So long, good buddy!

Some friends are friends forever. And sometimes, friends part ways. I've decided that, at least for the time being, I need to let go of a friend that has been by my side through thick and think (mostly thick) for as long as I can remember:

Over time I've discovered that the scale can easily become an obsession. I call it a, "scale addiction." You mean to get on it once a week, but you find yourself drawn to it every single day. You think to yourself, "I feel lighter today" only to step on the scale and discover you've gained 3 pounds. Sometimes you find yourself getting on it more than once a day and what you see on the scale can determine how you feel the rest of the day. Lost a pound? "Heck yeah baby!" Gained a pound? "My life is over."

This happened to me recently, when I spent a week eating right and working out every day. I wound up gaining 3 pounds. It didn't depress me like it would have a year ago. But it was aggravating and made me wonder why the heck I ever stepped on that thing.

The funny thing is, the scale doesn't really give you a good idea as to where you are health wise. If you're doing any sort of strength training (as I do), then you're building muscle and therefore the scale is going to reflect that. Muscle weighs more than fat so the numbers on the scale is going to go up, not down. I'm not sure about men, but I do know that as a woman, varying factors will cause my weight to fluctuate constantly.

Besides that, skinny does not equal healthy or in shape. While I celebrate the pounds I've lost and would like to lose a few more, I need to understand that my scale is not going to give me any clear indication of where I am especially if I'm lifting weights.

So, I am putting my scale away. I'm not throwing it out completely...at least not yet. But if I hide it somewhere, I know I'll forget about it and hopefully I will be able to take a step back from being consumed by what the numbers say.