Scale Obsession

I've talked about this subject before, but it's a subject that I feel needs to be touched on more than others. 

This little guy can be your worst enemy if you let it. Yes, it's good to weigh yourself every once in a while to see the progress you're making in you health goals, but this is the number one thing that ruins people. 

I've been down the road taking drastic measures to get that stupid little needle even just the slightest bit down on the scale, and it's not healthy. Obsessing over your weight is NOT HEALTHY. Weigh yourself NO MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK. I suggest every other week, but if you decide to do it once a week, do it, then put the scale away until 7 days have gone by. Put it out of your sight. You don't need it.

I tend to see this more in women than men, and it's because we put this unbelievable amount of pressure on ourselves to be a certain weight and body shape. Guess what people? EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT! Which means that my body is going to look different from your body, and your body is going to look different than your best friends body. It's just the way we were made and we should celebrate the fact that we aren't all robots that came off the assembly line. 

You are NOT broken. You are NOT wrong. 

This is difficult to accept. We (especially women) need to remember that our body weight fluctuates 2-5 pounds a day depending on water weight, hormones, etc. THAT'S NORMAL. If you are weighing yourself every day, or more than once  day you are treading very deep waters. This leads to obsession, which leads to drastic measures to make sure that scale says what we want it to say. Now, I don't just mean eating disorders. There is such a thing as over exercising as well. Your body needs to have a rest day so it can recover from the stress you put on it daily, ESPECIALLY if you are working out heavily.

REST DAYS ARE GOOD. 

Some people see rest days as weak, and unnecessary. NOT TRUE. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a rest day AT LEAST once a week! (Don't believe me? Research it) 

Another thing to remember is that your body needs nutrients to function. You need to be eating good sized meals each day, especially after a hard workout. Now, when I say 'good sized meals' I don't mean a burger with a large fry and drink. I mean, you need to be eating an entire plateful of veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats. All of these things help your body function the way it's supposed to and help speed up your metabolism along with exercise! 

I cannot stress enough how much easier it is to lose and MAINTAIN your weight when you are eating clean, and working out consistently.

I emphasize this  a lot when people come to me when they think they've hit a plateau. They're eating right and working out but nothing is really changing. It's important to remember that your body adapts to the force you put on it. If you keep doing the same workouts over and over, your body is going to learn how to do those exercises as efficiently as possible, which means you expend less energy, which means you plateau. DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED IF YOU ARE AT A PLATEAU! If you are, like I said, working out consistently and eating right, you shouldn't stress so much. Sometimes, it's your body chemistry that won't let you get the results you're looking for because, guess what? You're not the super model in the magazine, and guess what else? THAT'S OK. 

Why do you think I named my blog HEALTHY IS THE NEW SKINNY? Because I believe that statement with all my heart. 

STOP obsessing about your weight. Muscle weighs more than fat anyway!! Focus on how you feel after your workouts, and after you eat a good healthy meal. Pretty soon, your clothes will feel a little big, and you'll have to tighten your belt a notch or two. 

When you're not obsessing about that .2 lbs that you gained since 9 am this morning, and focusing on being active and clean eating, the fat will naturally melt away. 

What I'm trying to say with all of this is that we are all human. We are going to have bad days where we miss a workout, or maybe we eat that extra slice of cake just because. That's ok! The important thing is to not get discouraged. 

Eat the damn piece of cake, and move on.

Tomorrow is a new day, and only you can decide how that day is going to go.