It’s that time of year again. January. The start of a new year. The beginning. A time for changes and possibly maybe even some resolutions.This year I haven’t made myself a list or contemplated five hundred things I want to work on I’ve only decided to try. Try to be healthy, try to serve more, try to find joy in the small things, try to say ‘no’ more to things outside my family, try to read my scriptures better, etc. Trying is all we can really ask of ourselves.
Two years ago my New Year’s resolution was to find balance. One of the many things I was trying to balance was my relationship with the scale. Was it my friend or foe? Well it all depended on what it said. If it was a number that I was looking for then I felt awesome, energetic, happy – it was my friend. If it read even 1 pound more than I wanted I was grumpy, mad, depressed – it was my foe. I was in a place where I was so concerned with my weight and what the scale said that I let it run my life and often times ruin it by letting it affect my entire attitude. It got so bad that my husband decided one day to take it away. He hid it. For real. And for a long time. I didn’t know what to do with myself. How could I go without ever knowing what I weighed? I literally thought the world might end or that I’d all of a sudden put on 50 lbs. But you know what? It was so liberating and exactly what I needed!
Here are some important things I learned from my ‘break-up’ with the scale:
1. My self worth is not determined by a number.
No matter what the number on the scale said who I am as a person does not change. I’m still a loving mother, a caring wife, a compassionate friend, a concerned daughter, an active church goer, an avid volunteer, etc. I’m me and who I am does not change just because the number on the scale read 5 pounds more or less than what I had hoped for.
2. I should try to be healthy – just because.
Being healthy is a lifestyle. Living is not an all or nothing game. I learned I should be trying to eat healthy for my body and insides not just to try and see a certain number appear on the scale. I should eat healthy most of the time, exercise when possible, and enjoy treats and going out to eat in moderation. I said enjoy – not dread because the scale might go up a pound or two for a couple of days.
3. I did not need a scale to know my weight.
I learned that I knew already for myself around what my weight was without needing a scale to tell me. I knew if I’d been eating junk that my pants were feeling tighter and I was a little more uncomfortable in my skin. I knew if I was eating good and exercising that my weight was probably just where I wanted it to be.
Where am I now? I’m back on the healthy train. The scale and I are back in a relationship – only this time a healthy one! I don’t weigh myself everyday – why? There’s really no need. Right now I’m in the process of losing 15 of baby weight so I check my weight once a week to mark my progress. Once I’m to where I’d like to be it will go down to once a month – just to keep me in check.
Is the scale a bad thing? No way! It is an effective tool to use when losing weight. It is a gentle reminder of where you are when you are trying to maintain your weight. Just don’t let it get out of control. If it does and the relationship with it is going south – take a break. It will be good for you :)
Kirstylee says
I, too, have been through a bad relationship with the scale. When I got married, I decided that we didn’t need a scale in our home. We haven’t had one ever since we got married and I’ve never missed it. The only time I get weighed is at the doctor’s office. For me, I think it is definitely better to stay away from the scale and just focus on being healthy. Good luck with losing your baby weight!
Heather K Miller says
This post describes me to a T! It was like you stole all my past and present thoughts from my head and wrote them down! I have always had a bad relationship with the scale and I always base my complete self worth on what the scale says. I would find myself so preoccupied with it that I was mean to my family and so distracted. I had to make the decision to stop weighing myself. I only get on every couple of months, but like you, I can guess within a pound or two what I weigh based on how my clothes fit and how I have eaten within the week. It is definitely good to not have the scale an everyday part if my life! Thanks for sharing and helping me to see I am not alone in this battle against the scale!
Jennifer says
Slightly off topic, I would love to know how you went about fulfilling your new years resolution two years ago with finding the balance. I have been advised to find the balance for better health, balancing study, family and health. I find this a difficult task with 4 busy children, full time study and running my family home, any tips on finding the “balance” would be great. My greatest struggle is fitting in exercise, as I have toddlers at home I can’t just get up in the morning and go for a run or to the gym…
simply {kierste} says
This is from Erica:
Jen – Thanks so much for your comment! I think this is the #1 struggle of every mom in the world – and in no way have I figured it out completely yet!
Here are a few things that have helped me…One, I try to get up early. It’s SO hard right now but I find if I can fit my exercise or study in before my kids are awake I am much happier throughout the day knowing that those things are checked off my list. I’ve tried to do it many other ways and this is always what I have found works best. Plus then I’m so tired at night it makes me go to bed earlier. Two, someone recommended to me once to make a list of one thing that mommy needed to do, then one thing for the kids, one thing for mommy to do, then one thing for the kids, and so on. Example – mop the floor, do an abc puzzle, send out emails, read stories, etc. Just go down the list and check them off as you go. That way both my list of to-dos was being balanced with spending time with my children. Neither will be neglected. Three, be planned and organized. I find that if I spend some time thinking things through and planning them out beforehand – I have a much better time of addressing everything that needs attention and not so much time is being wasted. So I plan healthy meals in advance, plan what my workouts are going to be for the week, plan what types of activities I want to do with or teach my kids that week, etc. It helps keep me sane and really only takes a little bit of time one day a week to quickly think about the week ahead and what you want it to look like.
Thanks so much for reading and I hope this helps a little on your search for balance. I think it is and will always be a constant struggle but just trying is a step in the right direction :) Erica
Marsha says
I am a big fan of the app “My Fitness Pal”. I’ve lost 23 lbs. and did it by counting calories. The app keeps track of daily intake of calories and has a huge database to draw from with name brands, restaurants, etc. I decided how much weight I wanted to lose and how quickly, then the app told me how many calories I could eat each day to accomplish the goal — my goal that I set for myself. If I exercise I can have more calories or just keep the same number and figure my weight loss will come sooner. The app is free and is found on the i-phone and i-pad.