Since my stroke, I have seen multiple doctors, stepped on multiple scales, and noticed something pretty comical (in my warped humor)--NONE of the scales weigh the same. Why is this comical? They are all at the doctors' offices, so shouldn't they be accurate? What I am seeing, is NO!!!
The scale I refer to as Ol' Trusty Rusty is the one I use at home. It is a scale endorsed (or made) by Weight Watchers. I don't know who makes it, but Weight Watchers is written across it, so I am guessing they have some affiliation with Rusty. According to him, I have lost 11 pounds since starting this blog. I am going to go with that for consistency purposes.
Last week I went to the doctor (OBGYN). If I had to guess, I would bet that this scale is the most accurate. Because there are a LOT of hormones that cross that scale each day, and I don't think you want to set one of those women off. Before that appointment, I stepped on Rusty so that I could compare readings. Ironically, I had to ask to get on the scale at the doctor's office. Crazy but true. I guess because this was more of a consultation visit about the medications I can no longer have.
What I saw was that Rusty and the doctor's scale were pretty close. I would say that they are the same, especially when you consider that Rusty sees me naked and pre-breakfast and the doctor's scale sees me with clothing and after breakfast.
Then, yesterday I had another doctor's visit to establish a primary care physician. I again did the same thing. Stepped on Rusty in the a.m., so that I could compare with this other doctor's scale. Same breakfast, similar clothing.
What I saw when I stepped on that doctor's scale was frustrating. I understand a pound or two of difference. But this sucker was more than FIVE pounds different that Rusty. I about freaked. But then, I got to thinking. (Scary, I know.)
As women, we ALL struggle with weight loss and self-esteem. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, or how much you weigh. We all think we can be smarter, thinner, prettier, etc. So in addition to those struggles, we need to make sure that we use a consistent measuring tool. This means that we need to use the same scale as a tool to track our weight loss. Different scales will manipulate our weight and either make us really happy or leave us truly depressed.
We also need to only measure ourselves BY ourselves. There will always be someone who is thinner, prettier, smarter, etc. But that is our OWN perception and is NOT reality. That person who you feel is better in an area may be envious of you in another. It all comes down to how we see ourselves.
So, if your goal is to lose weight, use the same scale to measure yourself each time. If your goal is something else, figure out a way to chart your progress against yourself--whether that is through pictures or another method.
The bottom line is this: Be the best YOU that YOU can be. There is no one else like YOU, so don't measure yourself by someone else!
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