19th January 2021,
I am, indeed, still afraid of the scales, but nowhere near as much as I used to be. It still seems so silly, but scales and what they say on them have been such a big part of my life. How I felt about them, how I was treated, and on three occasions have had an effect on whether or not I would be able to have medical treatment that I needed. It shouldn't always be that way, but I will continue to cover such topics as medical care in future blogs.
I can't be the only person who is scared of scales and weight. They are such a small part of health and a weight loss journey, but that little read out can have such an effect on how you feel about yourself for the rest of the day, even though how much you weigh can be down to so many different factors. Have you just eaten or had a drink? Have you been to the toilet? What are you wearing? Are you building muscle while losing fat?
I remember talking to someone who had got weighed in front of me at a weight loss club and she had got so upset because she had put on a pound. I said to her “Didn't you just drink a very large bottle of Cola while you were waiting to be weighed?” She hadn't realised that the weight of that fluid was still inside her. She is not the only one. A lot of people don't think about weight going in and out as well as the fat you lose. I took a long time to realise why I weighed heavier at night than I did in the morning. :-)
When I started this last weight loss regime, I had to change my way of thinking. I really did have to know how much I weighed because I had to get down to the weight I had been told to for my hip replacement or a certain B.M.I. which can be worse. I managed to cope while I was getting weighed at the dietician clinic because it was once a month, so it was only once a month I was getting stressed as the appointment drew near.
When the Lockdown happened due to Covid-19, I had to make the decision to once again have a set of scales in the house, but it took me quite a while to adjust to them being there and not become obsessed in weighing myself too much and being scared of what they might say. You can try so hard all week to eat the right things and still find your weight has not gone down.
Nearly a year later now it doesn't bother me nearly as much if my weight fluctuates, which is good, but I still know at the moment I have to stay at the level asked for by the hospital.Our Doctor's scales weighed me so much heavier. There is about 7 lbs difference between the two scales, the doctor's ones weighing me heavier. This could be for many reasons, but they are the official record.
I will always have a concern for my weight, it's been there for most of my life, but I do know that there is more to it all than just weight. Losing weight still comes down to calories in and calories out, spent on living and exercise.
What you eat, getting all the nutrients you need is so important. You could eat your whole daily allowance of chocolate or not eat much at all and still lose weight but your heath would eventually suffer. I have known people, including myself in the past, think that they will cut back, lose weight fast and then when they get there adjust the diet to be healthy. It is not a good way to do it.
With me, at the moment, I can not do a lot of physical exercise, and because of this my daily calorie intake is less than someone who runs a lot or goes to exercise classes or the gym. I have to be so careful to make sure I find a balance between eating the required nutrients and losing weight. I have managed to do that even though at the moment I am very anaemic and we are not sure as to why just yet. The doctors are aware and I am in the process of trying to find out why, which at the moment means very strong iron tablets along with the problems they can cause. :-)
There are many reasons why an individual wants to lose weight, but in the long term what it says on the scales is not more important than health and well being.
Scales are a tool, but should not be the only indicator of importance and definitely should not be feared or used as a weapon to be able to tell you off about your health.
That's all for now,
Love, Jackie xx
P.S. I have started to lose the weight I put on over the Christmas period! :-)
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