Numbers

I've recently read a rash of posts written by women who are obsessed with the number the scale says.  I will admit, I'm not immune to the power of that number, but there is a whole picture to see.

One woman (I won't link to her post, because I am disgusted by her obsessive behavior), admitted her arms look great, her clothes fit better, she had worked out every day for 2 weeks, counted calories and the scale only budged by 1lb.  The horror.

I do understand the frustration.  This summer, I've been participating in what I like to call, the Summer of Fit.  I've gone to boot camp 2-3 days a week for 8 weeks.  I've participated in a body pump, a weight lifting class 2 days a week. I attempt (and sometimes fail) to keep running and working out a total of 5-6 days a week.  I cut back on a few splurges, eating better, smaller portions- yadda, yadda.

If I had judged my 8 weeks of hard work by the scale alone- I would be devastated.  I've lost 4 pounds in 8 weeks.  However, I have dropped 2-3 dress sizes, flattened my stomach, lost inches everywhere, toned my body and developed strength and endurance.  The scale shows none of that.  But I can see a difference, D$ can see a difference and I'm proud of my 8 week commitment to being FIT (not just thin) this summer.

I will admit I was getting pretty frustrated, because I was relying on the scale alone.  Then last week I went shopping pulled a pair of shorts and pants off the rack in my normal size and they fell off of me.  So I got one size smaller- still too big.  I nervously went one size smaller- perfect fit.  I tried on a skirt in my closet that I haven't worn in 2 years- I wore it Friday.

I know body image and the scale hold a powerful pull over most women.  It's a dangerous road to go down.  Self esteem is hard to come by as it is...to attach our worth and value to a number, well that's just absurd.