The Scale Is Just a Tool (I'm Not Using for the Next Week)

I didn't blog last week. I faced another zero on the scale. I don't even know how many weeks it's been now. 5? 6? I stopped counting. It feels like a really long time, that's all I know. And it's getting old. I've racked my brain for what I can do differently, what I might be doing wrong, what might be causing this stall (even if it's something I can't control), and all this thinking about it is driving me crazy. The scale is, after all, just a tool. It is a measurement of my weight. It tells me each week whether or not I've dropped a few pounds, and while very useful on this journey it can become a burden when you reach a point like where I am right now. It can bring you down. It can make you sad. Or worse, it can cause you to become obsessed and want to get on it EVERY single day. Which is where I've been for the past week and a half. I've been on it every morning in that time frame, hoping to see it budge just a little. It never does. It's enough to drive one mad. And so, today, I will NOT get on the scale.
You read that right. Today I will not get on the scale. And I won't do it tomorrow either. Or the next day. My happiness in my journey has become too reliant upon it. Which means I've been unhappy a lot lately. Plateau's are going to happen. This one for me is most likely due to the enormous amount of stress I am under. I can't change what is happening in my life right now. I can't make the scale move. All I can do is stick to my points, make good food choices, run, work out, drink lots of water, and let the scale move in its own time. Oh, and not obsess over that number. Just as that number does not define me, whether or not it gets smaller each week should have no bearing on my happiness.

There are other tools to measure my success. How do I feel physically? How are my clothes fitting? How do I feel in my body? Does my body feel strong? Can I do things now that I couldn't do 8 months ago? How is my energy level? Do I look different in pictures? There are all sorts of ways to measure my progress, and this week every time I have the urge to hop on that scale I'm going to think about these things and resist it. I've got to get back to weighing in one day a week and not thinking about it the rest of the week.

Week 30: 271, -0 lb./-65 lb. total
Week 31: 271, -0 lb./-65 lb. total
Week 32: 271, -0 lb./-65 lb. total
Week 33: no weigh-in

Too Many Cookies

Another zero on the scale today. You all may think that's probably got me down, but it doesn't. I've spent the last few days trying to figure out what's going on and where to go from here. I think eating mostly veggies may have played some role in this plateau. I stopped keeping track of points then because it was nearly impossible to eat them all each day. It is possible that I haven't been eating enough a lot of days, and believe it or not, you won't lose weight that way. That likely explains the first few weeks of my not losing. The last two weeks though, are more likely explained by days of eating veggies, followed by days of eating cookies, lol! Yes, it's confession time: I've eaten far too many cookies this week while contemplating this situation. There, I said it. And now it's over and done and I'm moving on.

Where to go from here? While I ultimately do want to adopt a plants-based/whole foods diet, I'm realizing now is not the time. Losing the weight and getting healthy is top priority and I have to do that first. So, it's back on Weight Watchers for this girl. I'm totally cool with that and already well on my way. I'm hoping to report at least a 2 pound loss next week (that would put me out of the 270's), and I'm setting a 10 pound goal for the month of August. I may or may not reach it with all the stress I'm under, but I'm dang sure going to give it everything I've got.

Week 30: 271, -0 lb./-65 lb. total
Week 31: 271, -0 lb./-65 lb. total