When the time comes to step up on a scale, women will either be joyful to discover that they’ve lost weight or disappointed to see that they didn’t. The worst case scenario is to see that you’ve gained weight. In some cases, that haunting number suddenly becomes who they are.
It’s no secret that women have to meet certain standards when it comes to physical appearance. If we don’t meet these standards, it’ll most likely result in diets, excessive exercise, deprivation and misery. Then, we make the mistake of eating our feelings, which result in having a feeling of failure. The key is not to let the number on the scale control you. Your weight is just a number.
I don’t obsessively step on a scale every day to see if I lost a pound. I rarely take that trip to the scale, but when I do, I make a promise to myself that no matter what the number may be, it will not ruin my day. Let’s be honest, at the end of the day, it doesn’t define who we are as women. The last time I was on a scale was in January, and I probably won’t step on another scale until the end of summer. I have a philosophy that I like to follow, which is to go by how I feel and how my clothes fit.
If you listen to your body, it’ll let you know if you’re losing or gaining weight in a number of ways:
- The first way I tell is by the clothing I wear. For a while now, I’ve been trying to shrink a pair of jeans because they are loose on me. The only way I feel comfortable wearing them is if I wear a pair of leggings underneath with a belt. If you’re clothing fits differently, than you’ve probably lost some weight.
- The second way is compliments. A few months ago, I was on a roll where I was working out more than usual; I was obsessed with a particular kickboxing cardio class, which resulted in weight loss. However, I didn’t really notice because I wasn’t paying that much attention to my body. I started getting compliments from people I knew and from strangers. A scale may be able to tell you how much you weigh, but can it compliment you?
- The last and most important factor is the level of energy you have. It’s all about how you feel. The more you get in the habit of living a healthier lifestyle, the less sluggish you’ll feel. You’ll have more energy and people will start to notice.
