Beyond the Scale


Your weight on a scale can be a measure of progress, but as we go into 2017, I challenge you to find and set goals beyond the scale.

A few weeks back, I wrote on the dieters mentality, and I think often numbers on a scale is dieter mentality.

Think about why you want to drop a few pounds. To help control blood pressure or cholesterol, be a better candidate for knee replacement, feel better about yourself, or have energy to play with your (grand)kids? All of those are more health related than a dieter’s weight on a scale. And all of those are possible without seeing the scale change.

When people tell me they want to lose weight, I always have 2 questions: Why? and What action steps will you take? Your why will often dictate your action steps, as well as the urgency behind it. If your goal is to lose weight because you “should”, I can almost guarantee you won’t be successful long term. So dig deep and get real with yourself.

To do you have a goal? You need to make a plan! And you need to take some action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn changes you can make to be healthier. If those habits don’t also result in the scale budging, then let’s look at other causes and solutions. Maybe you have an intolerance to an otherwise healthy food. For example, garlic is not advised when having an IBS flare up, and raw cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli) may be counter productive for hypothyroidism.  When I went on an elimination diet, I discovered eggs are bothersome to my digestive system. But these foods all seem to be healthy, whole, real foods! How do you keep from getting overwhelmed with all the contraindicating information? You make some changes, monitor your progress, and then tweak based on your results. Energy level, sleep quality, ability to focus, way your clothes fit, and chronic pain levels are all measures of how you are doing.

If you try and learn all the information and never implement anything, you will go crazy and won’t see any results. Before I found out that eggs weren’t the best for my belly, I ate 3 every morning, for probably 3 years. There is a quote about how we don’t even realize how good our body was designed to feel, and it is so true. I have to say though, that if I would of done the elimination diet earlier, I may not have been ready to listen to what my body was telling me. Eggs are healthy, eggs are easy, eggs are relatively cheap; therefore, I ate eggs. I needed to get far enough along in my journey to tune into the pain in my belly when I ate eggs.

Are you in search of a goal weight or a lifestyle? Life is supposed to be about the journey, not the finish line.

 

 

 

 

 

I often talk about the weight loss journey. It is important to point out that this is a journey, not a destination. I did not wake up at my “goal weight” and find myself smooth sailing. I still had trigger foods to avoid, I still had inner battles with waking up and getting a work out in, and I still needed to address the mental health aspect of it all. I did not become healthy when I reached my goal weight. I became healthy when I started making healthy choices. You can’t continue to live the way you have been living and get to healthy when you reach a certain weight. Much more of your whole life needs to change, so that you are set up for success when it comes to making the healthy choice. Sometimes this is really hard. You can’t keep going to the movies with a friend if it always ends with you buying a large popcorn, large soda, and a package of candy. Maybe the answer is you and your friend need to pick a different activity, or maybe you can tell your friend you are avoiding the junk and rewarding yourself with a mani with your saved money, or maybe (ugh) the answer is that you need to stop hanging with that friend as often. When you start to make healthy choices, you force those around you to look at themselves and see their shortcomings. I know that you really don’t care is Sally still orders a large diet coke, but you need to set yourself up for success. Sometimes, your friends will start to catch on and everything is great. You may even have friends totally supportive of your journey, even if they change nothing about themselves.

What changes have you made this year? What has worked and what hasn’t?

For myself, I have really dug deep into the Miracle Morning community. I was doing good, but now i have a couple of great accountability partners to check in with, and they push me and challenge me to utilize even more of the SAVERS. I have made exercise first thing in the morning a reality, and at first I had to suffer thru some injuries before my eyes were opened. I sought out a wonderful, movement based, physical therapist, and she helped me get my body more efficiently working. I keep up with my exercises, and my body is able to keep up the work out regimen.

How will you set your goals and what actions will you take in 2017?

It is time to create a new you for the new year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have written some brain dump ideas, done some meditation/reflection/prayer, and I am really trying to hone in on what is truly important for me to work on. And from there, I will develop my plan of action. I will share more of my process in the coming weeks!