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~The "idiot box"~ So, Just what is that scale weighing, anyway?~
Last week when I was up .4 lbs. I really had to remind myself of the old saying, "muscle weighs more than fat", in addition to remembering that after 40, a slew of things will cause water retention. I've mentioned before in my first journal entry that the last time I lost a big amount of weight, I never used the scale. Since, I have a history of eating disorders such as Bulimia & what they call "anxiety induced anorexia", it became really essential at the time NOT to use a scale. We all know how obsessed we can get with that number, until we start to think WE ARE that number, which is an "un-truth". We are not the number on the scale anymore than we are the culmination of our "big toe". Being skinny does not necessarily mean one is healthy anymore than being big implies you're unhealthy. Every "body" is different and will always come with its own set of challenges for us to overcome, work through, or learn to accept.
Back in my 30's when I lost big, I had to constantly remind myself no matter how much I lost, I was never going to look like the women in those fashion magazines. I just simply wasn't built or born that way. I will always have some rolls, tubby cellulite, and stretch marks that have been there since I was a pre-teen. My waste is high, my torso short, and I'm not tall, so there ya go! Now, in my forties, it's a whole other slew of "mid-life" challenges to work through like rheumatic arthritis, spinal stenosis, and hormonal fluctuations that come with peri-menopause and impact one's metabolism.
So, why do I weigh myself, now? Well, I am a practicing Buddhist and as a person that attempts to walk "the middle path", we strive to be mindful of those things we avoid or have aversions to. To avoid a scale can be putting just as much significance on the number as obsessively using it. I like how one article I read viewed the scale. They encouraged us "weight managers" to view it as data collection. I really liked that perspective, because in essence that is exactly what it is, and it helped me immediately to hop on another branch and take a different point of view.
Many of us know this already, but I'm going to re-iterate it. Muscle weighs more than fat. If one is working out fairly consistently and with moderate to heavy intensity, a male can gain .5 lbs of muscle a week, and a women on average will gain .25 lbs/week. The scale DOES NOT measure or register inches lost, but ones clothes most certainly can! And, lastly THE SCALE IS NOT JUST MEASURING YOUR FAT.
Let me repeat that...
THE SCALE IS NOT JUST MEASURING YOUR FAT. YOU ARE NOT THE TOTAL SUM OF FAT IN YOUR BODY!
Did you know on average the human head can weigh up to 11 lbs?
Did you know that our lungs and intestines (both big and small combined) can weigh up to 12.5 lbs and that doesn't even include all the other organs like kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen?
And, lets not forget the weight of blood volume (which can fluctuate) and the ever dreaded WATER WEIGHT!!
And, I hate to break it to youngin's out there still menstruating, but when you start menopause, water weight gain does not go away. In fact, your body will all of a sudden find a million reasons to retain water a full 30 days of the month instead of just 7. In fact, let me put forth the list of all the things that can make a person retain water, regardless of age or gender or menstrual cycles:
1. High sodium
2. Alergy medicine
3. Allergies
4. Joint paint or arthritis
5. NSAIDS (i.e. ibuprofin, and naproxin)
6. High blood pressure
7. Alcohol consumption
8. Colds/flus
9. Decongestants
And, that's just to name a few...
All of this is to say the number on the scale is indicating and weighing a LOT of factors, not just the amount of fat or even muscle on our bodies. To treat that number as a sole indication of the fat we have is like looking at the "big toe" on our feet and saying, "I am my big toe". No, our big toe is a part of our foot, just like our foot is a part of our leg, and so and so on...
I'm not saying the scale cannot be used as indicator that one is losing weight and shrinking fat cells, but that number is indicative of a lot of things happening in a persons body at any given moment and it's important to keep that in perspective.
What, does that perspective look like to me?
Well, the scale revealed I'm about 1.6 lbs lighter than last week. So, I've definitely released some weight, although I'm not sure if that is fat or water. What I do know is I still have a ways to go before my "tight pants" feel loose and my mother has noticed I've lost inches and my muscles feel less weak than they were before I began working out. In short, I'm making progress enough to be noticed, but still have a ways to go before I meet some of my goals towards embodying a healthy lifestyle. And, that's okay...the wonderful part of all of this has been finding this site and sharing this journey with so many inspiring, wonderful, and courageous souls.
And, that my FS buddies is simply something beyond what a scale can measure or weigh. Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!
Diet Calendar Entries for 26 March 2017:
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1544 kcal
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Fat: 49.57g | Prot: 79.87g | Carb: 105.87g.
Breakfast: O'Brien Potatoes, Coffee with Cream and Sugar, Scrambled Egg (Whole, Cooked), Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Cooked Mushrooms (Fat Added in Cooking), Mezzetta Super Colossal Spanish Queen Pimiento Stuffed Green Olives. Lunch: Almond Milk, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey - Double Rich Chocolate. Dinner: Cooked Broccoli (Fat Added in Cooking), Cherry Tomatoes, Radish, Mixed Salad Greens, Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Salad Dressing, Cucumber (Peeled), Chicken Breast. Snacks/Other: Red Table Wine. more...
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2720 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Weight Training (moderate) - 20 minutes, Bicycle - 30 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 10 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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