Imagine you are in Vegas, sitting in front of a slot machine. Your emotions are tied to this machine, your heart is racing, and you are anticipating those numbers. What are they going to be? Will you win? Will you lose?
If you win, the outcome of your day will be upbeat, social, and fun. However, if you lose, you will feel stressed, grumpy, and sensitive. When you gamble, there will be highs and lows. It’s not that far off from what happens when you weigh yourself. It’s an addiction, and your whole world becomes dictated by the number on the scale.
I was a slave to my scale. I had lived in a constant state of fear, worrying about what would happen if I ate out with my friends and the “number” increased. I would weigh myself in the morning, after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, and so on throughout the day. Everything I ate I consumed with a stressful mindset, ultimately worried about the number on the scale.
Stress and anxiety weigh more than happiness. It’s the gut-brain connection! When you eat something in a stressful state of mind, your body will literally hold onto that emotion. A health coach once told me a happy doughnut is better than a sad salad.
The stress and anxiety I faced surrounding a number on a scale allowed me to hold onto some extra weight. After three years of weighing myself constantly, I was given the opportunity to take a break when I went on a family vacation. The minute I stopped, something magical happened. I no longer ate my food with fear. I dined with love and happiness. I went out to restaurants with my friends and I enjoyed my meal without thinking twice. Crazy enough, I actually lost weight, but your weight holds no value to who you are as a person. You choose who you are as a person, not external factors such as a number on a scale.
It took me a long time to realize this but it is something I am still working on today. You are not your body. You are the soul inside of your body. Treat your body the way that you want to be treated. Would you watch your best friend weigh herself in front of you and then criticize how and what she ate all day? No, of course not (I hope!). Then why would you treat your own body that way?
I remember coming home from school and weighing myself to find that I had gained a few pounds. Tears dripped down my face and onto the floor as I held onto my mom. But in reality, does anyone know or care what that number is? Absolutely not. My friends and family love me for me, not for a number. Although, when you are in the midst of the scale addiction, it’s hard to realize this. This is why you have to go cold turkey on the scale. I still have bad body image days, but what I do is tell myself this is only temporary and I love myself. I love my body and everything that it does for me.