Why do I weigh so much?!?

The scale- that dreaded instrument of judgment when all our secret deeds are made known....

Sometimes those numbers!!!!!!

Several years ago, my weight was much higher than I would prefer, as were my dress size and my measurements....sigh. More than once (as in double digits), I began a weight loss quest. I usually did not share this fact with anyone, since failure was my typical result. I mentioned to my husband that I desired to loose a few pounds. He asked what I weighed, and I told him what the scale read. It was here my husband handed me my glasses. Whoops!!!! The number was MARKEDLY higher than my belief. Again, whoops!

I have since reached the vicinity of a weight in which I feel like myself. The number is still not low. The scale is A measuring stick, and not for a grade. (Don’t we all want an A?) Mentally, I have had to make peace with the fact that the number is much greater than the one I FEEL I should be. My measures are... am I healthy? Do I have energy? Do I feel strong enough to complete my day? Do I wake up rested? Can I exercise without hurting myself? Can I push my body and enjoy the strain? Do I feel ok in this skin?

Buuuuuut there are times you may weigh yourself. It’s a tool. It’s good for figuring out how many calories you need. It’s good for knowing if your muscle to fat ratio is decent (muscle weighs more).

So IF it is your measuring tool (and at times, it is acceptable), be aware that MANY factors can influence it.

Let’s go over a few...

You ate “out.” Restaurant food has additives and salt that causes your body to retain water. Water is heavy! Have you ever carried water bottles?

You ate more carbohydrates. If it’s an empty carb (sugary foods), you may overeat to get nutrition. If it’s more calories than you need, it will be stored, with water, in about a 3 g water to one glycogen g ratio.

You need to go to the bathroom. Healthy bowel and bladder function are super important. Having to go can add a few pounds, and I have read, but never experienced, up to 10 pounds.

You had a hard workout. Sometimes, your body gets inflamed if you exercised hard. We have all felt that stiffness the next day and sometimes the next and the next. It can be absolutely normal.

Your ladies' time can cause body weight to rise. Your hormones, water retention, and food cravings can all add weight on that scale.

You put on weight. It happens. Sometimes, seasons of life can make it next to impossible to attend to our weight. There have been times I couldn’t even go to Walmart- and you don’t have to be hygienic, well behaved, or wearing much more than jammies to go there. Time to focus on my weight or health (although, I guess I should have) was impossible and inconceivable. Maybe you had a baby- 9 months up, 9 months down or in my case 19 years down. Maybe you found a taco truck, and it’s really good and convenient.

Whatever the reason, use the number as a guide, but not a sentence. Sometimes, the number will rise, and sometimes, it will fall. It’s not written in stone. It’s just a number. Some people find it a good tool and some do not. I don’t find it a good guide, but if it helps you focus on health, wonderful. Being heathy is the goal, not being skinny or light. You can be “skinny fat,” which means thin, but no muscle. You can be light, but unable to do the work God has for you. You can be heavy and nailing what God has for you. Use the scale as a tool, nothing more, and be kind, even to the person on the scale.