Are you unhappily married to your scale? Do the two of you have irreconcilable differences? Many are stuck in such unhappy marriages and see no way out. The scale may not lie, but it is only one gauge of one's overall picture of health. We might want to always change what we see on the scale, but what really needs to change, is our relationship with the scale.
Many men and women have long, dysfunctional histories with scales. When they see what they want, the relationship is good, and when it reflects otherwise, the relationship is failing. Worse, many attribute major life successes and spikes of happiness in accordance with being a particular scale weight. Truth be told, spikes in happiness have very little to do with how much one sees on a scale and more to do with other factors going well in one's life. This may be hard to admit, but it is true. Are you aware that skinny people also suffer from unhappiness? Yes, it is true!
Pounds are pounds, and are sort of a generic, blanket metric. Pounds shown on a scale do not just tell us "how fat we are", they reflect much more. Pounds also include skeletal and lean muscle mass, as well as water weight. If you are a large frame person, or operate at the high-end of athleticism and are more muscular, then you will weigh more than the average joe. If unable to quantify what exists within the pounds, then we should not be pinning life's worth and happiness to them either.
If you weigh yourself every day, multiple times per day, or use the scale as a means to flog yourself regularly as a failure, then you are in an abusive scale relationship. Forget about what your grandmother and mother have said to you in the past about "just needing to lose a few pounds". Consider that with some basic resistance training, a loss of inches could be even more satisfying than being a certain scale weight. Looking better in clothes, wearing a smaller size or having more muscle definition can be every bit as rewarding as that ever elusive scale weight.
Exercisers, whether achieving weight loss or not, still stand to lower their cholesterol (specifically triglycerides), blood pressure, and increase lean muscle. They will strengthen bones, joints and connective tissues. They will also enjoy improved cardiovascular health, increased endurance, mobility and balance. These are all important measurables that are not reflected in the pounds we are obsessing over on our scales. So, is it time you filed for divorce?
