First of all, last night after work, I went to the gym, actually looking forward to my workout. Went to the changing room , got all dressed in my workout gear and just as I was about to lace up my sneakers....I realized they weren't there! I had worn them home from the gym on Tuesday and had put them in my closet rather than my gym bag. SO FRUSTRATING! I actually dragged my butt to the gym and am more than ready to take on the StairMaster again and I'm stuck without sneakers! Ugh. BUT on a brighter note, I'm not letting this minor set back get in the way of my commitment of getting in at least 160 mins of exercise this week. So far I've got 55 mins under my belt (Tuesday 35 mins on the StairMaster and 20 mins on the Elliptical) tonight I'm hoping to squeeze in another 55 mins before my epicure party which would bring me up to 110 mins. I'm also planning on hitting the gym on Friday for at least 50 mins to round out my 160 mins but I may go for more if I have time.
Friday night I have a date with my best friend. We are going out to dinner (East Side Mario's I believe, does anyone have suggestions?) and then hitting the mall for some Christmas shopping and after that we are making gingerbread houses (although I saw a gingerbread train kit....) How Martha are we? Looking forward to it.
Now onto my big decision. I've decided that the scale and I need some time apart. I've been reading so many blogs about measuring success without using the scale. At first I thought this was utterly absurd. I mean, I know my pants are looser than they were 2 weeks ago and it's a great way to measure success but I still NEED that number just to verify my feeling good....wait. Is that even healthy?? Have I become that attached to the scale? Then I realize that since I started WW almost 2 years ago, I have not missed one Friday WI. Not even one. The scale dictates my whole attitude (if you remember THIS post from September, you'll know what I mean) By now, I pretty much know what the scale is going to say, I can tell by the way my clothes fit, by the way I feel so why do I put so much into the scale? Why do I let the scale tell me how to feel? I guess I use it as another tool to stay accountable but if I am following the WW program consistently and eating well then there's no reason for me to have to worry about a gain right?
Another reason I'm thinking of letting go of the strings for a while is that I find myself splurging on Fridays and Saturdays:
1. because it's the weekened
2. because I've saved up all my bonus points
3. because I know I don't have to weigh in again until next Friday
Seriously, just thinking about not weighing in scares the hell out of me. But I think that anxiety is the exact reason why I have to let go of the scale for a few weeks. I have an unhealthy attachment to that number and the scale and now is as good a time as ever start measuring my success in other areas, gym time, smaller clothes, basically NSVs. The funny thing is, just thinking about not weighing in doesn't really make me feel like I can slack at all, it's actually the opposite, making me want to work harder to compensate for not having that "loss on the scale" relief feeling. More gym time. Better decisions on the weekend. What do you girls think? I need feedback!
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Well I think it's great. You are at a point with your weight that you don't have to focus on how much farther you still need to go because you're there :-) Starting to put focus on other successes and healthy indicators like minutes of activity and how your clothes feel cannot do you wrong because obviously your clothes will start to tell you if the scale might be going up etc.
ReplyDeleteTaking away the pressure of Friday WI's is certainly worth trying if you're not happy with the overindulgence on the weekends and you think it may be part of the reason for it.
There's nothing worse than actually mustering up the energy and motivation to actually get your buns to the gym and not have your sneakers! Pffffft! Good for you for stepping it up to make up for it!
That sounds like a really good idea, Carolyn. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work out, you can always go back to weighing in weekly. At least you are only weighing weekly. I was weighing every day and that gets very disheartening sometimes. I have not weighed in for two days now and I think I'm going to try to go a week. This is a bad week to weigh in anyway, what with my monthly water retention time here. I'm so glad I made my Christmas challenge goal already!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the NSVs are just as, if not more, rewarding than what the scale says because the scale lies frequently. Monitor yourself based on the fit of your clothes. If they fit right out of the dryer, you are doing great! ;) Have a great day and keep up the great workout schedule! That will make a big difference.
i've gotten to the point that even though i still weigh-in once a week, i do NOT let the number dictate how my day is going to be... it used too, but not anymore because i've learned it's (1) temporary and (2) a result of how i'm treating myself...
ReplyDeleteif i KNOW i've eaten like crap and not exercised, then a gain shouldn't surprise me... if anything, just seeing a number keeps me in check - it's so easy to assume portions, etc. so i like to see where i'm at each week... :o)
Why not give your scale a two week break and see how that works? If you find you slack off big time and get off track, only two weeks will have passed.
ReplyDeleteI think now that you ARE a skinny minny now, you can afford to start listenting to your body and how well your clothes fit. Focus on becoming healthier, not number-related thinner.
re: the sneaker -- I would've flipped my lid. That actually happened to me before, and I was so pissed that I walked on the treadmill/elliptical in my socks!
oh I guess you DID post. nevermind that part of my email.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's up to you hon. I don't understand (but do believe you) when people talk about being so stressed about the scale and stuff. I weigh-in whenever I feel like it, but I don't attach much "weight" to it (haha) because I usually know what to expect. I dunno, I don't get it. But I know that I'm quite unlike a lot of people with regards to stress stuff. I sort of like WI because it can let you know things when you think you're ok if you're wrong, or vice versa.
I'd love to just tell you to "not care" but I guess it's not so easy. "just be like me" doesn't always work. ;)
If you think you can drop the scale and not drop the whole plan and think it's vacation (which is what would happen to me) then go for it I guess!
that's absolutely the way to go especially if you KNOW what the scale will tell you. i personally don't use the scale because i KNOW when i'm heavier. you should just trust your gut and efforts and go from there because your efforts will surely continue onto the weekend since you're very determined. a number on the scale is just a number, and it takes into account everything: water, if you haven't gone to the bathroom, food, TOM, etc. feel the success by the tightness of your abs/stomach shrinking and continue to put in your efforts in diet/exercise...remember, the scale may lie but efforts DO NOT lie!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, I think it's great too!!
ReplyDeleteI think the scale sometimes has an adverse effect and it actually puts you down more than encourages you...Marie's post today even points out vanity sizing and how we can't really be attached to numbers...I think you will be empowered by the step away and really enjoy all the NSV's and the just plain feeling good about yourself!!!
I'm glad I found your blog!! I agree, us Canadian girls have to stick together!! (I guess us young, married 20-somethings with new houses have to stick together as well! :) )
Oh that sucks about the gym but at least you made an effort to go! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm actually on the opposite with the scale. I'm thinking I need to buy one and weigh myself a couple times a week so I can hold myself accountable. But. . .I am scared of getting really obssessed with it.
You know, I completely agree with you. Myself I now weigh just once a week, although for a long time, I was weighing everyday and I think it hindered my success. If I pigged out the day before and the scale didn't go up, I would be like sweet! And then what incentive do i have to be good the next day? For alot of people it works, for me, it doesn't, just took some trial and error to realize that.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea. I found myself weighing myself ever single day. It was getting out of control. So I took my scale and hid it under a dresser in my bedroom. I still want to weigh in every week, but I'm only 5 weeks into WW.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! It'll be nice to see how you handle yourself away from the scale. You'll probably start noticing changes each week that you haven't noticed before.
ReplyDeleteJust weigh in for the accountability but don't let it rule you. That's what a lot of us do now. It makes life a lot easier :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Randi, I weigh everyday, but I don't stress over it. I know it flucuates, so I only worry about trends over time. I love to graph my daily weights in Excel. But as long as you have a set time that you plan to weigh again, and don't treat it as a free pass to eat, go for it. But you might also try for a WW meeting early in the week instead of Friday to avoid your weekend free-for-alls.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I think it's great. You are far enough long that you look wonderful and you feel wonderful. Honestly, when I took the scale away I felt so much more free, wasn't obsessed and enjoyed my day and nights that much better. I don't like how I feel after I gain or if I don't lose as much as I want. I think you are doing wonderful and it's a step in the right direction! It should be about how you feel, not what the stupid scale says.
ReplyDeleteI weigh once every 3 months...go for it!
ReplyDeleteI personally like to weigh-in more often, but only for accountability (hey, it's up - must have been the sodium - gotta get more water).
ReplyDeleteBTW - the 150 and 21 pts is because of my age. Us old women get less foody I guess.