The Scale: Friend or Foe

Over the past couple of weeks I have been having a personal battle with my scale. It just doesn't seem to be saying what I would like it to say. And I have to confess, this is the first time in over 2 years that this has happened. So you can imagine my surprise when I found myself questioning the numbers that I saw on the scale. "What in the world did I do?" "I seem to be doing the same things." "How was my activity this week?" "How many times did I eat out?" These are just a few of the questions that I ask myself to evaluate my week. But, when all the answers to these questions are in line with what you normally do to be successful...then WHAT?

MY INNER SKINNY CHICK says: Sometimes the number on the scale has nothing to do with how successful you have been in your journey to healthy living. As much as this doesn't make sense to most of us, including myself at times, there are lots of other reasons that the number on the scale may not match our efforts. For instance, in my case, I am dealing with some health issues that caused my weight to be up a couple of pounds. Although, I know this to be true, it still seemed to discourage me. There are many other reasons that the scale could be up. For example, did you consume a meal with lots of sodium recently? How about activity; did you try something new that's got you really sore? Maybe your doctor has got you on a different medication. It might even be a hormonal issue. All these reasons could result in water retention which could show as weight gain on the scale.

So how do we stay positive during these times and keep ourselves from spiraling out of control? Here's what works for me. MY INNER SKINNY CHICK says: Establish a non-scale related goal for yourself each week. That way if the scale doesn't say what you would like it to, you are still successful if you achieved your goal. It also helps to think about the things that you have been doing well and what you are proud of. For me, I tried Zumba for the first time last week and it was AMAZING. I have also been doing yoga every morning and have deepened my practice. I have increased my intake of vegetables, which has always been a struggle for me. And even though the scale is up, my clothes are still fitting nicely. See, I found a way to reframe my situation to accentuate the positive things that I have accomplished. This really works and keeps me motivated to keep on going. Remember, this is your journey; no one else's. You are in control of how you react to situations that arise in your life. You can either let them keep you down or fight until the end.