say ‘you’ve put on a few’ just makes me want to drop back down to where I was. Maybe it’s an innate feeling or something that is just so engrained in our society, but I am coming to terms with the fact that I love my body and am happy that I don’t have a scale to step on while I’m back here at school!
Thankyou for this great post, and toss that baby out the window
i avoid the scale. my past has been affected by distorted eating and i found that i made so much recovery when i gave up the scale. if i do happen to weigh myself, i struggle with distorted eating again… so the scale is definitely not my friend
I have been a scale slave forever. I have stripped off all my clothes in a DESPERATE attempt to make the number go down. I want to ditch the scale I REALLY do, but without running (Injured) I am so afraid of gaining even more weight… I think every girl has had a tendency towards some kind of ED at one point or another. No girl is completely happy with that number. The problem is when people (me) act on it for a long period of time… Then it becomes an obsession, an excuse to not interact with people or for me a reason not to have dated ever… I am trying to rebuild my life w/o ED but I’ve destroyed a lot of relationships/ties. It is NOT easy. I would nothing more then for everyone to ditch the damn scale because everyone has something to offer regardless of that damn number.
we’ve never ever had a scale in our house. the only time i get weighed is at the dr..and they dont’ even show me how much i weigh..so i really have no idea. i’m glad you shared your story with us.
glad to know you’re feeling better.
I think everyone goes through this. I was just like you, a year ago, at a very low weight and I knew I needed to gain. After my treatment started, I finally started to see the weight add on and I knew it was good and needed but I still drove myself crazy by seeing those numbers go up (what felt like every day). Now, I did something that was the best decision I could have ever made. I got rid of the scale and I have my sanity back. I feel amazing and that is how I measure myself each and every day.
Yay for you! I really feel like so many girls/women go through this and it’s just not talked about! Let’s all throw the scales away!!!
I weigh everyday and had never considered that it may bring more peace of mind to ditch it. Maybe it’s a control thing? Thanks for giving me something to think about.
It’s probably a control issues - only because I’m a control FREAK!!
this was such a beautiful post. I LOVE your mom’s response. I have mixed feelings with the scale. It is a good barometer for me since I have a weight I try never to get above since my clothes get REALLY tight at that weight, but I also can get obsessive about a silly number so only weigh myself a few times a week at this point in my life.
Thanks Teri!
PS - are you on Twitter??
I sure am!! @cleaneatingchel
Sometimes, I’m rational. Other times, I’m not.
When I’m bloated and am deathly afraid to face the scale, I dont get on it… because I know that my day and maybe even my week is going to go to the pits until Ive had enough exercise to compensate for it. In my head I know that it is just salt overload… that I couldnt POSSIBLY have gained that much weight because I didnt eat that much to do it. But my heart says that it cant bear it.
Today, I got on the scale… and because I wasnt bloated, it went down. Today, though, I ate upwards of 2k because the carbs were calling my name… Im hoping that my scale doesnt read 108 on the dot or higher, but I’ll be fine
Way to go girl!! Thanks for the awesome post. I am definitely one who is tied to the scale. It’s such a hard thing for me because I always feel like if I don’t stay accountable to myself by weighing in daily, I may get out of control some how. Crazy right?? I need to take your inspiration. Maybe one day!! Thanks for sharing. You’re awesome.
Thanks girl - I thought that I would get “out of control” but how can I when I eat the same? It makes no sense!!
You are totally right…and I guess when we know a lot about food we wouldn’t ever let ourselves get out of control right??
Totally true! It’s so silly for me, someone who is an exercise nut and a lover of whole foods, to be scale crazed!
Great post! Thank you so much for your honesty. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m genuinely afraid to step on the scale. I haven’t for months, because I’ve been working really hard and I know if it’s NOT as low as I want it to be, I’ll be disappointed. And I shouldn’t be disappointed because I FEEL better, and I think I LOOK better. I shouldn’t give the scale so much power!
If you feel better and feel good about yourself, don’t do it!!
I hate scales and don’t bother weighing myself but go on how I feel and how I think I look in my clothes, as well as how they fit. That number doesn’t really tell you much because if you’re more muscular you’ll weigh more than someone the same height who’s got more flab.
I don’t like to step on too often, or else I find myself obsessing. But, I like to check my weight about once a week because if I go longer than that, I don’t like to be “surprised” if I step on and something has changed…..I like to nip something in the butt early, ya know?
I do know what you mean! In time I might do that, but only when I have come to accept the fact that the number I will see will not be the number I saw before.
I definately have an addiction to the scale, but I’m currently trying to lose weight and it’s a habit to step on every morning to track my progress. I think that someday when I get to my goal I’ll stay away from it more, but for now it helps keep me motivated. However, I also struggle with the number ruining my mood sometimes! As much as I try not to let it, sometimes stepping on the scale can ruin my entire day. Any tips on how to not let that happen?
I wish I had some tips Krista. The fact that I have none is one of the reasons why I gave it up. Perhaps you could kind of give yourself a “pep talk” before - maybe talk to yourself in the mirror naming 5 things you love about yourself or your body. Then, when the number pops up. you just might remember how much you still love yourself.
Great post! I used to be a slave to the scale as well, but am slowly letting it go. I have been weighing myself weekly for awhile, but when I was asked something about my weight just last week I realized it had been nearly a month since stepping on the scale. Def more freeing!
I hardly ever weight myself, I judge by how I feel and how my clothes fit. There really is no reason why I do or don’t weigh myself, I guess I just have never been in the habit. I also feel like my weight fluctuates a lot and it doesn’t really coincide with how I’m feeling (like if I am having a “skinny day” or “fat day”) so I more go by how I feel than what the scale says!
Great post Chelsey!
A-freaking-men.
Thank you for your honesty in this post! A scale is nothing more than a tool that gives us information but it does NOT define who we are! It’s like introducing yourself as 114, 122, 98, 140, it just doesn’t make sense and has nothing to do with who we are on the inside. It’s crazy though how easy it is to allow a silly number to dictate our mood and what we think about ourselves. When we are able to step back and take an objective look, out of everything going on in our lives and in the world is a number really that important? I am better off without a scale around personally.. outta sight, outta mind. But I do believe if I did have one it would be pretty darn therapeutic to destroy it
Um. Wow.
Yeah. I am wordless.
Except thank-you. (I think you know exactly why and how that impacted me so much coming from you…I just never would have imagined you might deal with any of this crippity crap.)
Thanks for being so open and being such a role model for me (stranger girl in South Florida).
Wow. I am glad this post is so victorious.
Be Brave. Love Life.
I don’t weigh. Yay! (I rhymed)
~Missy
I’m glad I helped you Missy. I, like anyone else, definitely have my struggles.
<3 you girl!
I have a love/hate relationship with the scale. Having been all over it…it’s a comfort to remind myself of where I’m at and where I’ve been and where I’m going. I’m not a complete slave to it…but it’s something I could work on for sure!
Great post!
Gosh, I love you even more after this post. Like you, I was a slave to the scale for years and would weigh myself every single day and would be in a bad mood all day if I weighed any more than I did the day before. I finally threw the batteries away about 3 months ago. I’ve never.felt.better.
Yay for no more batteries!
Great post Chelsey!
Obviously you are not alone in this.
I am not a weigher…I have an idea of what a healthy weight is for me, but I am happy as long as my pants fit!
That’s kind of how I go by now - the “pants fitting”. It took me a month or so to realize that my pants fit differently now, but they still fit!
Great post, Chelsey! I struggle with this daily. I would like to lose 10 pounds (and it would be healthy for me to do so) but I have a disordered past so I think it is best to avoid the scale- I can get obsessive about it! I can never decide if it is going to help me successfully and healthy lose the weight, or is it going to just ruin my day?
I’m currently trying to decide if I should take a scale back to school with me for second semester-it’s difficult!
I really encourage you to go check out Tina @Faith Fitness and Food - she is planning on losing weight after her baby without the aide of a scale!!!
When I was a dancer I was obsessed with the number on the scale. Like you- I would weight myself daily and let the number determine my mood. Since then I threw that damn scale out! And like your mom have just based my weight on how I feel! It’s quite liberating
xo
While I always go by how I feel first and foremost-I still weigh myself. I just like to keep track and see how certain foods/workouts/whatever I did that day affects me weight wise. Since I did lose a significant amount of weight, it also serves to keep me on track and in the best weight range for my body.
I can absolutely see how weighing yourself could get obsessive or out of control. Especially when it starts to control your moods and emotions. Awesome job going with how you feel rather than what the number you see! Also, I love that you came to that conclusion from your Mom!
I can definitely see how that would help!
And… my mom probably doesn’t even remember that conversation - and she more than likely was shocked when she read this post - but she inspires me more than she knows!
Fantastic post! I have the same awful habit, even though I advise others against it. Some mornings I will wake up feeling great, only to step on the scale and have that feeling dissolved by a pound of water weight. Why oh why? Thanks for the reminder that feeling good, is what should count most!
AMEN! I need to realize its not about the number- its how you feel.. out bodies are so smart and we are in tune with them.. they tell us what we need!
Hmm interesting post! I don’t know where I stand with the scale - I weigh myself every day (my weight can fluctuate by 5pounds from morning to evening!), but if I go a day without weighing myself, i don’t care at all. If the weight goes up, I feel blue, and I can’t help it - it does make me happier if the number goes down. I feel I need to weigh myself to keep tabs on my weight, cos I have a tendency to lose weight cos I run a lot and love veggies!! BUT saying that, i would do anything to not give a crap about it and go by how I feel, cos technically, I SHOULD weight more than I do. But as it is, I know my current weight, and I’m not happy with it going up.
The scales are helping me and hindering me in equal measures :/
This post has such a great message, Chelsey. I’m with you - I think a scale CAN be a great device for people looking to lose, and even people looking to gain…but it really depends on the personality of the person using it if there is no intention to change weight. For some people, it’s just too easy to let weighing yourself become obsessive.
It’s sort of funny you mention this today, because just last night I was randomly thinking about scales. I’m not sure why - but I think just because I’m curious as to what I weigh? We never had one in our bathroom growing up, and I’ll sometimes be grateful for that - because I think I am one of those people who would probably get too attached to using one…and make it into a game. As it is, I can’t remember the last time I weighed myself, and it’s probably for the better.
Moms know best, though - she couldn’t have said it better! If you feel better for gaining or losing X pounds, there’s no need for what the scale says to change that feeling!
I just re-read that and realized saying “one of those people” could probably be taken the wrong way, even though I considered myself that way…I mean nothing negative about it whatsoever, and wish I could think of the type a/type b, etc personality descriptions to help along what I’m trying to say!
I didn’t take it the wrong way - I was one of those people!
Kudos for writing this post! Sometimes it can be really hard to admit our battles with the scale. I used to weigh myself quite a bit and feel satisfaction every time I saw the number go down, even when it dropped to a dangerously low number. Now I just weigh myself occasionally to make sure I’m keeping my weight UP at a healthy weight.
I haven’t weighed myself in several weeks and it’s mainly because I hate the way I feel when I see the numbers. I am trying to lose weight and it makes me so mad when the numbers don’t go anywhere. I decided to put the scale away for a while and go by how I feel or what my clothes feel like as a tool for weight loss. I do feel better since I stopped weighing myself. But I do think about the scale a bit more than I should.
I think that it’s a struggle no matter what. You weigh yourself, you’re mad. You don’t weigh yourself, you wonder. I think it depends on a particular person’s relationship with the scale. Tina @ Faith Fitness Food is writing about how she plans to lose weight WITHOUT the aide of a scale
I’ve been trying to throw out my scale for the past year or so..i cant do it
UGHHHH
Great post! Focusing on feeling better is so important.
I feel the same as you right now. I know I need to gain 5-10 pounds that I have lost the last couple years from so much stress due to my medical condition/chronic pain, my boyfriend’s deployment and being unemployed. I actually want to gain this weight (which is a good sign that I am getting to a place of loving myself) because I feel too skinny right now, even having my self-esteem suffer, but just handling the change in numbers is really hard. I think I always equated the number going up with being out of control or lazy, when sometimes it’s just needed!
Funny enough, I have WAY more of a problem with my jeans getting tight than the scale. People always say to go by the fit of your jeans but the total opposite is true for me. I am trying to keep in mind that when you FEEL GOOD, you haven’t something wrong, no matter what you look like. Your body will tell you.
I meant I feel the same as you did when you needed to gain weight after your wedding, not necessarily right now.
I read a great article by a chef (I forget who it was, damnit!) that said that the scale is not an indicator of health, it’s just an indicator of how much we’re eating. Which is SO TRUE!!! I wish I could just have that mentality, where I saw the number and took it into consideration as to whether I should eat more or less but didn’t let it dictate how I felt about my body or my health. That being said, I’ve come a LONG way in my scale addiction. I used to get on it every morning (and stark naked, too, just in case my underwear and nightgown added .2 pounds or something) and the lower it was, the better I felt. Which just sucked!! I still weigh every 2 weeks or so, because I’m curious and because I feel like it’s good to keep myself in check. My freshman year of college I was really miserable at school and didn’t have a scale…I wasn’t eating enough but honestly didn’t think I was losing weight until I got home and weighed myself and had lost ten pounds. It’s a number I want to know in general, but I don’t need to know the specifics. I know I’m usually within a certain range, and that’s enough for me!!
That’s awesome Gabriela!
I will admit I was a slave to the scale, and still am to a degree. I try not to weigh myself daily, like I did over the summer (sometimes multiple times a day). I know that I gained weight during my training for my half marathon, but I FEEL better and look healthier than I did before I started training.
Great post!! My father has told me for years to get rid of my scale. The number has controlled me, defined me, ruined me and abused me!! I have decided that 2011 is going to be different. I am trying to stay healthy and be happy without a number weighing me down. I feel good and that is what matters. Life is too short
Good luck to all of us. We deserve happiness.
this was exactly the post i needed to read today (i’m so happy i clicked on your link from jenny’s blog! first time reader/commenter!). lately i’ve packed on a good eight pounds (some of it muscle!) but i am starting to see that, clearly, this is where my body likes to be. i’m not restricting or compulsively exercising till the point of pain. my butt is also back after a nearly year-long absence (makes for a happy boyfriend!). i look healthy, truly healthy, for the first time in nearly a year. my disordered eating habits lead me to start stepping on the scale (something i never, ever did before) and it’s been really difficult to step off of it. the number determines nothing, really, yet i let it determine my overall happiness for the day. i know i need to throw it away but the unhealthy part of me is so attached to it.
basically, i really appreciate this post. i know one day mine will start collecting dust, too. and i think that day will be soon! thanks so much, chelsey!
I don’t own one for this reason. I have a bit of an obsessive personality, and I think I would be consumed by the number.
On the same note, I will weigh myself every time I go to the gym, and the number will effect my mood. I know it’s arbitrary, especially because it’s a community scale and I weigh myself at different parts of the day, but I still feel compelled to use it.
I’m working on just eating well and exercising and trusting that that is enough to keep me fit and healthy.
I weigh myself about two or three times a month. I like to see where I’m at, even though it fluctuates so much it doesn’t necessarily tell me all that much. For the most part, I track my weight by how my clothes fit. I have never had an eating disorder or any sort of obsession with my weight though, so I think that’s why the scale doesn’t pose a problem for me. I can see how it could be problematic for some people. Everyone has to figure out what works for them.
I used to be a scale slave as well, but since i stopped weighing myself i feel a hundret times better. it might be tough at first but it is definately worth getting rid of this mean device seeing it from the long-term perspective!
i found this post very inspiring! actually it made me wanting to blog again, thanks for that!
would you be okay with me putting ur blog into my blogroll?
love
Johanna
Hi Johanna - I am so glad to have inspired you to start blogging again! You may definitely put me on your blogroll!
I defintely am a slave to the scale right now
I try so hard to not let it determine my mood but the minute I step on it and see a number I don’t like it can either make or break me!
I can wake up happy, have a fantastic run, anything but the minute I step on the scale and I dislike the number I become irritable, mad, depressed, sad and hate myself. It’s something I am working on!
I truly love how honest you were on this post. I am going to make a goal to not let the scale determine my worth as a woman! IT’s hard, but I will venutre to try
thanks for this post!
May I put you on my blog roll>?!?
xoox
Hi Valerie - the scale is so hard, isn’t it? We all need to remember that the scale DOESN’T determine our worth!
You may definitely put me on your blogroll!
I know I have a problem with the scale. I’m trying to cut back to once a month since my trainer says he doesn’t think it’s a good accessment of progress. I have been known to weight myself each morning and at night. At my worst I weighed myself before and after each meal. I don’t know why I weigh since it just makes me feel bad.
I don’t like my scale that much….the reason for that is because I become way to obsessed with the numbers! We have one and I see what I weigh maybe once a week. After I had my second baby, I was on the scale way too much trying to get rid of the extra weight and it started to consume me! So, I try to leave the scale alone as much as possible!!
Great post and very well written!
I haven’t been on the scale in years. And funny thing is, I’m healthier and slimmer without it. I often get annoyed when my girl friends complain how they gained 2 pounds, or can’t seem to weigh what they did when they were in high school (some are in their 30s now). I think the scale isn’t necessarily the best way to track progress. Eating healthier, getting moving, and seeing your clothes fit differently, in my opinion, is the healthier way.
This is such a great post - and such a brave one to write.
x
I identified with loads of it and it was really *can’t think of the right word!* touching (?) to read the other, lovely one you linked to.
I’m really glad you’ve ditched it, and that you feel better
Thank you for being so HONEST Chelsey! Not easy! I can totally relate to this- but recently I gave up the scales. I now go by how I feel and how my clothes fit, and I feel so much better now, inside and out!
You are gorgeous girl, and everyone likes a good booty, never forget!
Believe me, it’s not much, but it’s mine!
I’ve haven’t gotten on a scale since the summer. On this day, I felt good, looked good (i.e. stomach was looking flat), but I didn’t see the number I was anticipating. I hated the way I felt afterwards and decided that I’m not going to let a number make me mad. Now, I just pay attention to how I feel and look in my pants. My pants still fit and I don’t feel I have a battle with the scale anymore.
It’s no wonder you have nearly 100 comments on this post… so many of us can relate to this relationship with the scale.
I also used to weigh myself every single morning. Then I would weigh myself after breakfast and going to the bathroom. Then again before bed so I could see how much I gained from eating that day. I would then drink my “natural” laxative tea so it would all go away in the morning.
I was obsessed.
As I started to EAT again that number went up. It was so depressing that I vowed to never step on a scale again. At the doctor’s office I would turn around backwards so I wouldn’t be exposed to that awful number.
Then something miraculous happened. I started eating in line with my values and went vegan. I was eating compassionately and in turn finding compassion for myself and my own body.
I recently signed up to get all of my medical records online and to my dismay, all of my weights were on there from every time I’ve been to the doctor. I was finally exposed to those numbers. But guess what? Since going vegan, I dropped 10 lbs (without even knowing it!) and it’s no wonder I feel so great!
I went from not eating enough, to eating too much and now — I eat like I should.
Long story short - I am no longer a slave to the scale. We have on at work and I periodically hop on for fun and find that my weight never shifts more than 2 lbs or so!
Great post.
* TYPO - “we have ONE at work…”
I really want to give my scale away so I can stop obsessing over it every morning but for some reason I don’t have it in me. Yet. But I will get there eventually! I’m glad that you did…I am inspired by your story!
ah thank you for sharing this part of your life. I’m struggling with stepping off the scale right now
I used to weigh myself EVERY morning before stepping into the shower. Normally, I would be okay with a few pounds difference, but if I got any heavier than 5 pounds from what was average, I would instantly go into shut-down mode. I would over analyze my diet and make myself feel horrible about certain food choices. I quit weighing myself when one day when I realized I was starting to deny myself the foods I love, the foods that make me happy.
Then, this past summer I started getting into running (nothing hard core, just a mile or two a day) and circuit training at home. I started to tone up everywhere and I was feeling great! I sort of got curious, so I dug out the scale. I was still at the same weight as before, but everything about my body was different. So true what they say about losing fat and gaining muscle. After my little weigh-in, I packed the scale back up and it has been somewhere in my garage for the past 4 months.
Now I see that I don’t NEED the scale like I thought I did before. I just need to stay in tune to my body. I am a much better judge of MY body than some electronic device anyways!
OMG! I saw the like to this post today when I was reading your blog (fairly new follower) and I just have to say thank you!! For so long I’ve felt like I was the only one addicted to a scale. When I was first married I would hop on the scale in the morning and in the evening and it was such a controlling behavior in my life, I hated it!! The number would always send me reeling!! (I was always underweight and on the opposite end, if I was losing weight I’d freak!!…now it’s the other way around, I don’t want to gain..LOL!). I finally tossed out the scale (1991) and haven’t owned one since! I also close my eyes at my doc visits and tell them not to tell me so that I don’t know what I weigh, I judge now by how I feel and how my clothing fits…
Thanks Chelsey, for allowing me to see that I’m not the only one who has dealt with this!
blessings,
This is such a great post! It really is difficult to not let the number determine your happiness. A couple of months back I pushed my scale under my bed never to be seen again… well until about a month ago when I started race training for the first time and was curious how it was effecting my body. I wish I hadn’t gotten back on that terrible habit and now, after reading your post, I am reminded of the importance of loving my body as a whole, not the number. Thanks
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