Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Giving Up the Scale and the "Goal"

From the start of this journey in early March, my goal has been to lose at least 75 lbs by the end of the year. I seem to go through long stretches of playing with a couple of pounds at a time and it's seemed as though it might not be possible. Over the last few days, I've managed to gain 5 lbs. Nothing has changed. I'm still tracking what I eat, working out hard, but somehow these five pounds have mysteriously made an appearance.

While I know it's possible to lose the 14 pounds I need to by the end of the year, I question the plausibility of it.  Six and a half weeks isn't much time, and with both Thanksgiving and Christmas looming, along with all the fabulousness of food during the next several weeks, I'm a bit terrified of what I'm in for to make it to "the goal." While I can control our meals on the particular holidays, it doesn't seem to stop others from stopping by with sweet treats or other holiday time goodies. Beyond others, I always feel the obligation to make my own sweets, and although I generally don't eat what I bake, who knows what might overcome me in a moment of weakness? I've tried to remind myself that it's all part of integrating better habits into daily life, but the other side of me wonders if the holiday season will be my downfall. I can't help but continue to wait for the day when I finally decide to give up.

As I've been pondering all of this over the last week or so, I've also decided that I cannot deal with the stresses of a scale right now. I find myself weighing multiple times in a day, trying to notice trends and while I only "count" my morning weigh in, this process is messing with my head. So, this morning I asked one of my kickboxing instructors to take the scale away - for at least a month. This time of year is incredibly taxing on me (emotionally) as it is for many others, and I just don't need the added stress of figuring out why I gained a pound on such and such day and then lost on another. I'm hoping that not having the stress of the scale to contend with will put me more at ease and focus me on what really matters - what is going into and out of my body.

4 comments:

  1. Oh! Here you are. :) I kept checking your bike blog and didn't see the updated posts over here.

    I think you're doing the right thing by hiding the scale. It sounds like you've got a firm grasp on input and output and, at this point, that seems like a much healthier aspect to focus on. Please do take it at least a little bit easier on yourself, though, and don't beat yourself up if the holidays are difficult. A little back-sliding (and I hate to use that term because it sounds judgmental) is going to happen occasionally. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and please don't let "best" be the enemy of "good".

    You've come so far on this journey and deserve virtual -- and real life -- snaps in how you've changed your brain.

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    1. I know... I've been so bad about blogging - everywhere, really. I'll get it together soon. :O)

      Thank you for your pep talk. I think this will be beneficial (or at least I hope), and I think it's a good time of year to just kind of let it be and not stress so much about the whole process.

      Hope you're doing well! :O)

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    2. Oh, I'm hardly one to chastise not posting. I was looking in the wrong place... :) Anything that alleviates a little bit of stress during this busy time of year is a great idea.

      I'm doing pretty good, thanks. Bumming about my hotel room here in the Dallas 'burbs because this is the first night that my fellow out-of-town coworkers and I haven't been out until nearly midnight (thank goodness). Looking forward to flying back home tomorrow.

      Have a great weekend!

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    3. I hope you have (had) a safe flight home and were able to maintain your sanity. Sounds like an interesting trip. :O) Have a great weekend and upcoming holiday.

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