Leslie at "The Weighting Game" has an amazing post today about giving up the scale. I was going to bore everyone over there with a post about my own experiences with and without the scale , but I decided to post it here, so that folks can read it voluntarily.
A little over a year ago, when I started Intuitive Eating, I gave up the scale. A few years ago, I was one of those people who weighed every day, and determined my self-worth by that number. Or the number on the tape measure. Or on the body fat analyzer on my pedometer, which claimed I was "severely obese." Which I wasn't. And...it was a PEDOMETER!
So giving up on weighing myself was an interesting proposition. What would change? Would I freak? Would I end up gaining massive amounts of weight? Would I LOSE massive amounts of weight?
As it turns out, none of the above. Like Leslie, I found it surprisingly easy to ignore the scale. I didn't even have to move it out of the bathroom! It just sat there, collecting dust, until i got sick of the dust and finally moved the scale. I did keep it, but it's now used to weigh luggage if we're traveling by plane. Actually, it's buried under all the other crap in my closet. Tee-hee!
I'm going to turn 39 next month, and,unlike Leslie, I have some tummy rolls. I've been experimenting lately (OK, for a week, so far!) with vegan and raw food. When I stopped and asked myself WHY I'm doing this, the honest answer was surprising; my main reason is NOT weight loss! Truly! I'm quite shocked by this as, up until recently, I was one of those people who would do almost anything to lose weight! Even when I didn't have any TO lose. And it's not all-or-nothing. I'm INCORPORATING these foods into my life, not RESTRICTING myself to them. Another part of it is that I've been in a food rut lately, and this will help get me out of it. But the main reason is that IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. That's it! It's so simple! I'm sleeping better, I have more energy, and I feel good. And if I want some sushi, or chicken, or whatever, I have some. No big deal.
A few weeks ago, I caved and stepped on the scale at the gym. I'd been feeling REALLY great, and happy and confident. I'd also put on a couple of pounds. At first I was upset, but i decided it wasn't going to get me down. And, a couple days later, my pants were looser again. Weight fluctuates. It happens. I'll get over it.
Yes, there are times, many times, when I look at my stomach in the mirror and catch myself sighing. But I don't hate my body anymore. How could I hate something that grew two wonderful children, and nourished them for the first years of their lives, and allows me to run and jump and play and wrap my arms around those kids, and my husband, and the dog, and has given me my new livelihood?
I do not hate my body. I do not hate anyone else's body, whether they are skinny,buff or fat. Or anywhere in-between. I refuse to hate someone based on their appearance. (I'll get to know them before I decide to hate them, lol!) I will no longer judge a person based on what their body looks like. I have been on the receiving end of that for too long, and it is a trap. It is useless, and it is false. I have also been guilty of perpetuating it, and it sucks. I promise not to hate you because you're beautiful. And you are. Every inch of you, inside and out.
You. Are. Beautiful.
(BTW, that song, by James Blunt, is my daughter's favorite. She believes it about herself, and I pray she ALWAYS does!)
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5 comments:
Great post Alyssa! It sounds like you've really come a long way. Good for you for making the jump to sanity. It was really interesting to read about your history. I love James Blunt:)
Wow - a thoughtful, self-loving post in response to my post?! yay! You, my dear, are a Hotty McHotalot, just like you proclaimed me :-) I think the crux of your lesson is here:
"A few weeks ago, I caved and stepped on the scale at the gym. I'd been feeling REALLY great, and happy and confident. I'd also put on a couple of pounds. At first I was upset, but i decided it wasn't going to get me down. And, a couple days later, my pants were looser again. Weight fluctuates."
Being able to appreciate that, I believe, is a HUGE step towards ultimate acceptance and appreciation for our bods. Thanks for sharing your experience, too.
xxo
leslie
PS anytime a pedometer tries to tell you something OTHER than how far you've walked, tell it to shut the hell up.
I love James Blunt, too!
And thank you for the lovely comment!
That's funny about keeping the scale for weighing luggage :)
Congrats on adding more Raw and Vegan to your life. Conscious eating is the way to go in my book.
Cheers!
Kristen
Awesome post!
I really think you have an incredibly healthy attitude towards weight and body image and doing best for your body. So often, people who fixate on the scale end up prioritizing all the wrong things as far as nutrition and fitness goes.
I only get weighed now when I go to the ob/gyn's office, wearing all my clothes and shoes, so the number is pretty meaningless. There was a time when it would drive me nuts to be weighed with all that on, but now I honestly don't care what the number is.
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