Why I Don’t Own A Bathroom Scale

I’ll be 44 in a few months and I’ve never owned a bathroom scale. I guess I’ve never seen the point. We have so many numbers in our lives, so many numbers and passwords to remember. Yet some people fixate on these tiny daily fluctuations of the scale and then adjust their self confidence for the day based on their relationship with gravity.

Consider the following:

1 liter of water weighs 2.2 lbs

During the day you eat, drink, and use the bathroom. The scale goes up and down and most of it means absolutely nothing. Unless you are in a controlled laboratory where they measure the weight of everything that goes into you and comes out then how do you know what those tiny fluctuations mean? Factor in the water you lose to sweat and breathing and suddenly weight loss might not be what you think it is.

When you gain weight did you gain bone density, muscle mass, organ mass, connective tissue, or maybe you’re simply well hydrated that day… How do you know? Bathroom scales don’t measure these things. So many assume that their scale only measures fat; that the quantity of fat on their body is the only thing that changes. Maybe you had a big poop today and yesterday you didn’t have one at all. Ya know?

A “Better” Marker For Body Fat Loss

Your tape measure. Go buy yourself a seamstress’s tape measure like this one:

It bends much better than the retractable metal tape measures you buy at a hardware store.

The reason I put the word “better” in quotes is because your circumference will depend on your lifestyle. If you’re the type of person who lifts weights and exercises regularly your circumference can increase due to an increase in muscle mass. For those with food sensitivities you may notice abdominal bloating after eating certain foods. You can also gain body fat from doing the wrong kinds of exercise. In my 20’s I gained 30 lbs in a year from doing the wrong kinds of exercise. Here are posts I wrote with 6 Simple Steps for Weight Loss ;  How Most Diets Can Make You Fat; If You Want To Gain Weight Go On A Diet.

If You’re Doing The Right Things Your Body Weight Will Take Care Of Itself

People I’ve discussed this topic with don’t have faith in that statement; I blame the sham of a diet industry that has failed people repeatedly.  One friend said that she HAD to weigh herself everyday because “it’s too easy for those 5 lbs to sneak up on you.” She said this while still having quite a bit of weight to lose. In my mind I thought, “you were worried about 5 pounds sneaking up on you but they accumulated anyway.” The point I’m trying to make is that obsessing over 5 lbs didn’t help her avoid adding it.  She was vegan and not open to discussing dietary changes even though I can provide a vegan strategy.

I set another friend up with a paleo eating strategy and told her not to weigh herself for a month. She couldn’t do it. Physically, mentally, something I don’t understand since I’ve never owned a scale, she couldn’t stay away from the scale. She ended up losing 30 lbs.

Get Rid Of Your Bathroom Scale?

Honestly, I’d love it if everyone threw out their bathroom scale. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Then again I have an environmental science degree and I think of the environmental impact and the waste… Ugh. My best advice is to put it in the garage, a closet, or somewhere that you can use it to weigh luggage before traveling. That’s the best use I can come up with for a bathroom scale.

What About The Scales That Measure Body Fat Percentage?

The best way to measure body fat percentage is with hydrostatic weighing. Hands down it’s better than anything else. Basically, they fill a tank with water. You submerge yourself and they measure how much the level of the water rises.

The procedure is based on Archimedes’ principle, which states that: The buoyant force which water exerts on an immersed object is equal to the weight of water that the object displaces. [1]

Example: If a block of solid stone weighs 3 kilograms on dry land and 2 kilogram when immersed in a tub of water, then it has displaced 1 kilogram of water. Since 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram (at 4 °C), it follows that the volume of the block is 1 liter and the density (mass/volume) of the stone is 3 kilograms/liter. [1]

Technology may come up with something as accurate as hydrostatic weighing but in the meantime I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on what your bathroom scale tells you.

You’re A Skinny Bitch. What Do You Know?

People who have known me forever might say that. People who don’t know me might say that. This is what I have to say:

• The Law of Attraction: what you focus on is what you will attract to you. I’ve put the law of attraction to the test a number of times and it really does work. I’m kicking myself for not using it more often than I do.
• Wouldn’t it be nice to completely ignore your weight for a month. The one thing all eating strategies have in common is eating real food instead of fake food. Don’t let corporations cook for you.
• Eat delicious real foods that don’t come in boxes or bags and they contain single ingredients (that’s 80% of weight loss), and forget obsessing over your relationship with gravity. I imagine it would feel a bit like a vacation; one less thing to worry about.

Being thin doesn’t mean that people haven’t commented on my body:

Being Skinny Isn’t The Fairy Tale Some Think It Is

My health journey began in junior high school, 8th grade. I was a sprinter on the track team and sprinters develop muscles on their butt. My mom made me turn around one day so she could take a photo of my butt. This was the 80’s so she finished the roll, had it developed, and handed the picture to me saying “I think you need to know how big it’s getting.”

Since I was tall everyone said I should to go modeling school. When I was 15 I took my entire childhood savings of $800 and enrolled in modeling school. As soon as the check went through they told me that I needed to lose weight. They wanted me to get down to 120 lbs; I currently weigh in somewhere around 155. Back then I knew that I liked to eat more than I liked modeling so I never made any attempts to lose weight.

I’m 6′ tall so there was only 1 high school dance where I got to wear heels because I always towered over my dates. My life hasn’t been a glamorous fairy tale because I’m thin. I get dirty looks from people for being thin. I’ve been run off the sidewalk by heavy people who won’t move for me to pass by. Don’t even get me started on clothes shopping; I’m convinced they don’t make anything to fit anyone. The next time you’re out shopping wishing you were tall and thin try finding these dimensions in the store.

Inseam: 35″

Shoe Size: 11.5 or 12 Narrow

Arm length: 23″ (from wrist to armpit; my arms are longer than my 6’3″ husband’s)

Waist 27″

When I worked as a massage therapist the spa owner told me to gain weight because my thin body would make people uncomfortable.

EVERYONE Is Obsessed With Weight…

Scrolling social media I came across a post from a woman who was complaining that her surgery made her gain weight. Ummm…your body is healing itself via the inflammatory process. That is weight you want to show up. From online discussions people have this glossy image of what a thin person’s life is like, as if no one has ever said a mean thing to us or shamed our body.  The general assumption is that all weight loss is good and that’s simply not the case.

The point I’m trying to make, in case you too have this glossy imagination of what being thin is like, and it keeps you addicted to the scale…let it go. What is that meme I’ve seen all over the place? Something to do with:

Imagine how many businesses would collapse if women learned to love themselves as they are.

Be Healthy. Be You. If You’re Healthy Then The Size Of The Package Is What It Is. Lord Knows No One is Going To Call Me Anytime Soon To Pose For A Renaissance Painting. (I’m still waiting for my boobs to come in.)

The worst part is that women feel the most targeted when it comes to weight yet more often than not women are the ones that tear each other down. Stop It! If we want to change society’s mindset about weight we have to stop participating in the “how much does someone weigh” conversation. Also, don’t get upset about how society makes people feel bad about their weight and then go stand on your scale and beat yourself up.

 

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A post shared by Jen’s Primal Health (@jensprimalhealth) on May 13, 2019 at 9:53am PDT

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Originally posted on September 9, 2018 @ 13:15

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