The Number on the Scale is After All Just a Number

Everyone says the number on the scale doesn't matter. If you've been reading a while, you know I've struggled with this. Yes, the scale has gone down 65 pounds. No, I'm not done. No it's not coming off fast enough. With about 40 more pounds to go, I have once again hit a plateau. In December my scales broke. I'm trying very hard to not replace them. My trainer reminded me there is a scale at the gym for my use and I don't need them here. Since we've returned to work from winter break, I've had many people compliment on how much thinner I'm looking. I've said thank you while the dialogue in my head goes something like this, "Shoo...I can't look slimmer because the scale isn't going down. Glad I'm faking people out." The rational part of me realizes this is ridiculous. I've been working out hard. My clothes continue to get looser. The other part of me is tied to the number on the scale. I've had this pair of khakis that have been too big for a while. I put them on this week and questioned whether or not to even wear them to work. I was in a khaki mood. They were big. They were comfy. Or not. After I got to work, I realized they were so big that I had to hold them up. Thank God I didn't have to run and chase a student that day. I don't think I could have kept them up. Several people made comments on that day about how necessary it was to retire those pants. I share the khaki story in prep for what happened last night. I am too cheap to go and pay full price for pants that are going to be too big in a few weeks (hopefully). Last night I left work and stopped at a thrift shop several co workers go to. One co worker happened to be there. I found a pair of khakis in my current size. While we were looking at other pants in hopes of finding a great bargain, Stacey asked me what size I was in. I told her and she promptly found a pair of pants one size smaller than what I had said. She said, you can wear these. I argued. No I can't. I'm not there yet. Yep. Bunchy ended up eating a mouthful of crow. They fit. Really nicely I might add. I wouldn't say I'm solidly in that smaller size yet, but I'm closing in on it. That's ten pant sizes since the journey began. TEN!!! I guess the point of this blog is to add evidence to the argument against basing success on the number on the scale. The scale has no idea that I can lift more than ever before, my cardio endurance is triple of when I started, and all of the other successes I am enjoying because of my hard work. The scale is after all just a number. With that being said, my trainer has devised a "diet" plan for me to get rid of some fat. We are hoping it will come off pretty quickly. It's called carb cycling. Three days a week I will only have a carb with breakfast. The other four days I have a carb with breakfast and another before 3:00. The plan starts in the morning. Veges don't count as carbs. I throw this in because I know there are some extreme plans where one can't have veges. I'll keep you posted on how this goes.