To Weigh or Not to Weigh

That really is the question, and a damn tough one to boot.
As many of you know, I started a new healthier living regime last July. I was sick and tired of my rump not fitting into the seats at public venues. I opted to use portion control and hatha/vinyasa yoga to help me slim down while I grew stronger and more flexible. Weighing myself once a week seemed like plenty to me. From July to the end of December, I lost 47 pounds. Go me!
Sounds darn good, right? I thought so too. I was stoked to see 2016 start so I could continue seeing great results. Well, so far, 2016 has been a real bitch, pardon my French. From January to now, I've lost 5 pounds. Yes, you read that right. 5 pounds. I have not changed what I was doing, I've even added walking (which I do every other day so that I can continue doing yoga which I love) thinking it might jump start my weight loss. Nope. Now I do understand that since I'm now walking around 8-10 miles a week I'm building muscle and losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, yep, I get that truly I do but man alive, getting on that scale every Saturday was getting to be depressing. And then I slowly started seeing where I was going wrong.
It was the scale. I was letting myself fixate on those numbers instead of seeing how much better I felt, how much stronger I had become, how much bigger my old clothes were (I even went down a full cup size which is AMAZINGLY GROOVY) and how proud I was of my achievements. A good friend of mine who goes to a personal trainer had been telling me all along not to weigh or measure. This is what her trainer tells her and I can now see the merit of that thinking.
But yet, how do we know if we're getting thinner if we don't step on that scale or use that measuring tape? Well, I have to think it comes back to how we feel in our own skin. Choosing healthy foods, fueling our bodies right, and exercising in whatever form we enjoy and are comfortable doing should guide us, not those numbers. Seeing that I can climb uphill in the morning to do chores and not gasp for breath, going from a 5 X down to a 2X, looking forward to the rush that walking gives me or the serenity of my yoga practice.
All of these things are what tells me that what I'm doing is working. Deep in my soul, I know I'm doing good things for my body by eating better, working my muscles by walking, and refreshing my soul with yoga. Do I really need those numbers? I don't know but I'm willing to find out.
I plan to cut down to monthly weigh-ins while I battle with my body and this damn set point my metabolism seems to be stuck in. I hope that with patience, continued healthy eating, and slowly walking further and further I can kick this mucky-magoo my healthy living plan (I don't like the word diet and try not to use it) has fallen into in the backside. We'll see how it goes but even if I don't lose another pound, I've started to change my eating habits, seen how enjoyable exercise can be, and have found peace through my yoga practices.
And, you know, that is pretty awesome all by itself.



What do you think about weekly/daily/monthly weigh-ins? Are they beneficial or detrimental to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!