Numbers Everwhere

Thursday, August 6, 2009 by Dea.

There are days I feel bound to the scale.  A compulsion to step on and off repeatedly, and throughout the day, controls me.  Every blip, every fluctuation, is a reason to think, to do math, and to obsess.  I seem to do calculus to figure out what every item I’ve ingested weighs.  Water is a favorite, since 1 oz. of water in volume weighs 1 oz.  There I stand, thinking, “Well, I drank that big glass of water, so I can subtract three-quarters of a pound, since the glass is bigger than 8 oz.”

Why the urge to know what I weigh at any given moment in the day?  I can’t figure it out.  Does anyone else find themselves doing this?  All I know is that it is causing me to stress about the end result and stop focusing on the journey.

For the next week, I’m going to stay off the scale.  I once read that weight fluctuates every day as a result of daily diet and salt intake, how much exercise you got, and even the pull of the moon.  Maybe that last one is reaching, but it could be a valid point.  I’m going to put the scale away for a week.  I’m only going to weigh in at the same time of the day on the same day of the week.

I think the less I obsess, the less I’ll focus on the weight and the more I’ll focus on the way I feel.  After all, this isn’t just about the numbers.  It’s about how healthy I can become.

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