I told Dona I would post a QOTD or two this week until we start our next coaching round. So that means, of course, a little article from sparkpeople.com
Break Free from the Scale!
How to Stop the Scale from Determining Your Self-Worth
How many times have you stepped on the scale, full of hopeful anticipation, only to be disappointed by the number staring back at you? Suddenly, that great feeling of accomplishment you had vanishes and you tell yourself that, again, you failed. No matter how hard you try, you can't lose weight. Sound familiar?
For so many of us who are trying to lose or manage our weight, the scale is our main tool for measuring our progress; unfortunately, we often allow it to measure our self-worth, too.
While the scale can be a good way to measure progress, it shouldn't be your only indicator of health and change. In fact, using it as your only form of measurement can result in obsession, negative thinking and a possible decrease in your motivation level.
For people who weigh themselves daily (or even multiple times a day), the idea of giving up the scale can be scary. But I guarantee that once you do it, you'll be happier, have a more accurate self-image and better relationship with your body. If cutting yourself off from the scale cold-turkey is a scaryor downright impossibleproposal, follow this five-step plan to go from scale-obsessed to scale-free in just one month!
How to Ditch the Scale in 30 Days
1. Store the scale out of sight. Most of us keep our scale in the bathroom, and it's one of the first things we see in the morning. In fact, I bet before you're probably even fully awake, you hop on it to see if you dropped weight overnight. The first step in breaking free from the number on the scale is to put the scale away; out of sight, out of mind. Whether it goes under the bed, in a closet or in a drawer, get it out of your everyday sight. When you can't see it, you'll be much less tempted to hop on as frequently.
2. Start your day with a positive ritual. Because you might struggle with breaking the habit of getting up and not weighing yourselfeven if the scale is out of sightthe next step is to swap a new behavior for your weigh-in ritual. Instead of stepping on the scale first thing in the morning, give yourself a pick-me-up! Whether it's listening to a high-energy song that gets you going, reading your goals aloud, giving yourself a short pep talk or reciting a quotation that resonates with you, take just a few minutes to get focused and pumped to continue making healthy changes.
3. Start measuring other healthy accomplishments. Just because you're not weighing yourself doesn't mean that you can't track your progress. Instead of measuring your weight loss using a scale, grab a fabric tape measure and record the circumference of your waist, hips, thighs and arms. Do this once a month and record them on your "Weigh-In and Other Measurements" page. Measuring your body size in this manner can be a much better way to gauge success because, unlike your body weight, which can fluctuate drastically, the true size of your body doesn't fluctuate wildly from day to day. Also, as you get fitter and build more muscle, you may gain muscle mass and lose fat but not see much change in your weight-loss numbers. You might even gain weight from increasing your muscle massand that's not a bad thing.
You can also track other indicators of health and well-being, such as your daily energy level, stress level, sleep quality and self-esteem. These wellness measurements may not change overnight, but if you're eating healthier foods and regularly moving your body, you will see changes over time. And unlike a number, these changes make huge differences in your quality of life.
Additionally, make sure to track your overall health and fitness progress. If you have health issues, you may even want to consider measuring your blood pressure, cholesterol and resting heart rate on a monthly basis. If you're really hitting the gym, try regularly assessing your fitness level with a quick and easy test, like how many push-ups or sit-ups you can do in a minute. There are so many ways to measure your success, so don't get wrapped up into just one number when other amazing changes are going on!
4. End your day with a pat on the back. Now that you're in the habit of starting your day without the scale, begin to close each day with a dose of positive reflection. Take another few minutes before bed to write down at least one accomplishment from the day or one thing you love about yourself. Then, end by writing three things you're grateful for, large and small. All too often we get caught up in the mental ping-pong game of "I should have done that workout" or "I should not have eaten that." When you regularly practice gratitude, it puts everything into perspective and helps you see that a minor slip-up here or a missed workout there isn't the end of the world. Always recognize the opportunity to learn from it, and move on.
5. Weigh in after a month. Once you've followed the steps above for a full month, they should start to feel like a habit, and you most likely won't be thinking about the scale nearly as much. You might also be feeling more confident, energized and stronger. If this is the case, it's time to take your scale out of hiding. Before getting back on the scale, revisit all of the success and progress you've recorded during the last four weeks. Then take a deep, peaceful breath and step on that scale. Does the number surprise you? How does it compare to your inches lost? And the biggest question of all: Does it really matter?
If you feel like you've fully broken free from the scale and your weight hasn't affected your feelings about your body or your mood for the day, put the scale away and keep up with steps two, three and four. Then, try weighing yourself weekly. If the obsession creeps back or if you get down on yourself about the number, repeat this month-long process again until you've broken free for good!
Here is the link to the article
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1625
QOTD Monday, May 13, 2013: What do you think about your own relationship with the scale? Do you let the number rule your day and how you feel about yourself? Or is it just a tool to help you monitor your health? How do you think your relationship with the scale could improve?
Be back later with some replies.
Hopefully I burned off one of the 2 desserts I ate at my sister's house 
We even have a frost warning for tomorrow night into Tuesday. I hope my lilacs survive. They smell awesome right now. Anyhow, have a great start to the week tomorrow. I'll check back soon.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!
), we headed home to relax for the rest of the day. Thanks to my phone ringing at 6am Sunday morning, (one of my ER docs "overlooked" the fact that he was supposed to be at work! 
), I dragged myself out of bed and jumped on the elliptical. This was after the Wonder Mutt 
made me breakfast in bed. 
And I really do need to put into practice some of the steps (if not all of them) and lighten up on the scale stress & anxiety that I feel. I do have a hard time, especially when the number goes up. Sometimes I get encouraged to work harder, but more often than not, I get depressed and start to get the "why bother" mentality and just give up. Which then of course leads to feeling even worse!! 
I am also starting perimenopause, so my periods and hormones are all out of whack!! Not a good combo for weight control and sound thinking!! 
Oh well, I am going to just keep trying to get healthy...... or find better hiding spots for the bodies!! 
Your smaller wedding sounds fantastic! And I agree about spending so much on a party for everyone else. Weddings are so expensive these days and can really get out of hand quickly. But a nice private service with a natural backdrop sounds like a great alternative. Besides, the money could better be spent on a kick-*** honeymoon!!! Also sorry to hear about your cat. 
When my old cat had to be put down after getting sick, I cried for almost a week!! I hope you start to feel better soon. 
but it's done and i'm moving forward. yesterday was on the go and then grilling steaks, but i just logged my food in and i stayed within my calories so that's good! and ...drumrolll....pardon me while a celebrate a small step in my recovery...
i know that my clothes tell me just as much and i don't think i'm hung up on numbers near as much as i used to be. i have a goal number in mind..i don't know if i'll be able to hit it ..time will tell. for now, i'm just working on getting into the next decade and celebrating that i no longer have 50 lbs to lose! i have 40 lb to lose 
LOL
