Ok so where do I begin…….. let me try to cut a long story short (well as short as possible!)
So from the age of about fourteen I have weighed myself approximately three times every week (minimum), more often than not on a daily basis. My weight in that time has fluctuated from 9 stone to 12-13stone, this isn’t including my weight when I was pregnant with my girls. I sort of went off the scales then (literally!) but I was busy growing my babies, so nothing else mattered! I am sure I am not alone in saying that I have had a very unhealthy relationship with weighing scales, they can determine my whole mood, diet, energy and plans for the day ahead in a heartbeat – yes they really have that power over me or should I say they HAD that power over me!
When I gave up alcohol, I knew that I could potentially turn to food and that could be my new addiction, food could fill the gap alcohol had left behind. This is why I had to consciously focus on exercise and trying to get in my best possible shape, so that if I was indulging in treat foods at least I was burning some of them off too. In a previous post I explain how exercise is possibly my new addiction but at least its a healthy one. Exercise – A Healthy Addiction!
It’s only recently that I have had to try to get out of the really bad habit of weighing myself regularly, and I have got to be honest I have struggled. My main issue has been my weight gain from lifting heavier weights, and even though my clothes size has gone down I just feel frustrated because the number on the scale has gone up. It’s crazy I know but I am sure that I’m not the only one who feels like this?
So the said scales are currently locked away in the shed and I am trying to stay body positive, which some days is harder than others. I am just trying to focus on how I feel – I am lifting heavier weights than I have ever done, I have more energy, I am eating good, healthy, regular meals and snacks with not so healthy treats occasionally too. A healthy, balanced, realisitc diet. A tiny little square that I step on every morning cannot measure how I feel, and although it’s work in progress I definitely feel like I am getting there.
Earlier this week I was chatting with a friend at the gym and she was telling me that she doesn’t weigh herself and instead uses a pair of jeans as a guide! It felt like a light bulb moment for me, and I promised myself to do exactly the same. It feels so liberating and scary! It’s crazy how I could put own the wine glass pretty easily yet struggle with my battle with the scales. I suppose somethings are easier to give up than others.
An article from The Insider (March 2018) gives 5 reasons why you should stop weighing yourself NOW!
- It can distract from body cues – the number becomes so important that you ignore important body signals such as exhaustion and stress.
- It can create mental obstacles – for example it can determine your mood and diet for the rest of the day even effecting your social life in some cases.
- It can go hand in hand with or encourage eating disorders as the number on the scale becomes priority over everything else.
- Standard scales don’t indicate your body composition, so they can’t tell you the distribution of fat and lean mass on your body. This is why someone with a lot of muscle can look slimmer than someone with a higher fat composition, even if they both weigh the same amount. If you only focus on the number, you could be stopping yourself from building muscle that will ultimately make you appear leaner.
- And finally, the number on the scale is a poor indicator of your overall health!
So now my focus is watching the weights I’m lifting going up instead of obsessing about the number on the scale going down. Who’s with me?? After all how can we measure our awesomeness on a set of scales! I am stronger now than I have ever been and although my scales have been saying I am around 10lbs up from what I was at the beginning of the year, I am also fitting into a size 8 pair of jeans (that has NEVER happened) – I just need to get my head around it, and I am…….. slowly…..its work in progress!
I apologise that this post isn’t really about quitting the booze. However it is something I have wanted to discuss, and I feel I have taken ownership of it now that I have shared it with you all. And if its helps someone else in the process then that’s even better!
To anyone who is Going Sober for October, you are nearly a week into it and that’s amazing! Make sure you have lots of alcohol free drinks stocked in the fridge (and chocolate!) and that you spend the weekend nurturing yourself and taking time to chill – you are SMASHING it!
I will finish with a quote I saw recently (unknown):-
Your best weight is whatever weight you reach, when you’re living the healthiest life you actually enjoy living!
Well, I will raise a Becks Blue to that!
For further tips and sober support please follow me on Instagram @liftingweightsnotwine
I hope you have a happy, healthy weekend.
Angie xx
Find Your Sober Glow! 