I think that Satan owns scales. Both those in your bathroom and your doctor’s office. There is nothing that can rob a beautiful, God loving Mama from her joy faster than a hop on the scale that shows she has “gasp” gained a pound overnight despite her best efforts.
This time of year we see countless diets, gadgets, television shows and so much more that focus on that one looming number. It’s no wonder that we tie a “magic” number to happiness, success, celebration and arrival, but then when we get there the result isn’t there. We still aren’t happy, we still don’t see ourselves the way God intended and quite frankly, if the scale is our obsession, then often we have sacrificed our health along with our mental well-being to get there AND we are just smaller versions of our old-selves.
The mindset of “when I reach X”then I will be happy just doesn’t work. X can be a lot of things. It can be a job, a title, a house, a car, or a number on a scale. And when we tie our happiness to our circumstances or worse yet, covet a thing (even a number), then X becomes our idol.
Jonah 2:8 Tells us “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love”. Wow, that’s tough.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these stories. “I’m down 2 dress sizes, but I’ve only lost 2 pounds and I’m so discouraged” or “I have been SO GOOD all week and I weighed myself and I gained 5 pounds” or “I don’t want to lift weights because last time I did I gained 5 pounds so I’m going to train for a marathon instead”. Do any of these sound like you? Do you tie a number to your success or your worth? Do you think that this negative self-talk such as this produces positive results? The answer is a big fat NO!
The worst part about the scale? The number doesn’t even mean anything objective. The number you see is your body’s relationship with gravity and nothing more. It doesn’t differentiate for hydration, when you last had a bowel movement, fluctuations in your sodium intake, where you are in your female cycle, how much muscle you have or, most importantly, the condition of your heart.
Guess what? After almost 2 years living the fat-loss lifestyle I actually GAINED about 7 pounds. That’s right- GAINED. And you know what- I was leaner yet curvier! Wow!! It’s true, muscle REALLY weighs more than fat and if your goal is to be healthier and have a tighter and leaner physique, then the scale isn’t going to help you and just might make you crazy.
The medical community is now sometimes measuring BMIs instead of weight. While marginally better due to measuring waist circumference, body weight is STILL 1/2 the equation so we’re not much better off.
Beautiful Mother, I am here to today to plead with you to put down the scale. Throw away that “ideal” number in your head. Do not let 2 Double A batteries and a digital number rob you of your joy any longer. If it’s time to change habits then change them, but not for the sake of a number on the scale.
If that number haunts you and in any way keeps you from going after the life that God has planned for you because you don’t feel “good enough” or ruins your day to the point that your family suffers,then it’s time for a heart check and a trip to the trash can.
At Momsanity we’re ALL FOR monitoring results and encourage you to do so, but please don’t let the scale be involved. Break up with it. For good.
A few suggestions for objective and useful ways to monitor results in order of usefulness:
1. Try on your skinny jeans every 2 weeks
2. Use a soft tape measure and measure your waist, thighs, hips and upper arm once per month
3. Use a Tanita Body Composition Scale at a Doctor’s Office. (The digital home ones are not that reliable nor are those little hand held devices at a lot of gyms)
It’s ok to struggle and it’s ok to have not so great days when you feel like you’re doing your best to be healthier yet it’s not showing outwardly. All changes happen first from within. If your heart is there and your practicing healthy habits then your body will follow. IT WILL! Trust in the process…
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10