Scale Withdrawal

Odd how terribly difficult it is to withdraw from constant weigh-ins. This particular addiction just snuck up on me over the last several years.

Since I weighed 135 pounds or so for most of my adult life, and being 5'7" tall, weighing was a foreign concept. I weighed at the doctor's office, and that was about it. Once I hit my 50's and 60's and started piling on the weight, the scale became my definite frenemy. I hate it, but am constantly drawn to it. Definitely an addiction.

The past few months in particular, my emphasis has been on eating healthy, moving, and finding a nice balance of healthy behaviors that do not feel punitive. Obsessing over quick weight loss, never eating certain foods at all, and squeezing myself into a tiny box of 'diet' rules has not worked for me. It has resulted in the yo-yo behaviors so prevalent in the weight loss world.

This year I have consistently maintained a program of movement and 85/15 eating behaviors. It has not resulted in fast weight loss. It has produced slow, steady loss and a mindset towards health that I am comfortable living with. I call that success.

Weighing is now an occasional sport. Withdrawal has been hard. Yet I found that my prior constant weighing, for me, often set up mood swings that were destructive to the goal. I decided it was an addiction I needed to shed.