The Scale -- You Love It or Hate it (Depends on the day!)

You look at it, lying on the floor. You get completely naked, because you're afraid even your underwear might add a few ounces. You inch closer to it, take a deep breath, and step onto the scale. If it's lower than the last time you weighed, you do a little <naked> happy dance. If it's higher than before, you step off, step up again just to be sure. You walk away frustrated, and try to decide whether to go eat a whole bag of potato chips or go work out for 2 hours.

Most people have a love-hate relationship with their scale. Some people weigh every day, some every once in a while, and some would rather not weigh themselves. Ever. Having a good relationship with the scale is important, but what matters most is how you FEEL. If you feel good about yourself--and your weight--kudos to you. But if you are frustrated with it, here are a few helpful facts.

While seeing the scale go down is fun, it is not always the best indicator of fitness or health. Here's why:

• If you are not big to begin with (normal bmi, for example), it IS possible to simply replace fat with muscle, which would keep the scale from drastically changing. (I have seen this happen)
  
  
• There are 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' ways to lose weight, so if you are dropping pounds like crazy but you have not been eating right or working out, you could have some serious health issues that would need to be addressed.
  
  
• If you are fairly small to begin with (bmi considered 'underweight'), but you are starting to eat right and exercise, you will probably gain a few pounds, because muscle weighs more than fat.

My point is that unless you are in the overweight or obese class, you should not let the scale encourage or discourage you. My weight overall stays around 140 (I am 5'8" with a 'normal' bmi), but I sometimes go as low as 136 and as high as 144, depending on several factors. (stay a little higher in cold months due to decreased activity... I am always outside when the weather is nice!) I am completely comfortable with my weight (no matter what it says), continue my healthy eating every day and exercise most days of the week. I used to always stress about the numbers on the scale, but didn't really see any changes until I shifted my focus toward my health, not my weight... the numbers just followed!

People come in all shapes and sizes, and you need to figure out the size/weight that would make you happiest, and healthiest. Let go of the numbers and focus on your health!