If you’re anything like I used to be, the number on that scale is everyyyyything to you. If it moves up even an unnoticeable amount, you start freaking out.
“I’ve stuck to my plan, why am I gaining weight?!”, “Am I doing enough cardio? Better do some more anyway!”, “Can you tell I gained that weight? Do I look bigger?” and the list of psychotic questions we ask ourselves goes on and on.
Well, I have news for you. The number on the scale means jack shit, and more likely than not, NO ONE NOTICES WHEN YOUR WEIGHT IS FLUCTUATING. You look exactly the same to the outside world, probably better. But in our minds… our almighty powerful minds, the world as we know it is ending.
Did you know that small weight fluctuations are perfectly normal? You probably won’t weigh the same this afternoon as you did this morning. Why? Because you probably weighed yourself on an empty stomach, before you drank any water or ate your breakfast… and as gross as it sounds… probably before you pooped, too.
That’s the truth. Your weight fluctuates depending on a variety of factors: drinking, eating, peeing, pooping, exercising, eating high sodium foods or high dense carbs, bloat from our periods, or bloat from foods that don’t sit well with us (i.e. dairy for those of us who are lactose intolerant, beans, high fibrous foods and veggies). Water retention is a real thing and this causes our weight to fluctuate. Your weight fluctuating is normal. If you continue to gain weight over the days and weeks and months, and it never really stabilizes in a general range, you may need to pull in the reigns regarding the types of foods you’re consuming (are you eating too much packaged foods and not enough wholesome foods?) Take a hard look at your habits. Are you consistent about consuming the right foods to fuel your bod or are you consistently reaching for packaged foods with unknown and foreign ingredients? Those weird additives could also be cause for water retention and bloat (i.e. weight fluctuations). Just keep that in mind! It’s about what you do MOST of the time, not what you do SOME of the time.
Have you been lifting weights? Muscle weighs more than fat. Your body composition could be changing for the better, but the weight on the scale may not be changing (and can even be increasing) even though you are actually shrinking in all the right places, and replacing fat with muscle. Who would be mad about that?!
The most important message I want you to take away from this is that you are more than just a number on a scale. We all are. And to calculate your worth based on that stupid number is just a waste. Do your best every single day to make mostly healthy choices, but also choose to eat a donut once in a while, too. Try your best to get your ass in the gym a few times a week, do some cardio, lift some weights, or try out that new yoga class you’ve had your eye on. Throw away your scale… I mean it. Throw the damn thing away. It tells you nothing. Nothing important, anyway. It tells you when you have your period. You already know that. It tells you when you’re consuming too much sodium. You already know that. It tells you you haven’t eaten yet or pooped. You already know that. It tells you nothing you don’t already know. Just look in the mirror, compliment yourself for being such an incredible human. For surviving a long day at work. For getting to the gym for 30 minutes. For eating those veggies. For eating that cookie and not stressing about it. And do the same thing tomorrow, and every tomorrow after that.
xoxo,
Ari
oreos4ari.com 