dear scale

Dear Scale,

You decieve. You trick. You are bad with ratios. You make others feel bad. It’s not me, it’s 100% you. I’m breaking up with you.

sincerely,

Emily

I used to check the number on the scale religiously first thing when I woke up–everyday, for years, but not anymore. Today, I stepped on the scale for the first time in two months. Not because I was afraid I had gained weight, or even lost weight for that matter (even though I was pretty confident I was looking leaner). No, I stepped on the scale because today at crossfit, the WOD (workout of the day) was “Linda” aka the 3 bars of death. This is an all barbell workout with the weight based off of your body weight. Since I hadn’t been on a scale in a while, and curious if I could master Rx (prescribed weight), I stepped on that slim piece of metal collected dust on my bathroom floor.

It’s amazing how that number instantly changed my mood and lowered my confidence in an instant. I did eat breakfast and chugged water before hand, but still, did I really gain weight??

Nasty, panicked thoughts began flooding into my head like they used to every morning, but this today, I was able to stop them with a will power I had never experienced before. All this week I was feeling on top of the world because I looked leaner, a pair of shorts fit me better, and I was feeling stronger everyday in crossfit (despite a string of injuries). A number that used to haunt my mornings was just that, a mere number. Today, I made peace with the truth. The truth that I had gained weight–weight on the barbell. I was heavier because I gained muscle. I got stronger-something my Wal-Mart scale can’t tell me.

I am not going to let a number on a scale define me (the number I can squat however… ;) ) Anyways, I am back to my newly confident self that I grew into this year and it feel better than ever. I challenge you this: step off the scale for a couple weeks. Gauge your progress by the kilos/pounds you can lift and press and squat. Try on that old pair of jeans. If you feel happy with yourself, then be happy–regardless of what that thing on your bathroom floor tells you. It’s time to break up with your scale.