Weighing Yourself: The Scale

I love this post. Last year my roommate had a scale and I literally weighed myself every morning and was usually pretty upset every time… it was a problem. Now I don’t have a scale so I only weigh myself when it is convenient… it is still a little but upsetting sometimes but I am definitely making progress. My fiance’ is suggesting that we don’t buy a scale for our house in June and he may be right… he always tells me that it is just a number and that the number doesn’t matter.

Ahh, it’s really nice to read this. I’m 7 months postpartum and I still struggle with my post-baby body. But I’ve definitely come to the conclusion that I LOVE my body now. It’s gone through so much, is capable of so much and a number on a scale or a pair of jeans shouldn’t define my happiness with it. And I agree, looking at my daughter makes it all worth it. There are much more moments of pure joy to enjoy with her than making myself feel bad for having a few extra pounds. I think you look fabulous, rock on mama!

Love this post. :) I think I mentioned this a million times already. Your baby is the cutest baby on earth! :)

We have a scale in our bathroom so every time I take a shower I weigh myself. It fluctuates but now I don’t get all that emotional everytime I step on the scale. It’s just a number as long as I stay active and eat healthy. :)

1. Good for you!
2. I think you are crazy beautiful, inside and out. You come across as truly genuine and that is rare in the world of blogs.
3. I never weigh myself because it is never of any benefit to me. Just thinking of stepping on the scale makes me anxious. I had to go to the doctor several weeks ago and asked her not to tell me my weight. The nurse was kind enough not to say it out loud but I, accidentally, saw her write it down. I was devastated. I was still recovering from an injury that had me out of the running game for nearly 6 months and was 6 lbs heavier than the last time I had been to the doctor (the year before). Writing it out, seems so silly and trivial but those 6 lbs crushed me and still haunt me to this day. Knowing my weight is never a good thing. I’m a shorty and every lb gained is noticeable. Anyway, I LOVE your new attitude about the scale!

I am right with you.
I went through an eating disorder time in my early 20…during college. weighed myself everyday. Then got better….but stopped weighing for the very same reason. Often when you are athletic the number on the scale doesn’t reflect how you look…i have found. So i just chose to be ok with that…and be ok with my size 4.
I haven’t written about this but have shared it ….as I had quite a transformation this summer. I was at a convention for the company i represent. They were challenging everyone to make a commitment to get healthier, lose weight, exercise more etc. so we could really be an example to others. They had curtains in the expo and we were to go weight ourselves behind them, then commit by writing it down…what our goal was. I actually couldn’t do it..I started to get so emotional…as I shared that with some of my friends, they were SO supportive. They said we don’t see you as a person full of fear…we see you as strong….a leader….a wonderful women…..They challenged me to face that fear , which by the way I thought was ALL gone, right then and there. So they walked with me to that curtain and went in with me as I stepped on that scale. It was OK….and what a relief and transformation I felt. its funny how you think that you have completely conquered something, and something triggers it.
I am proud of you and proud of what you have accomplished. I hope we can all continue to share our journey with other girls and women….and help them see that the number on the scale does not reflect what is inside….
thank you for sharing ….and letting me share.

This is beautiful. I want to print it off and tape it to the wall.

I think you have to take the number on the scale with a grain of salt. It can fluctuate quite a bit, even within 24 or 48 hours. A specific weight doesn’t necessarily indicate health.

Great post! I too have struggled in the past with the dreaded scale, but like you I cut cold turkey about 6 years ago. And guess what? I’m the healthiest (and oddly enough) the smallest I’ve ever been! I have a strong passion for all things healthy and natural, but I don’t limit or deprive myself either… All about balance! Love your bloggie, keep up the good work mama!

~ emily
hautehealthy.blogspot.com

Awww look at this big blues! Brooke is so darn cute!

I used to weigh myself a lot, and I would be depressed if I was even a pound or two over where I felt I needed to be. I started not weighing myself about a year ago, and just go on what I feel. It’s been great! I do occasionally step on a scale, but I’m determined to not let the number get to me, just like you mentioned in your post. Thanks for writing this.

Wow Janae, you should really be proud for how different your perspective of the scale is now compared to only two years ago. This will be very important for Brooke as she grows up. Having a mother who was totally comfortable in her own skin (mind you my mum, and who family, does keep fit!) really helped me grow up to be the same. I don’t really weigh myself because I’m indifferent to the number. I try my best to eat healthy and keep fit, and if my clothes fit the same and my self-confidence stays high then that’s all I need!

I used to obsess over the scale especially when I was training for my first half marathon when I gained about 5 pounds. I think it was mainly muscle (at least that is what I told myself). Now I only weight myself a few times a month and don’t stress if the scale goes up or down a few pounds. I figure if I feel good then that’s all that matters!

This is awesome!!! I too have had the scale obsession and come to terms with teh fact that it is healthy and good to see a higher number than I used to. I always think that when I’m 80 I don’t want to have wasted my whole life obsessing over a NUMBER (and no one wants to hug a skinny grandma…) Thanks for writing this :-)

I try not to weigh myself too often and I usually do it once a week or so. Today, I weighed myself and I was one pound OVER the weight that I told myself I would never go over (although I understand weight fluctuations over days) and I was only 2 pounds over my “regular” weight, but I’m sad to say that it made me super sad this morning. It also fueled my workout this morning though, so something positive came out of it. I only let it let me get down for a short period of time, but I can’t even believe I let it get me down, especially because I’m an advocate for positive body image. As I sat on my floor this morning being sad, I was such a huge hypocrite, I’m embarrassed to admit it. But I need to admit it and let it go!

Ahhh, love this post! I used to let the number on the scale dictate how my day went as well….now I turn around when the Dr weighs me too and have no idea what the actual number is. It’s so freeing! btw…even 20 lbs heavier, you look fantastic and thin!

Thank you so much for this post! I love your blog, and your first post on not weighing yourself is actually what brought me to your site months ago. I have been recovering from disordered eating and exercising and was doing a search for inspiration from others who had stopped their obsession with the scale, coincidentally! I think you are so brave to share these struggles, as I was embarassed to share how much the number on the scale really did control so many aspects of my life for so long. It is so liberating to love your body for all the things it can do and the strength you really have, rather than letting numbers define you, whether they are calories or pounds. Thank you so much for sharing and keep up your wonderful writing! Have a blessed day!

When you said 20 lbs heavier than 3 years ago, I thought holy crap she must have been a stick then because you look awesome now! So I went back and looked at some of your very first posts – you were way thin. I think you look better, stronger, and more beautiful now!

GREATTTT post!!!

I used to have issues with the scale too–but it doesn’t phase me anymore. I don’t really ever step on it, because I don’t care what it says. I am fit/strong/healthy and haven’t been this fit ever! So a number should never have to tell me how I FEEL. How I feel matters most!

I recently lost 30 pounds and I did it by weighing myself often – as in everyday. But I gained all the weight because I stopped weighing myself. Now, I weigh myself weekly. But I will admit that the number on the scale affects my mood. Maybe one day I can get to a place where I don’t weigh myself or my weight doesn’t affect my mood but that’s not right now.
I am currently trying to lose a few more pounds and weighing myself once (or twice) a week helps keep me accountable.

I do weigh myself everyday. I feel that it drives my decisions that day as far as what I eat in a GOOD way. It’s a health thing for me and I often find I know my exact weight before I step on the scale. I know myself that well. It works for me. It doesn’t alter my mood (Unless my clothes don’t fit well) but drives me to try and eat healthier which is a life long struggle of mine.

Everyone needs to do what works for them. I’m envious of those that don’t feel the need to do it but I’m a little OCD with numbers!

Brooke’s eyes are seriously the most amazing shade of blue!!

I weigh myself every once in a while when the mood strikes. I feel like it’s good to know how much you weigh in case it dips or goes higher than usual so you can adjust how you’re living. Then again, I also sometimes weigh myself before and after I pee just for a fun science experiment. :)

It always amazes me how your posts just seem to magically fit into my life, but they do! I usually do not weigh myself and haven’t probably for at least a couple of years, but decided to the other day when I saw a scale in my grandparents’ bathroom. I was REALLY unhappy with the number and haven’t been feeling well about it since. The ridiculous thing is though that I am probably the thinnest I have ever been in my life right now and probably the most healthy. SO- needless to say, I NEEDED to read this post! Thank you for reminding me that it is just a number and doesn’t measure your health or how you should feel about your body! :)

Great post! I weight myself about once a week just to make sure I’m where I should be; although, how my pants fit is a better way for me to tell! What a cute picture of Little Miss Blue Eyes! :-)

I’ve also had a very tumultuous relationship with the scale. I also used to weight myself every day and became obsessed with it. Now I try to avoid the scale as much as possible but if I do get on it can have a big impact on my mood. That’s so awesome you were able to weight yourself without letting it affect you and I hope one day I can do that too.

THANK YOU for wanting to be a good example for Brooke that includes a healthy body image. The other day, a friend shared with me this story about how a gal was posting a picture of an 11-year-old girl in order to advertise a diet that involves replacing meals with juicing. The picture caption stated something along the lines of, “If an 11-year-old can do it, so can you!” There are so many issues that frustrated my friend and I: teaching a young girl about her body and self-worth, teaching that same girl (who’s body has a long ways to go in terms of development) that it’s OK to take an easy route to lose weight, and so many other issues that just avoid the RIGHT option, which is a life-long healthy lifestyle and diet.

Thanks for talking about this! I love your blog and admire how active you were throughout pregnancy and now as a mom. I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant with my first, and although Ive been fairly active (but stopped running around week 23), I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for my post-birth body. It’s nice to know there’s such an easy and convenient solution :)

The scale is what caused a lot of my initial issues because I liked seeing the number continuing to go down. I don’t weight myself every day now (Thankfully) but if I do step on the scale it’s to make sure I’m not losing weight. It’s wierd how much a number can effect you. Your pants will fit until you get on the scale and see you’ve gained a pound or two, then suddenly the pants seem a bit too tight in an area. It’s ridiculous. I’m so happy to hear you’ve parted ways with your past. <3 you

This made me cry. I am going through something very similar…recovering from anorexia and 20lbs heavier than I used to be *happy* with. It’s a slow struggle but I am 11 weeks pregnant and I care for my babe far more than I care for my self image. Thank you so much for posting this. You are the BEST blogger ever. Let me know if you’re ever in San Diego and need a hug…I have one loaded up for ya :)

This makes me SO happy. You have no idea. I haven’t weighed myself in 7 months and I’m so much less stressed. I think it’s awesome you have reached that point and I hope that a few years down the road I can feel that way too because it’s really something we should all strive for. I love this post. It’s such a great albeit taboo topic to some degree that needs to be addressed more often. Numbers should not define us or our health.

Yes all of the time! I don’t know why because I should be more concerned with how clothes fit and how fit my body is, and I feel good about both of those things. I like that you are honest about having issues with it in the past! I actually turn around at the doctors office when I get on the scale so that it doesn’t effect me… working on it :)

I weigh myself every day and I need to stop –

Really appreciate your story, Janae! Very inspiring and as always, Brooke is the most adorable baby on the planet.

I weigh myself at least once a week, just to see a number. I’m realizing I’m losing weight from my new job, but its not the best set up for weight-loss because I’m not eating on a regular schedule. I’m worried I’m losing muscle mass (which I don’t want, I’m a runner!) and not extra fat. I used to let a number effect my whole life. Only because my mother suffered (and still suffers) from a form of an eating disorder so I am used to seeing a scale and relaying on it to make me feel good about myself.
Thankfully, its not that way anymore. In fact I just go by how my clothes fit. I think its best to give your daughter the healthiest body images possible and not having a scale in the mix is the best way to do so. You go HGR Mama!

I love this post!
I have to admit I had an unhealthy obsession with weighing myself too. If the number wasn’t where it was the day before, it affected my mood, my day, and how I viewed my body. It was almost like I was punishing myself. My mom and I had a LONG talk about it a few years ago and I stopped. I gave my scale away and have not weighed myself in over 2 years! I love not knowing because I don’t feel pressure to meet a ‘requirement’ and I feel better about myself than I ever have before. I also think I’m a lot healthier now than I ever have been before, especially mentally. My family and my boyfriend tell me that all the time and have been supportive of this whole process.

Oooh Brooke is so cute! That is such a beautiful picture.

I don’t weigh myself either. I don’t know when I stopped. Probably about a year ago when I started training for my first half, and for the first time was on a consistent exercise schedule and was eating right (consistently!). I moved a few months ago, and the scale is one thing I didn’t pack! In fact, I renewed my driver’s license a couple of weeks ago, and I just had to guess what my weight was!

It’s been about two years since I have weighed myself as well. My mom is the one who actually gave me the idea because she hasn’t weighed herself in about 15 years, and she has maintained her weight pretty well. She always told me your weight was just a number and nothing else, and I didn’t really realize how liberating that thought was until after I stopped weighing myself.

My weight does not define me anymore. Allowing a number to make or break me when I have experienced how strong my body is to run a marathon or do “real” push ups, is ridiculous, and can only set me up for failure. I hope that others come to this realization as they read your post.

I freaking love you and that picture of Brooke is absolutely priceless. You truly look better than ever Janae and you are one of the most beautiful people I know inside and out. I can see it in your eyes how happy you are and it really makes me giddy! Happiness is so SO much more than weight, money, or PR’s and you have that all figured out and I love the example you are. :)

Deep in the depths of my eating disorder, I was weighing myself 40-50 times a day at least. Now, I don’t weight myself at all. It took three years to get to this point, but Janae, you were spot on when you said that there is more to life than just that number. I have an infinite number of things to keep me smiling about throughout the day. Knowing that particular number won’t increase or decrease my love of life. To me, the only number that matters these days is how much I’m loving life on a scale of 1 to 10. And that number, I hope, will always be skyhigh!!
Thanks for this post, I think that it’s something that many will need to read. :)

I love this post!

I don’t weigh myself everyday because I don’t own any scales. But if there are any around I can’t help myself!

Sometimes it can really affect how I feel about my body. I know it’s ridiculous because what the scales say really shouldn’t matter if I feel healthy.

I have to weigh myself twice a month as I’m trying to lose weight. It does affect my mood when I see that I’ve gained or haven’t lost especially when I’ve been working hard. I stopped weighing more than twice a month because I saw how it affected my mood.

She is SO CUTE! And it’s great that she is your motivation to set a good example and have a healthy relationship with your body and body image. I’m sure delivering a baby helps you to see your body for what it can DO instead of the force of gravitation exerted upon a body.
I used to be obsessed with numbers and that would be the determinant of my mood (number of calories, number on the scale, number of hours exercised). I’m glad I’m not OCD about numbers anymore!

I absolutely love this post, Janae. I love that you decided to give up weighing yourself, but I think it’s even more awesome that you can go back to knowing what you weigh and not let the number dictate your mood – that’s real freedom right there. In the depths of my ED, I was weighing myself multiple times a day and the number I saw would affect how I acted and how I felt about myself. I gave up weighing myself when I decided to take recovery seriously, and I think that’s a big part of the reason that I was successful. I went years not knowing what I weighed, and I was honestly nervous to jump back on the scale because I had no idea how I would handle a number that I knew would be higher than it was in the past and I didn’t want to fall back into bad habits. But lo and behold, I saw the number and didn’t care. Being away from the scale for that long made me shift my focus to the things that really matter in my life and put a lot less importance on something that essentially didn’t matter. These days I never weigh myself and only step on a scale when I go for a check up… that’s how I like it :)

Cutest baby ever!!!! You came to terms with one of the hardest thing a woman can do. Great example.

Ughh! Thank you for writing this! I used to be OBSESSED with the number on the scale too – pretty unhealthily when I was in high school and college. In the past several years I’ve made the same pact with myself and now I rarely have any idea what my “number” is! It’s so liberating and really, it doesn’t matter. I know I have a strong body that can run far, lift weights and participate in killer Crossfit workouts! I actually had a Dr appt today and of course went through the dreaded ‘weigh in’ and you know what? When she told me the number I just thought ‘hmm, ok I guess that’s nice to know’ but I FEEL great, so that number didn’t even matter to me!

I weigh myself every Thursday.

I got to a point where, similar to you, I was weighing myself daily and it was making me crazy. I finally made myself stop because I was only hurting myself and even now, when I weigh myself and the number has gone up I shrug and say “next week I’ll bring it back down”. I don’t think I can get to the point of not weighing myself at all- it’s a nice thought though.

I gauge my health by the amount of activity I’m doing and how I feel while doing it as well as how my body feels- I have a really crummy reaction to junk food and I’m a veggie addict. So if I’m eating a bunch of crap I feel AWFUL.

I am so guilty of weighing myself (sometimes even twice a day!) and letting it ruin or make my day. I have toyed with the idea of throwing it away and just letting myself go on my measurements or how my clothes fit me but to be honest I’m scared!

This post is perfect timing for me as I just gave up the scale! I love this post!!! Thank you for sharing and thank you for being so real and honest. You’re pretty much my fav ;)

You are awesome! I’m so glad you had that moment!!!

You rock! :)
I’ve started weighing myself recently… because I felt blah and bloated all the time… realized I had put on about 10 lbs… not of muscle… and it kinda freaked me out… I realize that getting back into shape is a slow journey and weighing myself isn’t going to help matters any… but fitting back into my favorite jeans without feeling like i’m gonna bust the seams will be a great feeling :)

Greatp

:D!!! This post made me feel so excited and proud for you! I’m so glad you shared it with us! You’re such a beautiful person, inside and out, Janae!

Beautiful girl and fabulous post! I, too, weighed myself everyday for 2 years. I stopped 8 months ago and have no weighed myself since. I am a super strong, super fit, super athletic chick and as long as I can fit into my size (X) jeans then I am happy.

How often do you weigh yourself?
-I honestly weigh myself every day. Maybe even multiple times a day. The number doesn’t usually bother me. But I’m obsessed with knowing.

Does the scale affect your mood? Has it in the past?
-It used to affect me in the past more than it does now. I’m generally happy with my number.

How do you gauge where you are in terms of your health?
I’m above average, I would say. I’m active, I have a lot of strength and stamina. I eat decently healthy. AND I’m happy!

I do weigh myself every morning. It’s a habit and until I lose the baby weight I will probably continue to do so. It doesn’t get me down though. If the number stays the same I’m not discouraged. It’s more the fact that once I reach my pre pregnancy weight I’m gonna celebrate :)

I love everything about this post. You are such a wonderful example and it’s beautiful to see you living your life with so much joy and love :)

This is such a great post! I am currently in the middle of my weight loss journey (I have lost 29 pounds), so weighing myself is sort off important to me so I know my progress. However, recently I have started weighing myself everyday instead of once a week, and it’s starting to be bad news! When the numbers is higher than I’d like to see, then I can’t stop thinking about it all day and it affects my mood. No good! Thanks for the reminder!

I have the same policy. I typically only weigh myself at the doctor’s office, once or twice a year and I don’t even like to know then. Whenever I’ve started weighing myself on my own I get too focused on the number. I like to judge progress based on how I feel and what shape my body starts taking.

This is so GREAT for you to pass on to Brooke. We need to build our daughters up!

My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and I’m freaking out thinking about the weight I will gain. I’ve never gained weight in my life (besides freshman year of college!)…it freaks me out.

Great post!!! I am so thrilled when women give up the idea that skinny is the goal as opposed to being “fit.” A person can be thin and incredibly unhealthy. I love it when I see “strong is the new skinny” tshirts in the gym. I am my best self when I chase performance (a 5k PR, achieving a weighlifting goal, etc). The scale is irrelevant if I am performing to my best ability and constantly improving.

I have struggled since being a teenager with different types of disordered eating. I always said I wanted to get these issues in order and gone before I had kids because I didn’t want to pass the fears, insecurities and self-hate onto my children (esp daughters I may have). For the most part, I have overcome most of the worst patterns of disordered eating, but still struggle with my thought life. And so after having baby #2 (a daughter) last year, I found myself getting obsessed with losing the baby weight. Sadly I started weighing myself again, something I knew better than to do and hadn’t done in years but I did it nonetheless. So began a renewed obsession with the scale. After several months of an emotional rollercoaster with the scale, I decided to have my husband hold me accountable and ask me when I got back from the gym if I weighed myself. My consequence if I did: no gym time for a whole month! That would be killer for me. And I am so blessed to say I haven’t weighed myself since and have been so much happier and joyful for it! The frustrating thing for me is what a slippery slope ED’s can be. It just takes one or two little moves and I can find myself back in obsessive thoughts and actions in regard to my body, what I eat, etc. So for me, I have to be cautious when I think things like, “Maybe I could weigh myself today.” I am not saying others can’t weigh themselves. I am just saying I can’t. I am trying to be honest with myself about what has been a trigger for me and what can still be a trigger for me.

I needed this today. Thank you.

Congratulations! That is a huge accomplishment and it’s so good to hear you are in such a happy place and that what is important/mood determining has changed. I am sure you will be an AMAZING role model for Brooke.

As someone who has suffered from an eating disorder in the past, this post really hits home with me. I used to live by the scale and if the numbers didn’t continue to go down, I was not happy. I no longer live like that, but I do find myself slipping back into old habits now and then. After I had my first child (she is now 10 weeks old), it was awesome to see the pounds come off daily due the loss of water weight and all that other stuff ;). However, once the numbers stopped dropping I started getting anxious about weight loss and getting my body back. I too use my baby girl as motivation to do what’s best for my body, so that I can hopefully set a good example for her when she grows up.

Thanks for this post, it is great to know that we are not alone.

Great post Janae.
I don’t weigh either…I did go through a period where I would weigh every couple of days and it made me crazy.I finally got so sick of worrying about it-and I *knew* it shouldn’t matter-I finally just stopped.That,and just “letting go” of any restrictive habits I had(that was a little harder:))-honestly I have 2 kids and I want to be a good example for them.I think you are doing great and you look gorgeous!!

Yeah. I love this, and your honesty, and you. For the longest time i was controlled by the scale. I would weigh myself several times a day, before eating, after eating, before/after working out etc. Crazy. I had gotten better about it, but still weighed myself often. And then this last time i moved, i took the batteries out of my scale, and simply never put new ones in. It made me really anxious at times, but after a while, i became okay with not knowing. Then just recently i started weighing myself at the gym, starting off by saying it would be once a week. Which of course flew out the window. This evening i had a great run, and was able to go my longest distance in some time, and felt really good. And then before i left i weighed myself. for no reason. And i was upset by the number, and no longer felt good about my accomplishment. Which is so insane! So thank you for reminding me of that. Perfect timing with your post as always. I’m really proud of you. Thanks for sharing.

I havent weighed myself in months, not because I am at peace with the numbers, but because I am terrified of them! I struggle with stress eating, but have at least kept my weight in enough control to fit into my clothes by training and running. I fear that the number is still higher than it used to be though. Over the summer when I am on break from college I will probably train harder and eat a lot better, and start weighing myself daily again. I like seeing the number when I need to, but I won’t go completely crazy if I take a few months off.

I used to weigh every day, then about once every two weeks. Today I haven’t weighed for over a month.

Have you noticed that your food intake is different now you’ve had Brooke? Or is it the same as pre pregnancy?

This is a great post!

I’ve been feeling a bit down lately with the weight I am (I lost about 10-15kg after my second baby and have since put 3 kilos on. Seriously – it’s 3 kilos!!! That’s nothing but every time I was getting on the scales it was making me feel worse and then I was just eating more biscuits… Ummm…. cycle much??

So thank you for this post – I have been training for a half marathon and running lots more than normal so I’m going to take heed, stop weighing and just keep healthy and fit. I can do it! (when I have a weak moment, I’ll just come back and read this!) You look fantastic btw!!

I don’t weight myself at all. I hadn’t for a year and then January 1st I started again. Be careful because it can suck you back in quick! I threw the scale away once again last month. It’s just better that way.