THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE!!!
***THIS WAS POSTED BY MY MYSPACE FRIEND DIANE DOMENICA
Throw Away Your Scale!!!!
“Health is not a numerical concept and cannot be defined using statistics. Human beings, however, tend to want to quantify well-being into easily understandable figures. We feel compelled to ascribe numbers to every aspect of wellness, from the qualities of our food to our fitness levels to the physical space we occupy. As a consequence of social pressures, we turn our attention away from health and focus instead on the most contentious of these figures-weight-checking our scales to see how we measure up to our peers and role models. Yet each of us is equipped to gauge our relative healthfulness without any equipment whatsoever. When we have achieved a state of wellness, we feel buoyant and energetic. Some of us are naturally slim, while others will always be curvy. No matter what our weight, we can use the cues we receive from our physical and mental selves to judge how healthy we really are.
When you throw away your scale, you commit to a lifestyle that honors the innate wisdom that comes from within your body and within your mind. It is logical to examine how you feel while considering your health-a strong, fit, and well-nourished individual will seldom feel heavy, bloated, or fatigued. If you have concerns regarding your weight, remind yourself that at its proper weight, your body will feel buoyant and agile. Movement becomes a source of joy. Sitting, standing, walking, and bending are all easy to do because your joints and organs are functioning as they were meant to. When you are physically healthy, your mind will also typically occupy a place of well-being. Mental clarity and an ability to focus are two natural traits of whole-self health. Surprisingly, promoting this type of easy-to-discern wellness within yourself takes no special effort outside of satisfying your hunger with nourishing, wholesome foods and moving your body.
The numbers you see on the scale, while nominally informative, can prevent you from reaching your healthful eating goals by giving you a false indicator of health. You will know when you have achieved true health because every fiber of your being will send you signals of wellness. When you choose to listen to these signals instead of relying on the scale, your definition of well-being will be uniquely adapted to the needs of your body and of your mind.”
- DailyOM
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My Commentary:
Ok, so I know you all probably aren’t ready to throw your scales out. But really, just as age is just a number, so is weight. I can understand using the scale on a weekly (screw that, MONTHLY!!! or in my case, bi-annually! 
) basis to help monitor progress, but not to use it as defining who/what you are. A lot of people are discouraged when they step on the scale & see a number that they don’t like. Stop that! Many do not remember that that number is the total weight of your WHOLE BODY — skin, bones, muscle, water, boobies, whatever!!!! lol. And of course fat. It is everything, but it is NOT what makes you who you are.
Think about something that makes you passionate & happy. Take notice to how good you feel on the inside. Love yourself, throw away all negative thoughts, & you can’t help but to see positive changes on the outside. Everything will fall into place as it should.
Even when you have a bad day & slip up with that second helping of home-made pasta, that 4th fried cheese stick, that 2nd dinner roll, & extra scoop of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery (Dear Lord that place is HEAVENLY!) all in the same day, do not beat yourself up & feel guilty. What’s the point? Think about it. If you think negative thoughts, IT WILL ONLY BE WORSE. Hell, the damage was done, so instead, think, “Wow, that was so worth it. I know I am not making a habit out of this, & it’s back to the gym tomorrow for a fresh start! All this extra energy will only fuel my workouts!’ Your mind is a lot more powerful thank you think. You know those girls who think they are getting pregnant & start to form a belly, when really they are not pregnant at all?….
And let’s be real, an occasional slip up will not make you fat. Bloated maybe, but not fat.
Guilt is a negative emotion. Let it go, & if you are going to give in & eat a little something junky, eat it slowly & savor every bite of it. Enjoy it all. Life is too short to be feeling bad about the 3 Hershey’s Kisses you snuck in after lunch. I’m sorry, but when I am on my death bed, hell yeah I am going to say “Thank God I ate that scrumptious piece of strawberry pie with moose tracks ice cream from Round The Clock Diner! That shit was bangin’!!!!!” (Special Side Note: Brownie points to those who take me there the night after a competition 
)
Don’t get me wrong, I am an advocate of healthy eating. But I am also an advocate of a healthy well-being. I don’t believe in deprivation. Be aware of your emotions, for they are a measurement of where you stand at any given moment. I am not saying that it is smart for a person to go on a full blown out binge because "Diane said it was ok!" No. I am just saying NOT to beat yourself up over those times that you give in to your weakness, because there is no point. Why waste your life on negativity when there are so many positive things around you?
November 17, 2007 at 4:41 pm
The original post and commentary are grea–thank you! It really speaks alot to how balance is the key–enjoying life while maintaining a body and mind that allows you to do so fully.
November 20, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Great posts. I weigh myself every morning and night before I go to bed. It’s a new habit I formed in an effort to eat more. I am down to 132 so looking at the scale makes me feel incredibly skinny and it motivates me to eat. This is a good thing. There is balance in everything and guilt is a terrible byproduct of overeating. I think people who binge should get angry, not sad or guilty. After all your body is your temple. Be mad at yourself for making food your crutch and maybe you’ll do something about it. I have never been overweight so I cannot give an opinion from that perspective and I won’t. I just know what it’s like to look at yourself in the mirror and be mad - not guilty - about how you look and want to do everything possible to ‘fix’ it. Love the skin you’re in, for sure, but keep it healthy!
When Diane says, "When you are physically healthy, your mind will also typically occupy a place of well-being." I agree however with the caveat that in order to get physically healthy your mind has to be the first thing that’s well. You have to make up in your mind that you want to be well. You have to make up your mind to hit the gym or put down that donut.
I have a friend who went from, as she says, "blubber to buff" because she was angry at her ex for cheating on her. I have a friend who literally screamed at the top of her lungs one day after eating a dozen donuts. She was pissed that she’d done that. The next day, she started running and has since run two marathons. My point is that when you’re thinking of feeling guilty, get angry instead.
I hope all is well with you!!!
November 21, 2007 at 4:18 am
Thanks so much! What you’ve said makes so much sense!! So many ppl are so worried about gaining weight…but rarely do we think aobut the folks who are trying to gain weight. And I also agree if we switched that emotion from guilt to anger that would motivate ppl to get their butts moving and loose some weight vs. having a pitty party and eating more!