To Weigh or Not to Weigh

Women like to weigh themselves frequently while on a diet. Men judge their weight gain or loss by their belt or the fit of their pants. I don't think my husband has ever got on a scale except in the doctor's office. He'd make a comment like, "My pants are getting tight. I need to cut back on the sweets." And he would. He never said he'd gained weight. He'd always say he needs to cut back on his food intake. It worked for him. It was an automatic thought process for him. For me, it was always an effort and I always said I'd have to lose weight--not cut back on my food.

Most diet experts say to only weigh yourself once a week, but it is much preferred that we pay attention to how our clothes fit. Weight goes up and down, or plateau for a number of reasons. Right now I am in the plateau stage and it is very frustrating to move ahead. This has been going on for about three weeks. Up and down, up and down.

To avoid being frustrated the experts say only weigh yourself once a week. Here are some reasons why we have these plateaus.

• We retain water when we increase our exercise regimen. As we become more active we drink more water. Gaining water weight is okay say the experts. Your body is finding ways to store this extra water. It means that your Metabolism is increasing as well as your potential to burn fat. So as long as I'm still eating healthy foods I'll stop worrying about gaining a pound or two.
  
  
• Of course, social eating with friends and family and going to restaurants is a challenge for me. I have to think ahead of time what I'm going to eat and stick to it. Fortunately, my digestive system is doing a better job of communicating when I'm full. And I'm doing a better job of listening, obeying and stop eating. In fact, I now know when I've eaten too much. I feel so full I'm miserable. I'm eating less and getting full faster. That's a good feeling.

It could be I've reached a real Plateau. Even though I want to lose another three pounds, maybe I've reached my "Set Point." However, I haven't done any real exercise program yet. I walk 30 minutes once in a while. I park far away from my destination so I can walk to it (except in the evenings). I have a more positive outlook about cleaning the house (which I always hated doing). Now, I look at it as an opportunity to get some exercise and move the body. It really has changed my attitude towards housecleaning. However, I do need to work on this exercise program.

The good news is that my clothes fit real good. I have more energy now. Life is good.